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June 2022
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Back on Arran6/13/2022 Back on Arran again doing some more Eurasian red squirrel research. Has been several years since I have been on the island, and as a result the squirrels are different than some of the 'originals'
Thus far, things have been going well and quite a few individuals have been found and sounds recorded. Looking forward to another week here before I head to the mainland to see what squirrels I can find there.
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Douglas Squirrels2/3/2022 In July of 2021 a new species was add to my research program. Introducing the Douglas squirrel, a species that is closely related to the North American red squirrel. I spent some time in Pacific Spirit Regional Forest as well as at Burnaby Lake, where I encountered several of these shy individuals. Because the invasive grey squirrel is everywhere in the Vancouver area, the Douglas squirrel is often outcompeted and ousted from urban areas. In addition they require a very specific forest type dominated by Douglas fir. As a result these individuals are often difficult to find and follow. I am going to be spending more time with them to explore their communication system. They have a call system that is quite different from their red cousins (the North American red squirrel). Looking forward to more time on the coast this summer!
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Pika Summer2/3/2022 It was a good summer out with the pika. Collected a great deal of data with my honours student and her partner. Had some rain, and snow! Had some wind, and a lot of smoke. Overall it was a great, productive trip. On my final departure I headed up the highwood pass to see how the pika were doing in the snow storm. As I drove to the peak of the pass I encountered a large juvenile grizzly walking along the highway (August 17, 2021).
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Pandemic Research3/9/2021 Been a long while since the last Scotland entry. Research, like many things, has been slow due to our friend Covid-19. No Scotland trips in 2020 or 2021, so for now the focus is on the territorial rattle call in the local North American red squirrels. We think the calls are about individual identification, so that when a squirrel is away from its territory for a period of time the rattle call can announce to others where that individual is. This may help reduce unwanted aggression when moving through your own or a conspecifics territory.
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Behaviour 20197/24/2019 July 24, 2019
The presentation is complete and I went well. Or at least I thought so. Had a few questions about duration of the calls and how that may reflect motivation or affect. Our next steps will be to analyze the number of calls produced in the bout as well as how close together those calls are, in order to explore any motivational components in the system. The playbacks are going to be an important addition to the study and will be good to report those next year. More squirrel stories to follow.....
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Last day on Arran7/14/2019 July 14, 2019
Another successful field visit is over. Hard to leave such a beautiful location and such great, and cooperative, study animals but it is time to return to Canada. Lots of data in hand there will plenty to analyze and discuss in blogs later this summer and into the fall months. Squirrels at the hide today included all the usual suspects with a lengthy visit from a young pup. The pup spent quite a bit of time feeding at the high tree feeder all the while being vigilant of the birds and other critters below. Being young means being quite cautious in situations, like an open feeder, that could be dangerous. See you in a year squirrels!
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Squirrel predators7/12/2019 July 12, 2019
Like many species the Eurasian red squirrel often experiences heavy predation. Here on Arran, the squirrels will often encounter feral cats, the common buzzard and the sparrowhawk. When squirrels encounter one of these potential predators they will often produce their chip call and in some cases will tail flag or leave the area. Squirrels will also encounter non-threatening species like the wood pigeon. Now, although a pigeon would not predate upon a squirrel, they are intense food competitors and thus squirrels will confront them! Recently at the squirrel hide we had a close encounter with a sparrowhawk. The bird did not have any success obtaining it's lunch but it did cause quite an acoustic commotion.
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Back to the hide7/10/2019 July 9, 2019
Rain was coming down quite heavily today but that did not stop the squirrels from coming to the feeders and hide area. There were many today, most of the time interacting with each other. The Eurasian red squirrel engages in tail flagging behaviour in several different contexts. Thus far my observations indicate that they flag to threats, be they predatory, non predatory or conspecifics. These flags may be signals of aggression or to deter the threat. At this point there is no clear pattern BUT the lab is on the hunt analyzing videos of these flagging events. So, there is more to come with this story! Back again tomorrow to head out with the squirrels and see what the day will bring. I have only four more days of data collection for this season then back to the lab for analysis!
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Sunny Squirrel Day7/7/2019 July 7, 2019
Eurasian red squirrels are rare in most areas of Scotland due to competition with invasive grey squirrels. As a result squirrels are greatly valued in Scotland and most locations throughout the UK. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the behaviour of these squirrels. We know relatively little about their communication system and thus all the work here on Arran could help contribute to conservation efforts. The great thing about the squirrels on Arran is that they are here alone, in other words there are no grey squirrels on the island. This means the communication system I am exploring is one that has potentially not been affected by competitive interactions with grey squirrels. As you can see from the signage above a squirrel sighting is an exciting and rare thing!
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True Scotland weather7/5/2019 July 5, 2019
Today was true Scotland weather but the squirrels don't mind. Nestled in the squirrel viewing hide I spent the day watching and recording their calls and behaviour. A new addition to the hide this year, a glass bottle feeder. Individuals have no problem fitting their heads in the bottle and retrieving peanuts. The favourite spot is still the tree feeding but the new bottle feeder means more squirrels can eat at once. Hope for sunshine tomorrow! |