Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > Winni Wildlife
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-25-2019, 01:24 PM   #1
Sue Doe-Nym
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,371
Thanks: 709
Thanked 756 Times in 392 Posts
Default Where are the squirrels and chipmunks?

We have had no squirrels and chipmunks this fall, and we have thousands of acorns falling all over the place. Was there a plague of some sort? Don’t get me wrong....they can be a nuisance , but we have seen none here. Big mystery.
Sue Doe-Nym is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 02:06 PM   #2
Biggd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH
Posts: 3,733
Thanks: 1,952
Thanked 1,068 Times in 673 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym View Post
We have had no squirrels and chipmunks this fall, and we have thousands of acorns falling all over the place. Was there a plague of some sort? Don’t get me wrong....they can be a nuisance , but we have seen none here. Big mystery.
The squirrels all committed suicide last fall. But I have seen less critters this year than last, esp mice, which I'm extremely happy about! I caught over a dozen last year and I've seen none so far this year, fingers crossed.
Biggd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 03:44 PM   #3
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 1,204
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default No mice, squirrels are gone

No mice here this fall. My cat is very disappointed in the slim harvest. My older kids graduated, got jobs and found places to live. The cat just wants to live in the basement and have food brought in. The squirrels don't hang around the bird feeder anymore, but I think that's because we got one of those Droll Yankee feeders and they can't raid it. Fun to watch them try.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 10:51 PM   #4
8gv
Senior Member
 
8gv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,002
Thanks: 61
Thanked 700 Times in 455 Posts
Default

I wonder if the predators that would have eaten the missing squirrels and chipmunks will be looking at our pets for dinner this fall.
8gv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2019, 11:44 PM   #5
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 1,204
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default Possible

Quote:
Originally Posted by 8gv View Post
I wonder if the predators that would have eaten the missing squirrels and chipmunks will be looking at our pets for dinner this fall.
We suspected that when we lost our cat for a week. Apparently go trapped someplace, (we think a nearby tool shed when neighbors moved in/out but came home a week later. No Coyote damage.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Old 09-26-2019, 06:14 AM   #6
gravy boat
Senior Member
 
gravy boat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Gilford year round, West Alton summers
Posts: 578
Thanks: 579
Thanked 193 Times in 98 Posts
Default Where are squirrels and chipmunks?

With the big die-off last year we had none for a while. This summer we had at least one red squirrel and one gray. And we have three chipmunks that I can count. Lots of acorns falling this year so the population should continue growing.

I read that acorns take 2-3 years to mature/grow to point they fall and their numbers depend on prior years' weather.
gravy boat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2019, 06:30 AM   #7
SAMIAM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Moultonborough
Posts: 2,834
Thanks: 326
Thanked 1,625 Times in 561 Posts
Default

Miss the squirrels and chipmunks but not too sad that we have no moles this year.
SAMIAM is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 04:49 AM   #8
gwhite13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Hanover and Moultonborough
Posts: 87
Thanks: 7
Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
Default

Squirrels and deer are looking very thin heading into winter.
gwhite13 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 07:00 AM   #9
tis
Senior Member
 
tis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,386
Thanks: 716
Thanked 1,375 Times in 951 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SAMIAM View Post
Miss the squirrels and chipmunks but not too sad that we have no moles this year.
Moles and mice! Who needs them? Glad their population is reduced!!!!
tis is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 07:14 AM   #10
Hillcountry
Senior Member
 
Hillcountry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: In the hills
Posts: 2,342
Thanks: 1,580
Thanked 761 Times in 456 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by gwhite13 View Post
Squirrels and deer are looking very thin heading into winter.
Whatever is left of the squirrels will fatten up on the big acorn crop we have right now and the deer are already doing so. Another 2 months of this and the deer I’ll have a good fat layer on their backs.
Nature’s will to survive is very strong.
Hillcountry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 07:21 AM   #11
Hillcountry
Senior Member
 
Hillcountry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: In the hills
Posts: 2,342
Thanks: 1,580
Thanked 761 Times in 456 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tis View Post
Moles and mice! Who needs them? Glad their population is reduced!!!!
They are food for the owls and raptors and foxes, tis!
I have heard that owls are suffering from the lack of rodents in certain areas of the country and are starving. Given the exploding mouse population of last year, you would think the owls had plenty...
This year, my bluebird houses, which are normally “winter housing” for the mice, are empty. I will put out some “bucket of death” traps for the mice soon...that will give me an idea of how many there are out there right now. I do not want them invading my buildings and equipment.
Hillcountry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 07:32 AM   #12
XCR-700
Senior Member
 
XCR-700's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: MA
Posts: 1,333
Thanks: 744
Thanked 533 Times in 310 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sue Doe-Nym View Post
We have had no squirrels and chipmunks this fall, and we have thousands of acorns falling all over the place. Was there a plague of some sort? Don’t get me wrong....they can be a nuisance , but we have seen none here. Big mystery.
They all migrated down here to Massachusetts!

We are inundated with chipmunks and plenty of squirrels,,,

I if you have any suggestions about how to go about it, I would be happy to send some your way.
XCR-700 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 08:04 AM   #13
tis
Senior Member
 
tis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,386
Thanks: 716
Thanked 1,375 Times in 951 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hillcountry View Post
They are food for the owls and raptors and foxes, tis!
I have heard that owls are suffering from the lack of rodents in certain areas of the country and are starving. Given the exploding mouse population of last year, you would think the owls had plenty...
This year, my bluebird houses, which are normally “winter housing” for the mice, are empty. I will put out some “bucket of death” traps for the mice soon...that will give me an idea of how many there are out there right now. I do not want them invading my buildings and equipment.
Guess that's who needs them LOL. But I know I sure don't need them in the house. I tell them I wouldn't trap them if they would just stay outside but they don't want to listen. I put a mouse trap in my closet just in case they start to try to come in. I have yet to catch one.
tis is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 08:06 AM   #14
swnoel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 527
Thanks: 83
Thanked 194 Times in 118 Posts
Default

They're in my back yard... do you want some??
swnoel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 08:08 AM   #15
rick35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Bear Island/Merrimack
Posts: 707
Thanks: 54
Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts
Default

I haven’t seen a red squirrel at our place on Bear Island or a chipmunk at home in Merrimack this summer. I hate them both for the nuisances they create. The squirrels like to nest in my shed and make a mess and the chipmunks have burrowed under my brick walkway causing the bricks to droop. No loss here.
rick35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2019, 01:00 PM   #16
Skip
Senior Member
 
Skip's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Dover, NH
Posts: 1,615
Thanks: 256
Thanked 514 Times in 182 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by swnoel View Post
They're in my back yard... do you want some??
Looks like they finally found the nuts!
Skip is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Skip For This Useful Post:
Biggd (09-27-2019), Reilly (09-28-2019), upthesaukee (09-28-2019)
Old 09-28-2019, 08:02 AM   #17
upthesaukee
Senior Member
 
upthesaukee's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Alton Bay
Posts: 5,544
Blog Entries: 2
Thanks: 2,393
Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts
Default I'm not feeding the birds...

Because I stopped feeding the birds back in late May or early June (bears 3, Upthesaukee 0, game, set & match), the seed on the ground has disappeared, and so had our squirrels and chipmunks until the last few days.

I'm guessing that both had been taking advantage of the natural foods that are available over the summer in the woods surrounding our house. Now that the acorns are falling (looks like a bumper crop this), they are collecting their new found bounty from our yard and have returned.

And yes Skip, they have found a couple of nuts at my house!

Dave
__________________
I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!
upthesaukee is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2019, 10:00 AM   #18
ApS
Senior Member
 
ApS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Florida (Sebring & Keys), Wolfeboro
Posts: 5,781
Thanks: 2,080
Thanked 735 Times in 530 Posts
Thumbs up Eastern Chipmunk...

Quote:
Originally Posted by gravy boat View Post
With the big die-off last year we had none for a while. This summer we had at least one red squirrel and one gray. And we have three chipmunks that I can count. Lots of acorns falling this year so the population should continue growing. I read that acorns take 2-3 years to mature/grow to point they fall and their numbers depend on prior years' weather.
Same numbers here. The gray only appeared one day. The cursed red squirrel ran across the lot a couple of times. Three chipmunks over the entire summer.

Back in Spring, the first chipmunk remembered me, and came running to my whistle!

He was shadowed by a larger chipmunk, which I took to be his mother. She'd chase him off (which is normal), but she would also look forward to some black sunflower seeds. Both are likely off in the woods now, but there are reminders (left by mussel shells) that we also have minks—which prey upon chipmunks. Both always appear stressed. A third appeared in the last two weeks, but wouldn't respond to me (and just now, ran away).

Chipmunks evolved from an underground tunneling mammal that survived the dinosaur era.

Their underground homes (and food-storage areas) use large voids they find in the ground, so can't solely be blamed for misalignment of stepping stones. (Which should be bedded in a large gravel footprint).

All the other 28 Chipmunk species are smaller than our Eastern Chipmunk.
ApS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2019, 03:24 PM   #19
swnoel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 527
Thanks: 83
Thanked 194 Times in 118 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip View Post
Looks like they finally found the nuts!
Now I know where to drop them off ! :-)
swnoel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2019, 10:09 AM   #20
webmaster
Moderator
 
webmaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,427
Blog Entries: 1
Thanks: 437
Thanked 3,697 Times in 820 Posts
Default



Photo by Airedale1
webmaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2019, 12:04 PM   #21
rick35
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Bear Island/Merrimack
Posts: 707
Thanks: 54
Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts
Default

He looks afraid to come out. With all the falling acorns he could get knocked unconscious. We have a bazillion acorns which hopefully won’t translate into a bazillion critters.
rick35 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2019, 02:11 PM   #22
JEEPONLY
Deceased Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 702
Thanks: 360
Thanked 179 Times in 141 Posts
Default

Several Falls ago I noticed a chipmunk coming out of his burrow, return a bit later with a face-full of acorns, and disappear down the hole- only to repeat the actions several time in a row. I decided to help, so I collected some acorns and set them on the lip of the burrow. They were completely ignored, and the chippie went on about his business.

OK. So, I put on some work gloves, removed the previously offered acorns, and replaced them with non-human smelling acorns.

Suddenly, the little critter's collection time was cut down to seconds.
I just think this is an interesting observation, though not totally surprising.
JEEPONLY is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2019, 04:48 PM   #23
Hillcountry
Senior Member
 
Hillcountry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: In the hills
Posts: 2,342
Thanks: 1,580
Thanked 761 Times in 456 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JEEPONLY View Post
Several Falls ago I noticed a chipmunk coming out of his burrow, return a bit later with a face-full of acorns, and disappear down the hole- only to repeat the actions several time in a row. I decided to help, so I collected some acorns and set them on the lip of the burrow. They were completely ignored, and the chippie went on about his business.

OK. So, I put on some work gloves, removed the previously offered acorns, and replaced them with non-human smelling acorns.

Suddenly, the little critter's collection time was cut down to seconds.
I just think this is an interesting observation, though not totally surprising.
Yup! If they’re not accustomed to human stink, they will avoid!
Hillcountry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2019, 08:32 PM   #24
Sue Doe-Nym
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,371
Thanks: 709
Thanked 756 Times in 392 Posts
Default Zero squirrels

We still have seen no squirrels or chipmunks this fall on our property. Very strange....we used to have to be careful closing doors to keep them out. Not a one.
Sue Doe-Nym is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:42 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.29904 seconds