Hello from Arizona :sunshine

[GarryRogers]

Greetings,
My wife and I live on the floodplain of the Agua Fria River in central Arizona. We call our 20 acres Coldwater Farm and we keep it solely for wildlife. Lots of mammals, but only one squirrel species. A Cliff Chipmunk stopped by three years ago, but otherwise, all our squirrels are Rock Squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus). There are no rocks around the Farm, so the squirrels burrow in the banks of old lacustrine deposits. They do quite a bit of tree climbing. They climb to the dipping tips of willows for spring buds, and they climb to the tops of the pear trees for fruit. I have seen a youngster resting seven meters up an old willow tree.
We host a wide array of wildlife species, the largest being eight Mule Deer that began grazing around the house this spring. I blog about the animals we see and about globbal wildlife issues. The irresponsible expansion of our species at the expense of wildlife is the focus of most of my writing and blogging. I will watch the forum for useful information and ideas that might benefit wildlife.
Good wishes for all.
Garry

[czarina]

. You will find amazing information here. A collective group of animal lovers who combine their experiences and knowledge to help save wildlife, focusing of course on squirrelsmjs but all species are of interest to us.

[CritterMom]

Welcome Gary! My mother lives on the outskirts of Tucson at the edge of the Saguaro National Forest. I visit her every spring - the first part of April when everything is blooming and it isn't too hot yet! They have tons of the little round tailed ground squirrels in her area - the only place I ever see rock squirrels around there is where man has provided for more favorable conditions (Reid Park Zoo is filled with them and they gallop around all of the habitats at the Tucson Desert Museum)! The little ground squirreis all venture into the trees - I got some wonderful shots of one of the little round tails in the tops of a mesquite eating early spring leaves, and my own Maine chipmunks can be spotted 50 feet up in oak trees sometimes!

Because of the lack of tree squirrels in most AZ areas we don't have many members from there, so double welcome!

PS: I brought some palo verde seed pods home and I am now nursing a tiny palo verde tree in my kitchen. I failed miserable with ocotillo, but I have good feelings about my little palo verde!

[czarina]

I'm originally from Phoenix. Raised and went to school there. ( now I live in the deep south )
Oh, how I miss the desert in spring. Most of my family and friends are still there. I still have my moms condo there. I get home as often as I can, which isn't to frequently .

I am working on a " saguaro forest " ( as the packet of seeds calls it ), in my kitchen.
I don't have much hope for it.

I miss everything about the desert. Especially the desert tortoise's.

[GarryRogers]

Welcome Gary! My mother lives on the outskirts of Tucson at the edge of the Saguaro National Forest. I visit her every spring - the first part of April when everything is blooming and it isn't too hot yet! They have tons of the little round tailed ground squirrels in her area - the only place I ever see rock squirrels around there is where man has provided for more favorable conditions (Reid Park Zoo is filled with them and they gallop around all of the habitats at the Tucson Desert Museum)! The little ground squirreis all venture into the trees - I got some wonderful shots of one of the little round tails in the tops of a mesquite eating early spring leaves, and my own Maine chipmunks can be spotted 50 feet up in oak trees sometimes!

Because of the lack of tree squirrels in most AZ areas we don't have many members from there, so double welcome!

PS: I brought some palo verde seed pods home and I am now nursing a tiny palo verde tree in my kitchen. I failed miserable with ocotillo, but I have good feelings about my little palo verde!

Hi CritterMom,
The Arizona Upland Saguaro/PaloVerde vegetation around Tucson and elsewhere in Arizona is my favorite. I've studied it for years, and especially like being there in early spring. Good luck with the palo verde.

[island rehabber]

Welcome to The Squirrel Board, Garry! Glad you've joined us!
I am particularly interested in any pix and stories you have of Rock Squirrels. I first encountered them in southern Calif while visiting in-laws. It seemed as if every suburban parking lot and outdoor mall in Oceanside, Vista or San Diego had a "Riverwalk" or landscaped area that these guys just loved. I love their dappled/spotted coats.

[GarryRogers]

I'm originally from Phoenix. Raised and went to school there. ( now I live in the deep south )
Oh, how I miss the desert in spring. Most of my family and friends are still there. I still have my moms condo there. I get home as often as I can, which isn't to frequently .

I am working on a " saguaro forest " ( as the packet of seeds calls it ), in my kitchen.
I don't have much hope for it.

I miss everything about the desert. Especially the desert tortoise's.

Hi Czarina,

I live about 20 miles north of the northernmost saguaro, and don't drive down too often--too busy I guess. Might seem odd being so close, but I miss the desert too; especially those first spring times I spent photographing plants and searching for answers about changes. Good luck with your saguaro forest. Of course, you might have to raise your ceiling in a century or so.

[GarryRogers]

Welcome to The Squirrel Board, Garry! Glad you've joined us!
I am particularly interested in any pix and stories you have of Rock Squirrels. I first encountered them in southern Calif while visiting in-laws. It seemed as if every suburban parking lot and outdoor mall in Oceanside, Vista or San Diego had a "Riverwalk" or landscaped area that these guys just loved. I love their dappled/spotted coats.

Hello,

I have some Rock Squirrel photos. One of my favorites is in the sidebar of the front page of my website: http://garryrogers.com. I'll try to put a gallery together and let you know when it is posted.

Last year one of the young squirrels was less skittish than most and would sit and listen to my nonsense as close as four feet. I placed a milk crate over its main burrow entrance so that it could emerge in safety. The squirrel could pass through the crate bars, but most of its predators couldn't. This allowed the squirrel to exit and look about before any lurking cats, coyotes, or foxes could pounce. None of the spring squirrels are as friendly this year.

[GarryRogers]

Welcome to The Squirrel Board, Garry! Glad you've joined us!
I am particularly interested in any pix and stories you have of Rock Squirrels. I first encountered them in southern Calif while visiting in-laws. It seemed as if every suburban parking lot and outdoor mall in Oceanside, Vista or San Diego had a "Riverwalk" or landscaped area that these guys just loved. I love their dappled/spotted coats.

I posted my paultry few Rock Squirrel photos here: http://garryrogers.com/nature/rock-squirrels. Lots of my photos weren't worth displaying. I'll try to get more--tis the season.

Garry:violionist