Jim Jenkins took this photo at Tehachapi Mountain Park of a Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) drinking from the little seep below the old duck pond.
Gray Squirrels are common at higher elevations in the Tehachapi Mountains, typically from 4,500 feet in elevation up to 8,000 feet, but in recent years they have been encountered living at lower elevations.
As yards around homes in West Golden Hills have established more trees, for example, Gray Squirrels have become more common in that area. These are the tree squirrels of our area — while other squirrel species, such as California Ground Squirrels and Merriam’s Chipmunks, are capable of climbing trees, only Gray Squirrels spend most of their time aloft in tree branches.
Gray Squirrel nests are called “dreys” and can be seen up in trees, constructed from sticks and leaves wrapped with long grasses. The squirrels raise their young in these cozy nests, and also spend nights in them, since they are strictly diurnal and never active at night.
In warmer months, they sometimes stay in open-roofed sleeping platforms that they also build from sticks and leaves. Gray Squirrels primarily eat nuts and seeds, though they will also eat berries, insects and new buds.
Gray Squirrels will soon be busy collecting their two most important food sources this time of year: acorns and pine nuts, both of which contain lots of oil and carbohydrates that help the squirrels put on fat for the coming winter. Gray Squirrels forage on the ground but prefer to do most of their traveling aloft, leaping and running along the branches from tree to tree.
The Nuwä (Kawaiisu or Paiute) Indian word for Gray Squirrel is wogotava’azi, pronounced woh-goh-tava-AHZ-ee.
NATURAL SIGHTINGS is a regular feature of the Tehachapi News edited by Jon Hammond which showcases photos of the natural beauty that enhances the quality of life in Tehachapi. If you have a good quality image of plants, animals, insects, trees, birds, weather phenomena, etc., taken in the Tehachapi area, you may submit it to the Tehachapi News for possible publication. Submissions can be dropped by the News office in the form of a print or CD, or sent by email to: editorial@tehachapinews.com.