Why do squirrels gather food for winter?

At this time of year you may notice squirrels gathering nuts and other food sources in preparation for the fast approaching winter months.

Squirrels can’t find enough food every day during the winter, and they’d starve to death if they didn’t make appropriate preparations. That means stashing food in their den's such as attics to make it through the winter.

Gray squirrels particular approach to food is called “scatter hoarding”. Squirrels will bury their nuts where the frost can’t reach them, normally at least an inch beneath the surface. 

How do squirrels find their nuts?

Squirrels use a combination of clues to find their nuts again later. First, the caching is not random. A particular place will have been chosen – under a big oak, for example – and remembered. Several squirrels may also use the same patch, which increases the probability that they will find stored nuts simply by chance.

When a squirrel returns weeks later, it peers at the ground, looking for disturbed soil and sniffing to detect a nutty smell. This multi-sense inspection focuses digging on the spots most likely to yield a nut. 

BUT there are many that are missed, which develop into new trees, benefiting future generations.

There are many factors contributing to high efficiency of forest regeneration by grey squirrels. 

The first factor in the grey squirrels' success in forest regeneration is the huge amount of tree seeds they bury. Research has shown that grey squirrels store 96.9% of their seeds in this way (Goheen & Swihart 2003). Scientists also managed to establish that about 30% of the buried seeds will never be recovered by grey squirrels. These buried and unrecovered seeds are the basis for the future forest regeneration.

These babies were the oldest babies we had seen so far in April 2022. He was around 4-5 weeks old, which means they would have been born in February.

They were living inside a playhouse in a backyard with their mother. The customer’s kids couldn’t use the playhouse since the raccoon had taken up residence.

We were able to document the removal of these babies.

You can watch the video on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi1vwf762tY

This baby was discovered on March 29th 2022. He was living inside of a parapet drain with his mother and siblings.

We were able to document the removal of these babies.

You can watch the video on our YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW1DrSRHceY

This job was an interesting one! These baby raccoons were in an area that was not accessible from inside the attic which required us to cut through the roof to gain access to them. We were able to accurately find the exact spot the babies were, and cut a hole into the roof to gather the babies.

They were fast asleep when we found them!

These baby squirrels were living inside of 2nd floor wall with their mother. The homeowner had witnessed the mother moving her babies inside his house while on a work call one day.

We had the opportunity to film this job and posted it on YouTube.

Check out the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB3yQa-btDQ

This past Spring was busy for all of us at Gates Wildlife. Each year we are able to witness the beautiful creation of life firsthand. The maternal mothers and their babies that we interact with continue to teach us something new each year. We are honoured to work so closely with them and to document our adventures.

Marley Tile Roofing, Is It Animal Proof?

While there are both pros and cons to tile roofing, one con includes that raccoons and squirrels can still get inside!

Raccoons will typically gain entry due to a tile shifting. Underneath the tiles, there is a felt paper which is extremely easy for a raccoon to tear apart. Squirrels will also enter through the loops that exist along the edge of the roof line.

Although this style of roof is meant to last up to 100 years, it is not animal proof. In fact, when smaller animals such as squirrels are gaining entry through the smaller gaps, there is not much we can do until a professional Marley tile company closes the gaps with cement.

While it may seem like a great investment, be sure to do your research before making the switch!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!

Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow, so spring is on its way!

Early February is the seasonal crossroad between winter and spring. February 2nd brings the most watched weather forecast of the year and the only forecast we allow a rodent to predict.

Legend has it that on this morning, if a groundhog can see its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If it cannot see its shadow, spring is on the way. 

It is a superstition but there is a grain of truth to it. On winter days when you can see your shadow the temperatures are especially cold because there are no clouds overhead to insulate the earth. Therefore, the more sunny days in February, the later the onset of spring.

How successful is Wiarton in predicting whether we will have 4 weeks (doesn’t see his shadow) or 6 weeks (sees his shadow) of winter? Scientists have estimated Willies accuracy at 25%.

Even if Wiarton Willie cannot predict how long winter will last, he at least gives us hope that the end of winter is near.

Do You Have A Raccoon in Your Attic? Act Now!

At this time of year, you may hear a few noises come from your attic and not think too much of it. You may push it off as noise coming from on top of the roof or the odd creak of your home. If the noise is consistent enough, you may have a raccoon or squirrel inside your attic causing the noise. Sounds like this at this time of the year are a sign to act now. In approximately two months, mother raccoons will start giving birth to her young which means much more noise! 

Once baby raccoons are born, there will be a lot of chittering noises emanating from the attic. A lot of our customers describe the noise of a crying baby raccoon as sounding like multiple birds chirping at one time. They make a high-pitch chirping noise when they feel bothered or are hungry. While the crying noise will occur primarily at night when the mother raccoon goes out for food, it can also occur throughout the day. Surprisingly the mother will place her babies above the master bedroom, keeping you awake and worrying about the damage.

Call us at (416) 750 - 9453 to book a FREE estimate!