Shai - wonderful description of the squirrel spinning the drumstick like a pine cone! That is exactly how I describe what it looks like when a Red Squirrel eats a bird. I take photos and videos of lots of behaviors - many that my husband objects to me putting on Facebook (too gross) - but after the list discussion about the Gray Squirrel behavior, I decided to post a short clip of one of the videos I took on May 8, 2016 of a Red Squirrel that captured, killed, and then consumed a Pine Siskin foraging on the ground under our feeders (I could go into the details, but I'd rather not re-live it). (On my Facebook page below) I suspect that this (killing) behavior is much more frequent in Red Squirrels - they are extremely fast compared to Gray Squirrels and quite capable of capturing a bird if an opportunity exists.
In the winter, I put down sunflower seeds for the Black-capped Chickadees at Sabattis Bog where I feed Gray Jays. All of the birds keep a good distance from the Red Squirrels that venture to the food. The chickadees are extremely observant and let out alarm calls - when the Red Squirrels first come in and anytime they are within striking distance. Joan Collins President, NYS Ornithological Association Editor, New York Birders Long Lake, NY (315) 244-7127 cell (518) 624-5528 home http://www.adirondackavianexpeditions.com/ http://www.facebook.com/AdirondackAvian -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra Sent: Friday, December 09, 2016 1:01 PM To: NYS BIRDS <[email protected]> Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] [NFBirds Report 2905] I Have Never Seen This Before !! Benign explanations, such as hunger or calcium deficit, are certainly plausible, but I wouldn't rule out depravity. These little mammals are smart enough that they probably form some sort of conviction of right and wrong--along with the concomitant and irresistible urge to transgress. When I lived on the South Side of Chicago in the early 90s, I kept notes on what the squirrels ate. Bagels, pizza, and other high-carb items were visually amusing in their little paws, but not notably deviant. Battered and fried drumsticks from Harold's Chicken Shack took the optics to a new plane, especially when spun as dexterously as a pine cone between furry little fingers. The worst was one deplorable individual whom I discovered dragging a fairly large slab of pork ribs with its mouth. To test whether it really needed the ribs in some pardonable way, or was just too far gone in some moral abyss, I approached the rodent to assess the point at which self-preservation might take over from gluttony. It would not let go! I could have caught it, but what good would that have done? I walked away, Desiderata in my mind's ear. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________________ From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> [[email protected]] on behalf of Nancy Jane Kern [[email protected]] Sent: Friday, December 9, 2016 12:21 PM To: NYS BIRDS; Rick & Linda Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] [NFBirds Report 2905] I Have Never Seen This Before !! I have seen gray squirrels gnaw on a deer carcass, regularly eat suet, eat on road kill, and chew MacDonald's hamburgers taken out of a dumpster in Albany. Not that often, but some will do it. Maybe it relates to their level of hunger. Nancy Kern Austerlitz, NY Columbia County ________________________________ From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > on behalf of Rick & Linda <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, December 9, 2016 12:05 PM To: NYS BIRDS Subject: [nysbirds-l] [NFBirds Report 2905] I Have Never Seen This Before !! I always thought G Squirrels were vegetarians. Here are pictures of a squirrel on my deck eating a DE Junco. I could not believe my eyes but there it is. I was working on my laptop this morning and heard a thump on the sliding glass door. Evidently it was a DE Junco that hit the glass. I finished what I was doing and went to see if the bird needed to be put in a box and kept warm until it recovered. When I got to the door I saw the squirrel already had the birds head off and was eating the rest. I have never seen this before, has anyone else? I frequently throw out leftover wet cat food, fat and other table scraps that the Bluejays and Blackbirds enjoy but the squirrels always turn their noses up at that food. She ate the whole bird and I spotted her later with only feathers stuck to her head and leg. This is a first for me and I don't know if I like the idea of a carnivorous squirrel. 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