Tweeters,

With regard to the black color phase of the Eastern Gray Squirrel,
Bob Sundstrom's information is correct. I would say that the black
color phase makes up at least 60% to 70% of the squirrel population
around Vancouver, B.C., versus only 30% to 40% gray phase.

Eastern Gray Squirrels were introduced to Stanley Park, Vancouver
decades ago (in the 1920s, I believe) and maintained a saturated
population there for many years without spreading. They were
effectively confined to Stanley Park, which is bounded on 3 sides by
water and on the 4th side by the squirrel deathtrap of downtown
Vancouver. However, about 15 to 20 years ago, they began appearing in
North and West Vancouver and in the city of Vancouver outside Stanley
Park. Assisted transport by humans is suspected. They have since
spread east into Burnaby, south into Delta and Surrey, and perhaps
farther. Their spread was documented by Bill Merilees some years ago
in the journal DISCOVERY (published by the Vancouver Natural History
Society), and more recently was the subject of a graduate thesis at
Simon Fraser University. (Unfortunately, I forget the student's name
at the moment.)

If these black-phase Eastern Gray Squirrels have not already
spread into Whatcom County, they should be looked for there soon.
(Poetic justice for the introduced Eastern Cottontails and Opossums
that spread the other way, from Washington into B.C.??) The Eastern
Grays are rapidly displacing the native Douglas Squirrel from forested
urban areas, as well as occupying some areas that never had enough
trees for Douglas Squirrels, and we can look forward to Eastern Grays
becoming a widespread pest.

Sincerely,

Wayne Weber
Kamloops and Delta, B.C.
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca



-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Sundstrom <ixoreus at home.com>
To: Hummer at isomedia.com <Hummer at isomedia.com>; tweeters
<tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, March 13, 2000 6:00 PM
Subject: Re: Black Squirrels


>Hi tweeters,
> I just acquired a copy of Squirrels of the West, a 1999
publication of
>Lone Pine Press by Tamara Hartson. It substantiates the black form
of
>Eastern Gray Squirrel, which is entirely black, indicating it occurs
>naturally probably at least around Calgary [it has been introduced at
least
>to the Vancouver, B.C. area]. And it pictures the black form of the
Eastern
>Fox Squirrel, of parts of the southern U.S., with a grayish nose and
>underparts.
>
>Bob Sundstrom
>
>
>