MAMMALS OF YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK 



65 



From Kodachromt by Parralt 

 Sierra chickaree 



The Sierra chickaree is the favorite 

 mammal of many rangers. I think they 

 like the little fellow because he is so ac- 

 tive and vociferous, contributing a touch 

 of life to the still reaches of our conifer- 

 ous forests. When an intruder comes 

 quietly into the chickaree's territory, he 

 will hear the bird-like note of interroga- 

 tion, variously described as quer-u, quir-o 

 or whee-o. If the intruder is noisy, or 

 startles the chickaree, the animal's exten- 

 sive vocabulary is brought into play and 

 one is readily convinced that this ani- 

 mal can swear! 



Visitors from the Northeast will rec- 

 ognize our chickaree as a species of red 

 squirrel; those from the Northwest will 

 realize that it is a race of their Douglas 

 squirrel; those from the Rockies will 

 call it a pine squirrel. About one-third 

 the size of the gray squirrel, dark, red- 

 dish brown above with white eye-ring, 

 whitish beneath, it is, indeed, closely 

 related to all of those. While the lower 

 limits of its range are at the elevation 



of Yosemite Valley, its chief bailiwick 

 is the higher coniferous forests, extending 

 up to the limit of trees. 



The home of the chickaree is usually in 

 an old rotten stub or other tree cavity. 

 This is lined with shredded bark, pine 

 twigs and similar materials. Chickarees 

 are not sociable animals and have a 

 strong sense of territory, defending it 

 against invasion by another of their kind, 

 in fact resisting, if only vocally, intru- 

 sion by any other creature. 



Seeds in cones provide the chief source 

 of food, although the tender buds of pine, 

 mushrooms, nuts and even meat are not 

 scorned. Cones are cut down while yet 

 green. The seeds are either eaten imme- 

 diately, or the cones are stored along old 

 logs or similar crannies near the squirrel's 

 home. These shaded, often moist spots, 

 provide conditions that tend to inhibit 

 the cones from opening up so the seeds 

 are retained until needed in the winter. 

 Winter food is a matter of concern to 

 the chickaree, for it is active the year 

 around, even when snow covers the 

 ground. 



The harvest by one individual can 

 reach prodigious proportions. The chick- 

 aree usually works in the tree, cutting 

 off a number of cones, then going down 

 to the ground and caring for them. Tn 

 the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, 

 a single chickaree is known to have har- 

 vested and stored in hollow logs, in 12 

 days, enough sequoia cones to fill 3 8 bar- 

 ley sacks. When it is realized that a se- 



Sierra chickaree's kitchen midden 



