Last week, as we were picking pecans in our yard, we noticed our little friend peeking around the tree. Garrett did a little research to find that he is a 'Fox Squirrel' and will grow up to 15" (not including his tail-it will grow that long as well). Larger males can weigh between 3-4 pounds.  We have a large pecan tree on the side of our yard and this is where he is feeding in the pictures below.  He also enjoys feeding on acorns, seeds, twigs, flowers and fruits.  Unfortunately, he does feast on bird's eggs from time to time. 

Our little fellow has a mixture of black, silver and red hairs with a distinct strip of white directly down the center of his face. His little belly is red with a blend of beige fur.   He has a reddish plume of a tail and swishes it very quickly when he is disturbed or is trying to get someone's attention.

 

 Fox Squirrels make their habitat in a wide variety of forest types.  They like to bed in pine and hardwoods, swamps, pine forests and sometimes in the bayous.  Ours has made his home at the end of the property in a large pine forest.  We have seen him running down the fence line to his nest in the trees.

They are less agile climbers than gray squirrels and prefer to travel on ground as opposed to traveling through the trees. The are very quick runners and have somewhat larger paws than their smaller gray squirrel counterparts. They prefer to wait till mid-morning to rise and then retire well before the sun sets. 

  

 Thanks Garrett for sharing your information.  Can't wait to see your report!

For more info you can visit:  www.ypte.org.uk or www.outdooralabama.com, chocked full of information and helpful ways to care for the wildlife in your own yard.