California Ground Squirrels: Each Has Its Own Entrance

We now have quite a family of ground squirrels that inhabits our little hillside in our backyard.  This spring there was a mom who gave birth to three little ones--at least that's all we saw.  I have since learned that they give birth to a litter of five to eleven once a year, so perhaps the others didn't make it.  Then early this summer, another female gave birth to a litter of five.  They have taken over our yard...and our hearts.

       

 

Drinking out of the waterfall,
easier for the little ones to get to than the bird bath.

The little ones are skittish, as expected, so getting pictures of them is a challenge.  Tiny as chipmunks and faster than lizards, they scamper and disappear into the nearest escape pod--and there are plenty of those!  Our hillside has numerous cinderblock steps and walls that they have incorporated into their complex burrow system.  I see them disappear and reappear at several different spots.  I wish I had X-ray vision so I could see what this elaborate tunnel system looks like.  Generally, it is 4-5 inches in diameter and can be 5-35 feet in length.  There are many entrances and exits, and once a colony is established, each individual squirrel has his or her own entrance.  I absolutely love this idea!

The crazy cinderblock steps put in by previous owners.

This seems to be the main entrance.
My camera is never fast enough to capture
the ever-present protruding head.

Ground squirrels are diurnal, meaning active during much of the day, so they are vulnerable to predators, such as hawks, weasels, bobcats, domestic cats, coyotes, and snakes.  Every now and then, I will hear a high-pitched, piercing chirp that sounds over and over again for a very long time.  This is a warning from one squirrel to all critters within a pretty large radius, as this can be heard a good block away.  Birds disperse in a startling swoosh, and squirrels scurry to the nearest opening and dive in for cover.

Since rattlesnakes are a prime predator for squirrel pups, moms have a few incredible tricks up their furry sleeves.  It's been discovered that they will roll on or chew snake skins, then lick their pups and themselves as well, disguising their scent, for when a snake finds a mother squirrel, it knows there are pups nearby.  If confronted with a snake, the mother will swish her tail aggressively, flooding it with extra blood, which creates heat.  The snake's sensors on each side of its head will detect the heat and think that this creature is even larger than it appears.  If this doesn't work, she may dash away, enter another opening into her tunnel system, and quickly kick dirt, thus filling and blocking the snake's way toward her pups. (So far, we have not seen any snakes, fingers crossed, and we haven't heard any coyotes in months.)

This lovely lady is Mama. <3

This is the position squirrels take
when they sound the alarm, but it's also,
as in this case, just a cool way to look around.

Squirrels will eat just about anything and with great enthusiasm.  Their diet is primarily seed based, but they also eat acorns, fruits, insects, roots, bulbs, and even quail eggs, which explains why my quail family never stuck around and nested in my yard.  They also eat grass, especially the tender tops of fresh growing grass, and they eat the grass seed that we keep putting down to replace the fresh growing grass that they just ate.  A constant challenge, but we don't mind.

They are also very generous little critters.  Their elaborate tunnels often provide a perfect habitat for other creatures, such as rodents, rabbits, even snakes.  And you've probably seen a squirrel gorging itself at the bird feeder, its jowls bulging with food that it then takes to its burrow, where an enormous cache is accumulated.  So yes, they also feed the neighborhood.  

Right now we have Mama, her five babies that are growing fast, two juveniles (of the three born in spring), and perhaps one other adult who may be their mama.  As soon as I put food out in the morning, they all scamper down.  They are willing to share until the American Crows come and make such a racket that everyone gets out of the way.  

Okay, but this half is mine!

Oh wait, who is that little one
between the raccoon feeder and the squirrel feeder?
Even the noisy crows don't keep him away!

I like to think our squirrel family has it made.  Endless food supply, pretty awesome habitat, and a fairly safe environment--and in return, we have non-stop entertainment.

Further reading

https://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Spermophilus_beecheyi.html#predation
https://ovlc.org/ojai-wildlife/california-ground-squirrel/
http://www.laanimalservices.com/about-animals/wildlife/squirrels/