One flying squirrel summer drey was reported to have been in use for over 10 summers! Winter dreys are built on a platform of sticks round balls of leafy twigs that are tightly woven to form a water- and wind-resistant shell and are lined with bark, moss, fur, feathers, lichen - any material that adds insulation. Summer dreys are generally of much simpler construction than winter dreys, though they still can be very sturdy. Unlike the ground-dwelling chipmunk, tree squirrels do not hibernate, but rather remain active all winter, living as they do high up in the trees above the snow pack. These nests are called dreys when they are outside (versus in a cavity) in the fork of a tree or nestled next to a trunk. Gray and red squirrels are our two common tree squirrels (flying squirrels are around but only come out at night) that will build winter nests in trees. I really can't imagine what it is like to be a squirrel, no thumbs or tools to speak of, and able to build a nest high up in a tree that doesn't blow away and stays warm all winter. Also, I never really thought about what it was like in those nests until recently when my neighbor asked me about them. I never really thought to squirrel-watch until reading "Winter World: the Ingenuity of Animal Survival," in which author Bernd Heinrich relates this same experience of watching a trio of gray squirrels emerge from their nest at dawn to forage for buds and sunflower seeds and cached acorns. I also enjoy watching the gray squirrels emerge, just after dawn, from their leafy nest part way up the trunk of a large white birch.
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I've given up trying to keep them away from the feeders and rather enjoy watching their acrobatics as they figure out how to simultaneously hang upside down, head in the feeder, while at the same time watching for cats and other predators.
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Both red and grey squirrels perch in the tree above the feeder, munching on sunflower seeds or brave my flock of free-ranging chickens for the cracked corn that I toss around.
In addition to the flocks of small birds are the neighborhood squirrels. The intrepid few who remain active all winter are common visitors to my bird feeder. The longest night of the year is upon us, and many of our woodland neighbors have retreated to warm burrows or places south.
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