Thursday 13 November 2008

Albino Squirrels (plural!) of Trinity-Bellwoods

While walking in Trinity-Bellwoods Park a couple of weeks ago, Michelle and I saw two of the albino squirrels!

Yesterday, I managed to snap a photo of them both together before one raced out of frame up a tree. The other is on the ground in the far right of the photo. Click to enlarge.

One seems a little bigger than the other.

Excellent. Perhaps by next winter there will be a whole colony. (What's the group-name for squirrels? Herd? Clutch? Brace?)

You can see other posts about the albino squirrels of Trinity-Bellwoods here.

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10 comments:

Lorry said...

a dray of squirrels
or
a scurry of squirrels

Now you know.

I've seen one albino squirrel, but two! That is awesome.

Glendon Mellow said...

Really? A dray? Neat. Scurry fits better tho'.

It was pretty awesome.

Anonymous said...

http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html

Dray was a new word for me.

When you get more than a few of them nesting in your attic, the collective noun becomes more "colorful".

Betül said...

I just wanted to say that I loved and loved the picture!

Fall-colorful leaves-and anything else connected-lover;

~betul

Glendon Mellow said...

Leslie, I remember a few childhood months of a pigeon nest in the eaves next to my bedroom. They quickly became used to my thumping the wall, and just cooed and cooed.

Colorful, indeed. >grin<

Glendon Mellow said...

Betül, Autumn is the best season, I wholeheartedly agree.

It's the season my wife and I got married, it's Hallowe'en, it's pumpkin-flavoured-everything, it's cold wind on your face and a warm jacket.

Amazing, every day.

Anonymous said...

Cool. I though they were all the same damn squirrel.
Actually, 15 years ago we only saw the white squirrels at the Queen Street Mental Hospital..now Camh.We always thought it was something in the medicine~ About 6 or 7 years ago, I started seeing them at the north side of the park. So at least one or two seem to have made it across Queen Street alive. Now they don't seem to be harrassed by the grey and brown squirrels quite as much. Hope they stick around.

http://www.smm.org/buzz/blog/great_white_squirrels_are_they_albinos

Glendon Mellow said...

I hope they stick around too, Elle.

Are they still to be found at camh, I wonder?

Anonymous said...

You are very lucky to have taken a picture of the 2 together. I have terrible news though, unfortunately, the bigger of the 2 was found dead at the front of the park about 2 weeks ago. I suspect a dog, who was off lease, in an on lease area, and shouldn't have been may have killed it. The reason I believe this is because I have seen a man in the park, who encourages his dog to hunt squirrels. His dog is very fast,and sadly, I myself, saw his dog catch and kill a grey squirrel. I was outraged. Anytime I see him with his dog in the off lease area, I give him shit, and tell him this is not a hunting ground, but he seems to think it is funny and always responds by saying he thinks nothing is wrong with what he is encouraging his dog to do: kill squirrels. How sick. He is a thin man, who often wears black, and walks with a cofee in his hand. His dog is a medium sized dark rusty beige colour. I do not blame the dog, but rather the man, as it is clear he encorages his dog to hunt squirrels.
The last time I saw the bigger of the two Albino squirrels was on Saturday November 15, 2008, when I feed it several peanuts in the park. He was found dead sometime just after. The skinner one leaves closer to the community centre, and is now the only one left at Trinity. I have been feeding them both for years, especially in winter, and I am very sad about the loss of one. I am happy to know though that he lived his last days well, playing in the park and eating peanuts. RIP my little Albino.

Glendon Mellow said...

That's horrible! I don't think I've come across this guy and his dog in my twice-a-day walks through the park.

Thanks for the information, sad though it is, anonymous.

The squirrel will be missed.

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