Boomers
Red squirrels are known as boomers in some areas, a name I love although I don’t know its origin — these little chatterboxes certainly aren't quiet, but boomy isn't quite how I’d describe their shrill alarm calls.
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Boomers
Red squirrels are known as boomers in some areas, a name I love although I don’t know its origin — these little chatterboxes certainly aren't quiet, but boomy isn't quite how I’d describe their shrill alarm calls.
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First of the West
I was first exposed to the noisy chatter of red squirrels while hiking in West Virginia when I lived back east. I would see them a few times more before moving to Oregon, where I wouldn't see or hear them again until my first real trip to Yellowstone in 2004. On my first hike in my first few hours in the park, I came across this red squirrel near the beach of Shoshone Lake on the Shoshone Lake Trail. I've since seen them quite a bit in the park, but good pictures usually elude me, so this first picture remains my favorite of my pictures of red squirrels in Yellowstone.
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World's Smallest Sumo
The world's smallest sumo wrestler squats and studies my stance. Don't let his small size fool you, you're thinking you can take him easily and the next thing you know BOOM! you're flat on your back or out of the ring. It's not the size of the squirrel in the fight, it's the size of the fight in … oh never mind.
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Corn on the Cob
A red squirrel works a pine cone like it was corn on the cob, shearing off the protective outer layers to get at the nutritious seeds inside.
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The Trees Have Eyes
Hike the forested trails of the Tetons and know this: you are being watched. And you will know it — a network of red squirrels will follow your every move, and they aren’t shy about sending out their alarm cry to alert the rest of the forest to your presence.
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Posers
While their tame cousins in city parks may sit and pose, the wild ones are far more elusive. Despite seeing and hearing them frequently in my hikes in Yellowstone and the Tetons, I’ve only managed a few pictures that I really like.
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