stusteelhead wrote:They may be quite rare in the greater Victoria area but out of town they are much more common. The invasive gray squirrel is much larger and as they expand their range are pushing out the smaller Douglas Squirrel
You are thinking of Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Stuart, which is common on Vancouver Island and throughout much of the province. The Douglas' Squirrel
Tamiasciurus douglasii is found on the south coast from approximately Rivers Inlet in the north and east to the Cascades (about to the eastern end of Manning Park). There is an interesting distribution of both of these squirrels on the gulf islands. I have seen Douglas' on Cortes and Texada Islands, but Red on Quadra and Read Island.
I have never heard a report of Douglas' Squirrel on Vancouver Island before. It would be nice if photos could be posted.
Nathan Hentze,
Victoria, BC