Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Thursday 19 May 2022

EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL or GREY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis) munching on a Common Earthworm (Slumbricus terrestris) at Saint Anne's Park and Rose Gardens, Clontarf East, Raheny, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) or more commonly known as a Grey Squirrel in Europe, is of the family Sciuridae which is in the genus Sciurus. This species of tree squirrel is native to the eastern half of the USA as well as to parts of central and southeastern Canada. 
It has been deliberately introduced elsewhere in North America as well as to other countries, including Britain (1870's) and Ireland (1911). It now commonly occurs throughout most of Britain. In Ireland, its range is restricted to the eastern half of the island but is now in decline due to the increase in the European Pine Martin (Martes martes) population, which is its main predator.
  
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds