Texas biologists maintain an informal survey of the squirrel population in a wide area of East Texas. They survey both fox and gray squirrels, the most common types found in Texas.
The survey has been taken since 2018 and not surprisingly, the numbers really dipped in 2021 when the state experienced a severe winter storm. (Remember Snowmageddon?)
In 2020, biologists counted some 468 squirrels per acre, but by 2021, the number plummeted to 1.6 squirrels per acre. Another drop in 2022 saw populations drop to 0.36 squirrels per acre.
It took a while for populations to recover, but by 2024, the number had climbed to 1.66 squirrels per acre. These bushy-tailed little critters are making a comeback, slowly but surely. Squirrels in Texas nest twice a year, taking time to form a family unit. They do this in July-September and again in December-January.
Around my place, I don’t recall there ever having been a decline in squirrels, I have two types – the regular gray squirrel and the more unusual rock squirrel, which is blackish in color and lives in a nearby rock pile. I do not have any fox squirrels.
Take a look around your area and you may well see squirrels running along thick utility cables or scampering up and down tree limbs. This time of year, they are busy storing acorns to help them get through the coming winter. I wish them well.
