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Oct. 12th, 2004 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbpanThanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
messy_wreck, who asked me a question which caused me to actually write about urban nature!
On my last ride from Drumlin to home (about 15 miles) I counted 13 squirrel roadkills. I thought it was kind of a lot. There were 3 skunk roadkills in the 5 miles from Lincoln to Waltham. What's going on? As usual, I don't really know, but that won't stop me from coming up with an answer.
The way most little furry or feathered creatures in New England work is this: they have their babies in the Spring or Early Summer. The babies grow up over the Summer and Early Fall, at which time they are kicked out on their ass--many species are grown enough to live on their own at just a few months. Our squirrels (the Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis) actually can have two litters before the snow falls. Anyway, the ones we see smooshed are (mostly) this year's babies, specifically the babies born this year that haven't figured out that they can cross the street by using branches and telephone wires. The cars are weeding out the dumbest and slowest babies. In a more wild setting, the weeding out would be done by foxes, bobcats and hawks. Charlie, bless his tiny domestic dog brain, has caught two of this year's baby squirrels, and has the facial wounds to prove it. He grabbed them, they scratched and bit him, and they ran away. Stupid baby squirrels.
Supposedly, last year was a big nut year: Lots of acorns, which are the main food of eastern gray squirrels. This year, for whatever mysterious reason, hardly any acorns. Likewise, apples and crabapples were abundant last year, and this year I've seen squat. So last year, lots of food meant lots of reproductive success with squirrels. This year's generation is kicked out to fend for itself and finds that food is scarce. They have to roam further, cross more streets, and kapow. I haven't seen an increase in crows (who benefit most from increased roadkill production) but it's worth watching.
messy_wreck, who asked me a question which caused me to actually write about urban nature!On my last ride from Drumlin to home (about 15 miles) I counted 13 squirrel roadkills. I thought it was kind of a lot. There were 3 skunk roadkills in the 5 miles from Lincoln to Waltham. What's going on? As usual, I don't really know, but that won't stop me from coming up with an answer.
The way most little furry or feathered creatures in New England work is this: they have their babies in the Spring or Early Summer. The babies grow up over the Summer and Early Fall, at which time they are kicked out on their ass--many species are grown enough to live on their own at just a few months. Our squirrels (the Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis) actually can have two litters before the snow falls. Anyway, the ones we see smooshed are (mostly) this year's babies, specifically the babies born this year that haven't figured out that they can cross the street by using branches and telephone wires. The cars are weeding out the dumbest and slowest babies. In a more wild setting, the weeding out would be done by foxes, bobcats and hawks. Charlie, bless his tiny domestic dog brain, has caught two of this year's baby squirrels, and has the facial wounds to prove it. He grabbed them, they scratched and bit him, and they ran away. Stupid baby squirrels.
Supposedly, last year was a big nut year: Lots of acorns, which are the main food of eastern gray squirrels. This year, for whatever mysterious reason, hardly any acorns. Likewise, apples and crabapples were abundant last year, and this year I've seen squat. So last year, lots of food meant lots of reproductive success with squirrels. This year's generation is kicked out to fend for itself and finds that food is scarce. They have to roam further, cross more streets, and kapow. I haven't seen an increase in crows (who benefit most from increased roadkill production) but it's worth watching.
