sciurus arizonensis
Hereford, Arizona — Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary
Sunday, May 8, 2022 — 11:00 am
I had a little help with this one, although I’m pretty sure I would have figured it out on my own eventually. I was at Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary to see the Lucifer Hummingbird. The volunteer was pointing out other birds to a tour group from Delaware, and I was standing nearby talking with a woman from Philadelphia who was part of the group. I heard the volunteer mention that the gray squirrels that could usually be seen by the feeders behind the house are not the same species as the gray squirrels in Delaware. He said they were an entirely different species — the Arizona Gray Squirrel.
I walked back to the lower feeders and saw two squirrels. One of them was a Rock Squirrel, a large ground squirrel that I’m familiar with from Colorado. It was, in fact, foraging on the ground.
The other squirrel was a sleek-looking, beautiful tree squirrel that was watching me from a tree.
I noticed the patch of brown on its back and the large eye ring. The only other large tree squirrel in its range is the Abert’s Squirrel, which I’m also familiar with. The gray squirrel knew I was there, but also knew there was seed to be had. He climbed down the tree and crossed the ground to forage under the feeders. Another birder came, and he scurried off.
I saw them often later in the week at Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia and at the nearby Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Sanctuary.
There were usually two or three around at Paton’s, although they generally stuck to the feeders furthest from the birders. One morning a woman asked me if she was seeing a skunk at the far end of the yard. It was an Arizona Gray Squirrel, but I could see how the long black tail with contrasting white edging could easily give the impression of a skunk.
