July 12, 2005
Cams and Squirrels
Nest News: We've been watching the relationship between the chicks since the sibling rivalry seemed to escalate beginning on Saturday. It now appears that they've reached an agreement of sorts whereby the oldest eats by himself until he's full, then the youngest is allowed to eat pretty much unmolested, while the oldest often moves to a different part of the nest.
We're still not sure what brought on the increased tension. It could be that the youngest forgot his place in the nest hierarchy or possibly the oldest was just flexing his size advantage. We still see some occasional aggression, but this new arrangement has been working for a couple days now, so hopefully it will bring some harmony back to the nest.
In other news, we've started seeing some great shots of the chicks discovering their wings. We'll update the Gallery over the weekend. Thanks to everyone for their photos.
And now onto a different camera topic...
The Osprey Cam and the Eagle Cam are the two main cams at Blackwater Refuge, as many of our cam watchers know, but there is another type of cam at work that I thought our viewers might enjoy knowing about.
While most folks assume that bald eagles are the most important animal at Blackwater, the fact is there is one animal that is even higher on the "celebrity" list than the eagle -- and that's the Delmarva fox squirrel.
The Delmarva fox squirrel has been a federally endangered animal since 1967, and Blackwater Refuge hosts the squirrel's largest remaining population. The "fox" part of the name comes from the squirrel's bushy tail that often reaches a length of 15 inches, and the word "Delmarva" is actually a combination of the three states that comprise the peninsula where Blackwater resides -- the states being Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (Del-Mar-Va).
The Delmarva fox squirrel once ranged from southeastern Pennsylvania down through the Delmarva Peninsula, but the squirrel's population has declined mainly because of woodland conversion for agriculture and human development, as well as over-hunting. Translocated populations have been established throughout the Eastern Shore and at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, but Blackwater Refuge currently provides habitat and protection to the largest remaining natural population of Delmarva fox squirrels in the country.
For many people, it's a lot harder to see one of these squirrels than it is to see a bald eagle. I can personally attest to the fact that I saw an eagle on my very first trip to Blackwater, but went years before I saw a Delmarva fox squirrel. This endangered squirrel has a light, steel-gray coat and a large fluffy silvery tail with black edgings, and feeds more on the ground than the gray squirrel. The fox squirrel is also a good deal bigger, with Delmarvas reaching upwards of 30 inches in length (compared to a 20-inch gray squirrel).
At Blackwater efforts have been underway for some time to restore and manage the type of habitat favored by the squirrel -- mature pine and mixed pine-hardwood forests with little undergrowth. The refuge staff works hard to achieve the goal of one day removing the squirrel from the endangered species list.
But part of what makes it so difficult to help this squirrel is that it is very shy -- and that's where photomonitoring comes in. Photomonitoring uses hidden cameras that are triggered by the mammal's activity, and with the aid of these small cameras, biologists are learning more about what areas of the Delmarva Peninsula have the best quality habitat for the endangered squirrel. Visit the Chesapeake Bay Field Office website if you'd like to learn more about how cam technology is helping us help the animals.
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster