Best places to see SQUIRRELS

SQUIRRELS TODAY: current situation and conflicts

Squirrels are one of the few animals to thrive in the altered suburban environment. They're generalists and opportunists. Most city parks have a denser squirrel population than pre-colonial forests. But the population has certainly fallen in rural areas, which used to see mass migrations of thousands of squirrels.

Most squirrels in the U.S. are gray squirrels (although some of this species are black or white). A few other species are found in certain regions:

Fox squirrel (big, red with a tan belly)

Red squirrel (small and chatty)

Flying squirrel (small and only seldom seen at dusk)

Ground squirrels are generally dark and live in burrows

Western states have a plethora of local varities, including the pine, Abert and Uinta to name a few.

While ridiculously common, the squirrel can still amuse visitors, especially if it's used to being fed and a different kind from your home regions. Festivals and protected areas have been set up for some of the distinct populations of white squirrels, with many towns claiming the title of White Squirrel Capital. .

VIEWING TIPS

They can't see well directly ahead, so be cautious with hand feeding. They like nuts, but also eat apples, grapes, bananas, leaf buds, insects and bark. The best time to see daytime squirrels is early morning and late afternoon; for most of the year they take a mid-day siesta. In winter they may only have one mid-day outing. City squirrels, who depend on people for nuts, are going to be more friendly.

FAQ

What's the difference between gray and black squirrels?

There are a few species of gray squirrels around the U.S. Confusingly the black squirrels are gray squirrels by species. Many people have developed elaborate theories over whether black or gray squirrels were more aggressive, usually based on the behavior of individual squirrels they know. In reality, gray squirrels are like labrador retrievers: the mother can have black and gray babies in the same litter.

Will squirrels bite me?

Not on purpose--unless they think you are trying to catch them. But they have poor eyesight and are jumpy, so if you feed them by hand they may mistake your finger for a nut. Those handling squirrels are more likely to get scratched than bitten.

Will that squirrel give me rabies?

No, rabies in squirrels is possible--as it is in all mammals--but it is extremely rare in squirrels. The leading theory is that squirrels bit by a rabid animal die because they are small instead of living to pass the disease on.

What should I do if I find a baby squirrel?

First, wait to see if the mother is around and coming to pick it up. But don't wait long because baby squirrels need to be kept warm. If the mother isn't coming back (some may push out extra or sick babies or die from car accidents, predation by hawks or rat poison), your first priority is to keep the baby squirrel warm in a quiet, dark place. Try to find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator from your state's natural resources department. Check the many online resources, such as the Squirrel Board, to find the appropriate food for the squirrel's age. Usually they'll need rehydration (a gatorade-like mix of water, sugar, salt and potassium) then esbilac, a fake puppy milk. Don't give them cow's milk.

BEST PLACES TO SEE UNUSUAL SQUIRRELS

	Midwest - See other animals in the Midwest
	Olney, IL: White Squirrel City Olney, IL is one of several towns known for its white squirrels. The 200-some Olney squirrels are albino and can be found in Olney City Park and Millers Grove.
	Isle Royale Red Squirrels - MI Isle Royale National Park is home to its own species of red squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus regalis. The Isle Royale Red Squirrel, separated from the mainland squirrrels by 14 miles of water, evolved into a smaller, less red subspecies.They are the most common and most chatty animal on Isle Royale. Isle Royale is only accessible by boat. Ferries come from Houghton and Copper Harbor, Michigan and Grand Portage, Minnesota. On the border of Canada. (906) 482-0984
	Northeast - See other animals in the Northeast
	Acadia National Park, Maine Red Squirrels regularly rattle to scold hikers at Acadia National Park., which makes it one of the easiest places to see this smaller, more chatty species.
	Unusual Squirrels of New York City The smaller the park, the friendlier the gray squirrels will be towards humans because they depend on handouts more. City Hall Park, Union Square and Battery Park are popular to feed squirrels. Foreign tourists often form squirrel jams around their lucky customers. Stuyvesant Town This massive housing development on the east side above 14th Street is famous for its high concentration of black squirrels. Black squirrels--just a color phase of the gray squirrel species--can be found all over the city, but there are just a lot here. Central Park Squirrels are generally not that interested in humans in this large, at times raw, park. The city's only Red Squirrel lives in the Pinetum in Central Park--supposedly. Prospect Park and Van CortLandt Park Chipmunks live here, but not in Manhattan Inwood Hill Park and Alley Pond Park have flying squirrels, which you can only hope to see at dusk in the summer.
	Plains -- See other animals on the Plains
	Texas - See other animals in Texas
	South - See other aninals Down South
	Dueling White Squirrel Capitals of the World Along with Olney, IL, and , several southern towns compete for the title White Squirrel Captial of the World. Brevard, NC: : Home of the White Squirrels Brevard, NC is home to 1,000 White Squirrells. the Memorial Day White Squirrel Festival and the White Squirrel Research Institute, which collects and analyzes an amazing amoung of data on the town's white squirrels. You can see them around Brevard College. Kenton, TN: White Squirrel Sanctuary Kenton Tennessee is a white squirrel hot spot. The White Squirrel Sanctuary at Rt. 89 & 5 is just one of the places to see them in town. Marionville, MO: Home of the White Squirrels Marionville, Missouri is Home of the White Squirrels
	Florida - See other animals in Florida
	The West - See other animals out West
	Kaibab Plateau, Grand Canyon Kaibab Squirrels, which are black with white tails and tufted ears,  live only on the Kaibab Plateau. Once thought their own species, they are now considered  a subspecies of the Abert's Squirrel.
	Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tuscon, AZ Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has desert ground squirrels.In the desert squirrels can only live underground and get by on cactus seeds and fruit and on rarer grasses and carrion. The three species you might see here are Harris’ antelope squirrel (active year-round, with a stripe that makes it look like a chipmunk), round-tailed ground squirrel (looks like a petitie prairie dog), and rock squirrel. You can also visit bats, roadrunners, barn owls, hawks.  2021 North Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ Hours & Rates (520) 883-2702
	Uinta Ground Squirrel - UT, WY The Uinta Ground Squirrel lives underground most of the year in matriarchal colonies. They only live in Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, says Utah's Division of Natural Resources, which provides this handy habitat map. The Uinta (pronounced like You IN Tuh) like sagegrass meadows and the treeline, says AnimalDiversityWeb. They're dark with a skinny tail. They hibernate in winter and adults are innactive in the hottest summer months. You might find them in the Uinta-Wasatch National Park, but they're more concentrated up north, especially near the Wyoming border. Wyoming lists them as living mostly along their SW border.
	ABERT SQUIRRELS - AZ, NM, CO, UT, WY Abert squirrels, also known as tassle-eared squirrels. They look like they're out of a fairy tale, almost like a rabbit: they're gray with a white belly and comically enormous ears. They only live in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Mexico. Here's their IUCN map. Bandelier National Monument, NM Bandelier National Monument is home to They eat ponderosa pine. A colony of 10,000 Mexican free-tail bats roost in the cave above Long House on the Main Loop Trail. Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos, NM (505) 672-3861 Flagstaff, AZ Abert squirrels an be found at the Grand Canyon and around Flagstaff, where they mug tourists. Harriman, WY Harriman, right on the Colorado border, is the only area in Wyoming that sees Abert squirrels. Canyonlands National Park, UT They only live in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Mexico. Here's their IUCN map. Here's where they live in Utah, the pines of the southern part of Canyonlands National Park. Evergreen and Durango, CO In Colorado they live in the Rockies from north to south in the state. Lots of their habitat on the front range has been wiped out by development. But Colorado Division of Wildlife says you can find them near Evergreen and Durango. In the Evergreen area, check out the Bergen Peak Wildlife Mgt Area and Elk Meadow Park which, has all kinds of novelty rodents: the tassle-eared (Abert) squirrel, Richardson ground squirrel (like a prairie dog), and pocket gopher. They've also got badger. Near Durango check out the Animas Mountain Trail.
	Alaska - See other animals in Alaska
	California -- See other animals in California
	Hawaii --- See other animals in Hawaii
	Canada -- See other animals in Canada
	Exeter, Ontario : Lucky Squirrels Exeter, Ontario has lucky white squirrels, which can be seen at McNaughton Park.
	Yukon Wildlife Preserve Yukon Wildlife Preserve started as a family operation in the 1960s and in 2000 became a non-profit 700-acre, educational wildlife reserve with caribou, elk, Alaska Yukon Moose, ground squirrel, lynx, mule deer, musk ox, wood bison and thinhorn sheep. Open only weekends in the winter and every day in the summer. Tour by bus ($22) or foot ($15). They're also a wildlife rehabilitation center. Plenty of guides lead tours by canoe, foot or 4x4 nearby.
	Latin America -- See other animals in Latin America
	Europe - See other animals in Europe
	Fareham- Coconut-Eating Squirrel Capital of the World Fareham (near Portsmouth) has gained notoriety twice for its coconut eating squirrels. In 2008 the Daily Mail profiled a squirrel that would lift a coconut over his head to eat it in the yard of Vicky Walker, in Portchester, Fareham. In 2010 her neighbor Jane Roberts showed  Sky News how squirrels would wear the coconuts like helmets to eat them.
	Formby Point & Squirrel Preserve Liverpool, England Formby Point & Squirrel Preserve near Liverpool is a sanctuary for the embattled Red Squirrel. Formby, Liverpool, Merseyside, L37 1PH, United Kingdom 01704 878591
	Guesthouse with Squirrels The To Post Guesthouse (Zur Post Gasthof) has a large squirrel facility out back with five species of squirrels, including the cute, red European kind with the giant tufts of hair on its ears. Roland Jr. Haase has been breeding them for 20 years. Rathausweg 5, 93470 Lohberg, Germany, 09943 1264
	Kiskunság National Park Kiskunság National Park in Hungary is one of the few places left to see the European Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus citellus), which is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Also known as the Souslik and Ardilla Terrestre, this squirrel has been pushed out of Poland and Germany because of farming and now lives in scattered populations in Eastern Europe. Because it builds burrows, this dark squirrel survives on the kindness of landowners, especially on golf courses, lawns and sports fields. It is still eaten as a traditional dish by gypsies, the IUCN notes. It's coming back where farmlands are failing.
	Barcelona Red Squirrels The red squirrels of Palau Reial de Pedralbes Park in Barcelona are usually shy, writes Iberia Nature, but they come down from the trees in late afternoon. Palau Reial de Pedralbes, Avinguda Diagonal 686, 08014 Barcelona, Spain, 934 132 400
	Asia
	Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary SitaMata Jungle Wildlife Sanctuary near Dhariyawad stretches over a wide area, has safari tours and is home to four-horned antelope, panther, flying squirrel, pangolin, wild boar, hyena, jackal, jungle cat, caracal, porcupine and Nilgai. One tourist site after another brags about its giant flying squirrels, which glide through the forest after dusk. But this Rajastan guide says they're seldom seen.
	Giant Squirrel Sanctuary The Giant Srivilliputhur Squirrel Sanctuary has most of the last population of 300 black and white Grizzled Giant Squirrels (Ratufa macroura). So, it's also known as the Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary. See pictures of the big (3 kg ) squirrel at ARKive.