[TN-Bird] Unusual Rodent: Fox Squirrel

Posted a request for information on an "Unusual Rodent" at 10:00 A.M. today.
Received 3 responses by noon.
Received responses from 10 different tn-birders so far, 10 hours later.
This illustrates something I have noticed about tn-bird: 
It's a great, friendly place to get excellent help promptly.

As most suggested, they are Fox Squirrels.  

For a photo that closely resembles what we are seeing,
http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/speciesarchive/foxsquirrrel.htm
Google returned 2,120,000 links for "Fox Squirrel"
Wikipedia has a concise, informative article on Fox Squirrel.

We put out a sparse trail of corn and bird seed to try to get it close enough 
for a photo,
and a mammalogist at SAU may help us determine sub-species.  He and his students
have not seen any here in 17 years, and know of none before,so it may represent 
a range 
extension into a new area.

If anyone has any records for Hamilton County, please let us know.

Thanks to all.  

David and Gloria Patterson
Houston Lane
Chattanooga, Hamilton County
October 30, 2007
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________

Other related posts: