The whisteling squerel of the Rocky Mountains

Above: Photo Credit: Martin Pot
http://martybugs.net

The shrill whistling sound rings across the mountain meadow, as the lookout sounds the alarm. The colony scurries for cover. I am the intruder, in this hilly glade. The predator, hunter, pillager, raider. Or at least the burrowers of the earth think I am. The Columbian ground squirrel or as the Lewis and Clark Expedition called them, the “whisteling squerel”.

The Columbian ground squirrel (gopher) has kept me company, on many of my hikes, especially where there are meadows, along the forest edges. Often they can be seen sitting up on their hind legs, on top of the mounds that they construct during their excavations of the underground tunnels.

The ground squirrels keep up a constant chatter as they whistle throughout the day, and they keep a sharp eye out for hawks, fox and coyotes and other predators. The tone of the whistle sometimes changes, as the squirrels chitchat back and forth. If you sneak up on them they spook, and the whistle becomes real high pitched, almost a squeal, as they scurry down into the safety of their dens. Their burrow fortress.

The Columbian Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) is found in the Rocky Mountains from central British Columbia and Alberta south to Idaho and eastern Oregon. They have a distinctive coloration, of brick red on its nose, neck and legs with the rest of the body a grayish brownish color . They are the largest ground squirrel found in the western United States with a body that is 10 to 12 inches in length. The tail itself is relatively large at 3 to 5 inches long and is quite bushy. They feed on grass, forbs, bulbs, seeds and fruit. Meriwether Lewis aptly describes the tail of the Columbian, in a journal entry of May 27^th, 1806: “ The hair of the tail tho' thickly inserted on every part rispects the two sides only. This gives it a flat appearance and a long ovol form. “

The first observation of the Columbian ground squirrel, other than by the native Americans, was by the Lewis and Clark expedition, on the Clearwater River of Idaho. In total Lewis and Clark made seven journal entries where they discussed the squirrel, and also preserved several skins and transported them back to St. Louis. On May 23^rd, 1806 William Clark writes in his journal: “Labiech also brought a whisteling squerel which he had killed on it's hole in the high plains. This squerel differs from those on the Missouri in their Colour, Size, food and the length of tal and from those found near the falls of the Columbia.”

The Columbian ground squirrels are very inquisitive and curious, yet cautious around people. The whistling is a comforting sound, that makes the meadow come alive, especially when you see the squirrels running back and forth and perched on mounds. The mountains wouldn't be the same without their song resonating across the glades.