ANALYZING GRAY SQUIRREL HOME RANGE AND NEST SITE SELECTION DATA USING HOME RANGER AND GOOGLE EARTH PRO

*Darren Epperson and Micahel Tounzen  
Department of Natural and Physical Sciences, Park University.

Our research investigates the home range and natural nest site selection of gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in a 150 ha hardwood forest patch on Park University’s campus in Parkville, Missouri. This study started in the spring of 2010, and is estimated to end in the fall of 2011.Using radio telemetry and GPS receivers we tracked collared squirrels and logged two or more diurnal fixes per individual per week.We also located the squirrel’s nocturnal nesting trees several times each month. We created 95% kernel home ranges for 3 squirrels that showed a mean area of 2.10 ha. We overlaid home range models and location data onto satellite photographic imagery from Google Earth to enhance habitat use analysis.We also measured a range of forest features at nesting sites using vegetation macro plots, and compared these measurements to those previously taken at randomly selected macro plots of the surrounding forest to identify factors that may influence nest site selection. Vegetation density at 3 meters, canopy cover, dominant tree height, and prism BA were all significantly higher at random forest plots compared with macro plots at squirrel nesting sites. Differences may reflect the fact that random forest plots were taken in both wetter ravine bottoms and dry uplands whereas all squirrel nesting sites were in dryer upland habitats.