Finding a Red Squirrel Midden
The red squirrel is our smallest diurnal arboreal squirrel. They specialize on the seeds hidden in the cones of pine, spruce, and fir trees and their feeding activities leave quite visible traces called "middens." The picture to the right shows a pile of cone scales that have been stripped off the main "cob" and left on the ground. Since red squirrels will often have favorite feeding spots, the cones can really pile up.