Originally Posted by
Robynbird78
Hello all, I’ve been lurking here for about a year, and finally registered after one of our backyard friends hurt his front paw. Got some good advice and reassurance and that little squirrely (we call him spark because he’s always starting trouble with the other boy squirrels) is nearly recovered and seeems to be doing very well.
For a bit over a year we have always put food and water out on our back deck for these cuties, and have about a dozen regulars that come every day and others that happen by for a treat now and then. About 2 months ago a little gal built drey in the tree next to my deck - what would have been a clever spot on top of a hollow spot right above the fork of two largest branches - except for the heavy squirrel traffic since that seems to be the favorite approach of nearly all of the squirrels that visit the deck. She tolerated the others well until pretty recently - after being harassed by a few boy squirrels (Spark being a primary offender), I guess she got frustrated and I noticed one day that she didn’t seem to be returning to that drey but couldn’t initially figure out where she might have moved babies to. A few days later I notice the biggest drey I have ever seen (more than a foot wide) at the very top of the oak tree outside my bedroom window. 4 days ago suddenly some beautiful small squirrels came running down the tree and chasing each other around, but i really surprised at how big these guys are - you can only tell they aren’t full grown if you’re very familiar with them or see them next to mama or another grownup. (Will try to post some pics)
Is it common for babies to look nearly full grown when they first leve the nest? There’s no way I’ve missed them out exploring unless it was right at sunrise, but they generally come tearing down the tree around 7:30am and stay close to my house most of the day. My other questions are about nest boxes - when should they ideally be out so these guys can get used to them before winter? Do I need to only have one box per tree? We have cold winters here in the Midwest, and I worried my heart out for the little guys last winter. I definitely will put up as many safe boxes as I can before winter hits! Will try to post some pics, and thanks for any advice you can offer!