[matthew]

California Ground Squirrels, Otospermophilus beecheyi.

[Polly]

California Ground Squirrels, Otospermophilus beecheyi.

]

Awwww - how very cute! Nice exposures too - especially considering they're quite well camouflaged against the background.

Pol

[Janika]

Nice lill creatures, May I ask where you shot these photos?

[Janika]

Here is a very relaxed one for ya;

[shuttertalk]

Wow, I didn't know these forums have turned into the discovery channel!

[NT73]

Here is a very relaxed one for ya;

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b186/J...y-head.jpg

Lovely shot Janika, would have loved to see it's eye though. Don't get me wrong, I am not nit picking.

[Banded Drake]

i have a picture ( snapshot ) of a White Squirrel . Once i find it and scan it i will post it .. Darn the luck , where can it be ???

[Janika]

That must be an albino squirrel. I've heard of those, but never really seen one from close. Please post it if you find it. Thanx



John

[peter]

ZOMG .. i wish i had some furry friends to shoot =P so cute

[matthew]

Nice lill creatures, May I ask where you shot these photos?

Those two ground squirrels were shot in San Pedro, California, which is a quiet little corner of Los Angeles.

Where I come from, small striped brown squirrels that live in holes are called chipmunks, but I'll go with local custom.

[Janika]

but Matthew, don't you live in Canada?

Chipmunks are a lill smaller and have stripes on them, Actually they are a lot smaller, more like mice in size. Here is a chipmunk shot:

[Petographer]

Chippy! I miss seeing those. I don't recall seeing any around here.

[shuttertalk]

I'm very intrigued... I've never seen squirrels in real life before - only in cartoons and such..

Are they just like big rats? Are the pests? Do they just run around and collect nuts all day long?

Sorry for the ignorance... probably similar to people asking us about kangaroos I suppse...

[peter]

hahah i wonder if they are like a cross between a quokka a numbat and a possum =P

[Banded Drake]

That must be an albino squirrel. I've heard of those, but never really seen one from close. Please post it if you find it. Thanx



John

no its not a albino , they are a true breed strangely enough . there is a town near my mothers that is known for these white squirrels. I asked the same thing . But you can tell because there eyes arent Red . Dont know if you can tell in this picture or not .






sorry its so blurry , i was running after him to get a snap at him . They say there is about 6 or 7 of these running around .

WOW thats real blurry( recon its camera shake ? LOL ) . Dont stare at it too long you might get drunk !!!! I need to go back and take some better pictures of them .

[Petographer]

I'm very intrigued... I've never seen squirrels in real life before - only in cartoons and such..

Are they just like big rats? Are the pests? Do they just run around and collect nuts all day long?

Sorry for the ignorance... probably similar to people asking us about kangaroos I suppse...

They do run around all day and collect nuts. You are right. As far as pests go, they can be a minor pest but for the most part not really. They dig up flowerbeds to hide peanuts around our house. They will live in the attic of a house if they find a way in to get out of the cold. Insulation makes a good nest.

When I lived in Toronto I used to feed peanuts to a couple that were around our house. I was able to coax them to crawl up my legs to get the peanuts I was holding in my hands. Little did I realize that this was not a good thing to do. There comes a time when they will come for a peanut and you have none. They will become aggressive and very difficult to shake off. In the spring time they can be rabid too so you have to be careful.

[peter]

Deamonic Squirrels? :o

[wulinka]

bob, I hadn't seen these pics before, but the one of the squirrel in its whole is fantastic! good job spotting it there!

And Matthew, yours are great, what lense did you use? good job separating them from the background, that is so hard sometimes (well, I guess it's the natural purpose of their fur to be camouflaged).

actually, good job everyone, spotting and capturing these guys in pretty cute posings. you see them round here soooo much that I've long got bored even watching them

uli

[matthew]

but Matthew, don't you live in Canada?

I do, and that's a fantastic chipmunk photo. They're rare in Toronto, and I haven't seen one in years. I returned last night from a 12-day vacation in Los Angeles, where these odd little ground squirrels live. That hole in behind them is either their nest or a good hiding place. I shouldn't mock the California squirrels, but they're less attractive than chipmunks, and don't have the style of a self-respecting urban black squirrel.

Wulinka, that was taken with a tripod-mounted ZD (olympus) 40-150 at f6.7, using full zoom (300mm 135 equivalent) and savagely cropped. I think that photo is almost 100% per-pixel.

Here's an older one of a black squirrel punk:

[Toad]

I'm very intrigued... I've never seen squirrels in real life before - only in cartoons and such..

Are they just like big rats? Are the pests? Do they just run around and collect nuts all day long?

Sorry for the ignorance... probably similar to people asking us about kangaroos I suppse...

They do run around all day and collect nuts. You are right. As far as pests go, they can be a minor pest but for the most part not really. They dig up flowerbeds to hide peanuts around our house. They will live in the attic of a house if they find a way in to get out of the cold. Insulation makes a good nest.

They're basically "cute rats", or "rats with a good publicist" or "rats are squirrels on a bad-hair day".

They do live in the attic if they can, and I have to chase them out about once a year. If you leave them there, they can chew through your wiring and cause a fire. Plus our bedrooms are on the upper floor - and I find all the scurrying in the night disconcerting.

[Janika]

Drake, I wiosh to see one of those white ones around here. My favories are the Pine Squirrels. They are smaller than regular ones, but much more agressive and spend more time on trees than on the ground.
Here are a few:

[NT73]

I'm very intrigued... I've never seen squirrels in real life before - only in cartoons and such..

Are they just like big rats? Are the pests? Do they just run around and collect nuts all day long?

Sorry for the ignorance... probably similar to people asking us about kangaroos I suppse...

They do run around all day and collect nuts. You are right. As far as pests go, they can be a minor pest but for the most part not really. They dig up flowerbeds to hide peanuts around our house. They will live in the attic of a house if they find a way in to get out of the cold. Insulation makes a good nest.

They're basically "cute rats", or "rats with a good publicist" or "rats are squirrels on a bad-hair day".

They do live in the attic if they can, and I have to chase them out about once a year. If you leave them there, they can chew through your wiring and cause a fire. Plus our bedrooms are on the upper floor - and I find all the scurrying in the night disconcerting.

Ever thought the squirrels may find your bedsprings squeaking, disconcerting.
We have red and grey squirrels. The greys are bigger and tend to push the reds from their territory. The red ones are nice and I don't think anyone in the UK would call them vermin/pests.Two years ago I had one in my garden sitting on the fence post with a net bag of nuts (put out for the birds). He/she was there for about 30 minutes, nibbling away. I have not seen one since.

[Banded Drake]

we have what we call " fox squirrels here that i need to take some pictures of . They are very pretty , the older they get the bigger and they start to turn grey on the face . And they are much bigger than a " grey ". And there are afew flying squirrels but are very hard to find ....

[Janika]

Drake; Groundhogs are like the opposite. The older they are, the more colors they have on them, the babies are all gray. I'll post some groundhog photos later! Got some real close ones!

[Banded Drake]

never got to see a groundhog ( except Ponxatony Phil ) . Sounds like we have a few things in common with animals . I need to get out and take some pictures of the wild life here . We have a bunch of Beavers and a few otters ( if you are lucky ) .