Gary Bogue, wildlife expert, addresses my concerns about squirrel fatalities

From Gary Bogue, wildlife expert, Contra Costa Times expert:

Soccer Mom,

A lot of squirrels simply blunder into the streets in front of cars and get killed. They just don't understand about cars. Also, this time of year (fall/winter), animals are on the move, gathering food frantically for the winter and looking for places to stay until spring. This makes them even more vulnerable to cars.

Also, tree squirrels are very vulnerable to West Nile virus. Many are killed by the disease. I recommend that you report dead squirrels to the West Nile Hotline [at 1-877-WNV-BIRD (877-968-2473]. They may want to come collect the animal and test it for West Nile. They can monitor the disease this way. The five dead squirrels you've spotted are not a very large number, compared to other areas.

Thanks, Gary!

And by the way, Gary, has some excellent posts on his blog about the Rossmoor woodpecker controversy and great column in today's Times, listing readers' responses to his weekend column about the woodpecker issue.