As my co-worker and I were hiking along an old logging road while monitoring a covenanted forest behind the Malahat, we spotted a Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) sitting on an old log. Before I could get a picture, it scampered away, but it was amazing to see this native squirrel because it is usually found in ever-diminishing old growth and mature forests. The Douglas squirrel loves to eat conifer cones that it harvests by biting the cone from the tree, letting it fall, and collecting it later. They also eat acorns, fruit, and mushrooms. Nesting in hollows of trees, Douglas squirrels’ mate in April and have their 3 to 5 young a month later. The young will stay with the mom for two months and then leave to build their own dens. Squirrels are very territorial, and the Douglas squirrel is no different; if you are walking in the forest you may hear a variety of their calls including chatters, squeaks, scolds, and barking.
For more information on Douglas squirrels please visit https://sierraclub.bc.ca/douglas-squirrel/
~ Erin, TLC’s Summer Covenant Program Intern
Photo courtesy E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia and taken by Les Leighton.
Photo courtesy BC SPCA and taken by Susan Giles.
