The squirrels we see most often in La Habra Heights are the Gray squirrel and the Beechy Ground squirrel. Both are fun to watch if you know what to look for.
You do not need any special equipment to go squirrel watching. Sharp eyes and a pocket filled with peanuts are all you need! Squirrels live almost anywhere in the Heights, but their favorite place to live is in our oak and nut trees.
How does a squirrel climb so well? His feet have four long, slender toes on each front paw and five on the rear. Each toe has a curved nail with a sharp point. The toes are tree hooks that help it to climb up the side of a tree.
Their long tail helps balance and guide them as they leap from branch to branch. If the squirrel happens to fall, the tail spreads out and acts like a parachute. The tail curls over the squirrel's back like an umbrella when it rains and it also serves as a sun shade. The Chippewa Indians called the squirrel "Ah-ji-duh-mo," which means "tail in the air." The Latin name for squirrel used by the Romans is sciurus griseus, meaning "shade tail." In the nest, squirrels use their tails like blankets.
There are many predators in the hills and parks that keep squirrels on the alert. Hawks, rattlesnakes, coyotes, raccoons, weasels, foxes, and an occasional eagle or bobcat are their worst enemies. Squirrels themselves are predators, eating snails and insects.
Hiking in the afternoon may give you the opportunity to see a squirrel jump out of her warm nest made of dry leaves carrying a baby squirrel. Squirrels can have 6 to 7 babies. If danger arises, she must transport each one separately away from the nest. The frightened little animal will scamper down a branch and leap through the air to the safety of another tree nearby. The baby can be seen clinging to its mother's shoulders, its tail around her warm body.
You may hear the noisy squirrel warning other animals that an enemy is nearby. She may be asking them to help defend her family. Squirrels teach us to be alert and protect our nests.