Can squirrels tell each other apart from their coloring?

DEAR JOAN » Part of my early morning entertainment is to watch the community of resident squirrels as they scamper from my huge old walnut tree onto the patio, where the seeds drop from my hanging bird feeder.

The squirrel population is diverse: jet black ones with skinny tails and pudgy gray ones with bushier tails, and occasionally one or two with curious coloring.

My question, as I view their parade, is do you think squirrels can differentiate among themselves based on coloration? They are almost the identical size, except for the tails, and are equally as agile and spirited. — Vilma Kennedy Pallette, Santa Clara

DEAR VILMA » Many people are too frustrated by squirrels to appreciate their antics, and I’m glad that you’re not one of them.

While California’s four types of tree squirrels — Eastern gray, Eastern fox, Western gray and the Douglas — are related, they are different species and that seems to be the key.

Squirrels have color vi- sion, but it’s not as keen as in humans, and they tend to be color blind when it comes to green and red. But I don’t think color comes into play.

There likely are other visual and instinctual cues that allow the species to differentiate. For example, black squirrels are actually Eastern gray squirrels with a genetic color morph. The Eastern grays, however, recognize them as part of the clan despite their black coats. DEAR JOAN » I keep a birdseed feeder in my backyard that attracts mourning doves, towhees, finches and chickadees.

A few weeks ago I was surprised to see some type of very large pigeons at the feeder. I think I found the visitors in a birder’s book. Is it possible they could have been band-tailed pigeons?

They were very impressive. The book says the band-tailed pigeons are confined to mountain environments and don’t migrate through urban areas. If so, they may have been fleeing drought or hillside fires.

Any other suggestions what bird these were? — Tim Abney, Santa Clara DEAR TIM » While the band-tailed pigeon prefers forested regions, they do come in closer to de- veloped areas in search of water and acorns.

Two years ago, we had an influx of band-tails, drawn into the Bay Area by the drought. Unfortunately, they were sharing common watering sources, primarily bird baths and fountains, which led to a deadly outbreak of avian trichomoniasis.

Researchers said at the time that such outbreaks are common in band-tails during drought periods, but the 2015 die- off was record setting, killing more than 10,000 of California’s only native pigeon.

If you’re still seeing the birds in your yard, be sure to clean the feeders well with diluted bleach, and empty fountains and bird baths every night to prevent the spread of illness to these lovely birds.

Eclipse stories

I heard from a few of you with observations on how animals reacted to Monday’s eclipse. Bird watchers reported a lack of birds leading up to the eclipse, but quite a few afterward; one reader saw a stressed- out woodpecker; and one couple witnessed unusual coyote behavior the night before.

Thanks for your reports.