A squirrel is one of the many small or medium-sized rodents in the family Sciuridae. In the English-speaking world, “squirrel” commonly refers to members of this family’s genera Sciurus andTamiasciurus, which are tree squirrels with large bushy tails, indigenous to Asia, the Americas andEurope. Similar genera are found in Africa. The Sciuridae family also include flying squirrels, as well as ground squirrels such as the chipmunks, prairie dogs, and woodchucks. Members of the familyAnomaluridae are sometimes misleadingly referred to as “scaly-tailed flying squirrels” although they are not closely related to the true squirrels.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Here is a clip of a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak seen on Turkey Hollow cam.

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBpymxVKjws.

The roadrunners are two species of bird in the genus Geococcyx of the cuckoo family, Cuculidae, native to North and Central America. These two species are the ground foraging cuckoos.

• Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus (southwestern United States)
  • Conkling’s Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus conklingi – prehistoric
• Lesser Roadrunner, Geococcyx velox (Mexico and Central America)

The raccoon (Procyon lotor), (sometimes spelt as racoon), also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon and colloquially as coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. As a result of escapes and deliberate introductions in the mid-20th century, raccoons are now also distributed across the European mainland, the Caucasus region and Japan.

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimeters (24 in) in length with a 1.8 metre (6 ft) wingspan. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings.

The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents exceptAntarctica although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

As its other common name suggests, the Osprey’s diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It has evolved specialised physical characteristics and exhibits some unique behaviours to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Four subspecies are usually recognised. Despite its propensity to nest near water, the Osprey is not a sea-eagle.

Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms “dove” and “pigeon” are used somewhat interchangeably. In ornithological practice, there is a tendency for “dove” to be used for smaller species and “pigeon” for larger ones, but this is in no way consistently applied, and historically the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the term “dove” and “pigeon.” This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones. The young doves and pigeons are called “squabs.”

Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. The species commonly referred to just as the “pigeon” is the feralRock Pigeon, common in many cities.

Doves and pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges, or on the ground, depending on species. They lay one or two eggs, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after 7 to 28 days.^[1] Doves feed on seeds, fruit and plants. Unlike most other birds (but seeflamingo), the doves and pigeons produce “crop milk,” which is secreted by a sloughing of fluid-filled cells from the lining of the crop. Both sexes produce this highly nutritious substance to feed to the young.