{"id":14969,"date":"2020-11-30T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14969"},"modified":"2020-11-30T10:33:19","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T15:33:19","slug":"take-5-squirrel-away-for-a-rainy-drey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-squirrel-away-for-a-rainy-drey\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Squirrel Away for A Rainy Drey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With most of the leaves fallen to the ground by now, you may have looked up into the canopy, noticed the occasional ball of sticks and leaves tucked into the branches of large deciduous trees, and thought, “What enormous bird lives there<\/em>?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, you’re probably looking at a squirrel nest, also known as a “drey.” While they often make nests in tree cavities (sometimes called “dens”), squirrels also create sphere-shaped dreys to keep warm and dry while they sleep. Although building material preferences vary by species, squirrels mostly construct their dreys out of branches, twigs, and leaves and line them with softer materials like grass and pine needles, and almost always choose a spot at least 20 feet off the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Squirrels often build more than one drey (in case one is destroyed or becomes otherwise uninhabitable) in the late summer or early fall to use as shelters in the winter. Sometimes mother squirrels will use dreys for having and raising young in the summer (they produce broods twice each year, once in winter and once in summer), but more often they prefer tree cavities, which are more protected from hungry predators like raccoons, for sheltering their pups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five photos of industrious squirrels from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Eastern
Eastern Gray Squirrel \u00a9 Kim Nagy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Red Squirrel \u00a9 Sue Feldberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Red Squirrel \u00a9 Martha Akey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Red Squirrel \u00a9 Sophia Li<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Eastern
Eastern Gray Squirrel \u00a9 Alex Renda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"American
American Red Squirrel \u00a9 Jason Barcus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With most of the leaves fallen to the ground by now, you may have looked up into the canopy, noticed the occasional ball of sticks and leaves tucked into the branches of large deciduous trees, and thought, “What enormous bird lives there?” Believe it or not, you’re probably looking at a squirrel nest, also known […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/11\/1773SueFeldberg6289.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3Tr","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2862,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-different-kind-of-nest\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":0},"title":"A Different Kind of Nest","author":"Rosemary","date":"October 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"As the trees lose their foliage, you may begin to notice large, round clumps of leaves in the branches. These are squirrel nests\u2014also known as dreys. In Massachusetts, eastern gray squirrels, red squirrels, and northern and southern flying squirrels all make dreys. Eastern Gray Squirrel Nests Eastern grays are large\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Squirrel nest","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/119\/306956951_120da87de5.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3137,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/7-reasons-to-appreciate-squirrels\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":1},"title":"7 Reasons to Appreciate Squirrels","author":"Rosemary","date":"January 21, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"January 21\u00a0is National Squirrel Appreciation day. We know it can be hard to appreciate these creatures sometimes, especially when they\u2019re swinging acrobatically from a bird feeder. Here are seven interesting things you can observe about squirrels that might help you see them in a new light: They can be black\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/red_squirrel_rmosco_staff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/red_squirrel_rmosco_staff.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/red_squirrel_rmosco_staff.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/05\/red_squirrel_rmosco_staff.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10357,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/can-squirrels-fly\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":2},"title":"Can Squirrels Fly?","author":"Hillary T.","date":"January 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"You happen to be watching your bird feeder at night. You see something that looks like it flew on it but was definitely not a bird. What could it be? Most likely, you have a flying squirrel visitor. These charismatic seed thieves are common in Massachusetts but are not usually\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NadineRonan600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NadineRonan600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/01\/NadineRonan600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4336,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-squirrel-shades\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Squirrel Shades","author":"Rosemary","date":"November 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We love photos that show\u00a0common critters in a new light. Here are a few of our favorite images of red and gray\u00a0squirrels from our Photo Contest, including the white and black varieties of the gray squirrel. Visit our website to\u00a0learn more\u00a0about these animals. Check back soon for the results of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/11\/1351PaulaStephens4576.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/11\/1351PaulaStephens4576.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/11\/1351PaulaStephens4576.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17267,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-blue-jays-favorite-snack\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":4},"title":"A Blue Jay’s Favorite Snack","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"November 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On the trunk of an Oak Tree, a squirrel scales the bark in pursuit of a treasured acorn, while a chipmunk nearby already has its cheeks stuffed. Squirrels and chipmunks are the usual suspects for acorn collection, but they have a formidable opponent: the Blue Jay.\u00a0 Blue Jay Acorn Frenzy\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A jay on the ground near a tree trunk with a leaf in its mouth.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3219,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/get-started-with-wildlife-tracking\/","url_meta":{"origin":14969,"position":5},"title":"Get Started with Wildlife Tracking","author":"Rosemary","date":"February 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"When it snows, something magical happens: you can peek into the lives of many secretive creatures by examining the tracks they leave behind. Tracking is about more than just following an animal\u2019s trail. It\u2019s about discovering the natural world around you while sharpening your powers of observation. 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