Orange ears

Okay, maybe we just haven't lived in Cotati long enough, but this morning was the first time we've seen a squirrel in our yard.  I managed to take a few quick photos to document it before we left for work.

 

Eric looked out the window early this morning to see an Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) walking along the fence and climbing up a nearby tree. 

At first, the orange coloration below made us think about Douglas' Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii), but this squirrel was larger.  And later when reviewing the identification, I noticed the orange ears, bushy tail, and lack of black line between the gray on the back and the orange below — characters which led to Eastern Fox Squirrel.

 

Since I'm relatively new to California, I don't know the entire story of how Eastern Fox Squirrels made it to the West Coast.  I hear they were introduced to the Los Angeles area in the early 1900s, and possibly to San Francisco in the late 1800s.  

P.S.  If you're interested in comparing squirrel species, review the post from 4 December 2012 to see some photos of a Douglas' Squirrel in Sebastopol.

Beechey

I took a quick walk around Moss Landing, California, this afternoon.  Although local residents are probably used to seeing these mammals, it was fun for me as they're not present on Bodega Head.

 

Note that there are three individuals in the photo above, two in the foreground and one in the background near the overturned wheelbarrow.  

Here's a close-up of the left-hand animal:

 

Although I don't have any resources with me tonight, and I have very little experience identifying ground squirrels, I think this is a California Ground Squirrel, also known as a Beechey Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi).

Here are two additional views of the other individuals:

 

 

And one more of the left-hand squirrel, splayed out like a sphinx in the warm sun.

 

Caught orange-handed

I looked out the window of our house this morning to see a small mammal in the bird feeder.  The feeder is often visited by gray squirrels, but this mammal was much smaller than a gray squirrel.

When I checked with binoculars, I was a little surprised to see this species:

 

  

This is a Douglas' Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii).  It's the first time we've seen one in our yard.  Inland they follow the Sierra Nevada Mountains farther south, but along the coast this is close to the southern end of their geographic range.  (One reference showed them in Sonoma and Marin counties; another extended the range to San Francisco.)

Douglas' Squirrels are small (~12 inches long) with gray on the back and orange below (see next photo).  Note also the pale crescents around the eyes and the tufted ears.

 

The tail is relatively flat, and there is a nice dark stripe between the gray back and orange belly.

 

The claws are long, which helps in climbing trees. 

 

Although this individual was feasting on sunflower seeds, Douglas' Squirrels are known for eating tree seeds (especially of conifers such as fir, spruce, and hemlock) and fungi (e.g., truffles and other mushrooms). 

This one also stopped for a drink of water at our bird bath.

 

It will be interesting to see if it comes by again.

I don't spend enough time in the woods, so if you have local sightings of Douglas' Squirrels or additional information about them that you'd like to share, please do!