December 1 - Squirrel ! !

One of the banes of the backyard bird feeder is that the squirrels often get more seed than do the yard birds.  In our area, the main squirrel species seen is the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).

Eastern Gray Squirrel - Sciurus carolinensis

Introduced eastern gray squirrels and eastern fox squirrels (S. niger), and native California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) and Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus) may compete for food and habitat with western gray squirrels (S. griseus) in parts of their range in Washington.  These species are expanding their ranges in Washington and overlap in places with the State-Threatened Western Gray Squirrel in the southern Puget Trough or in parts of Okanogan, Chelan, Yakima, Klickitat, and Skamania counties.  A Univ. Washington PhD student investigated the interactions between the Eastern Grays and the Western Gray Squirrels at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and concluded that there were few competitive interactions between western and eastern gray squirrels largely because of differential habitat use.  This pattern may not hold true in other locations where western gray squirrels and introduced squirrels may occupy the same habitats.

These eastern grays are not native to our State!  According to the State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, they were first introduced into Washington in 1925.  "They are now common in many cities, and thrive in developed areas."  They certainly thrive in my West Olympia neighborhood, and most other cities and 'burbs around here.  Where I grew up in the Willamette Valley in the 1970s or so, it certainly appeared that when the eastern grays and the fox squirrels showed up at my folks' place, the western grays got pushed out.

They're somewhat of a pest.  Besides consuming a high percentage of the birds' feed, they chew up the feeders.  And, they strip our western redcedar and incense cedar trees' bark to make their nests.  While it's a good thing for them to have the aromatic cedar oils at 'home' to deter fleas and ticks, their exfoliation of the trees' bark appears to get pretty close to the cambium layer in a few spots.  With four of these things in the yard this morning, it might be time to heat the oven for Squirrel Pot Pie!

The birds get out of the squirrels' way, and this morning the juncos, finches, towhees and Eurasian Collared Doves vied for their share of the seed mix.

Female House Finch

Male House Finch

Oregon Junco male

Female Oregon Junco

Female Spotted Towhee

The Eurasian Collared Dove is also an Introduced Species - I don't know why I feel less animosity toward them than I feel for the squirrels.  Must be a cultural thing?

As their name implies, Eurasian Collared-doves (Streptopelia decaocto) are native to Europe and Asia.  D'uh.  It is thought that these invasive, non-native birds made their way to the North American continent from releases in the Caribbean.  They were established in the Bahamas in the 1970s when about 50 birds either escaped or were released.  By the 1980s, they made the jump to Florida.  It is unclear how they did it, but they could have made the trip on their own, or they could have blown to shore during a hurricane or there could have been other escapes or releases. Either way, they have been expanding across North America ever since.

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Collared doves had reached Texas, Colorado & New Mexico in 1995. They expanded into Utah and Montana in 1997 and into Oregon & Wyoming in 1998.  They reached Arizona in 2000 and California in 2001, and expanded into Idaho until 2005.  The earliest eBird record I can find for Washington was from Jefferson County's Gardiner Beach in 1983!  The Eurasian Collared-Dove is now found extensively throughout the state.

They are not regulated by the State's hunting laws, and are described as "delicious"....

On a non-birding note, Marty & I walked south from the house to pick up a Oly Cheesesteak sandwich at Wally's and adjourned across Harrison to the newly-opened Headless Mumby Brewing Company, and met one of the owners, Keith.  He & his business partner Alex specialize in Lagers. We each had a pint of his Dark Czech lager, and were favorably impressed - and, it went well with the cheesesteak!

Keith pouring 1/2 litre pints at the Headless Mumby

And, a pleasant clientèle is reminded that, in a good pub, one doesn't stare at one's &^#@ cell phone!