A stone’s throw from the statues and storybook oaks of Johnson Square, tiny acorn accountants are hard at work—and their head-count can tell us how healthy Savannah’s green heart really is.
Key Takeaways
• Squirrels in Johnson Square act like tiny health checkers for the city’s trees.
• Counting them helps scientists spot problems early and keep the canopy strong.
• Best results: arrive around 7 a.m. when it’s quiet and the squirrels are busiest.
• Easy survey: sit for 10 minutes or walk the paths, then record every tail you see.
• Snap photos and log sightings in apps like iNaturalist; upload later on Wi-Fi.
• Give squirrels space (10 feet), never feed them, and carry out all trash.
• Pack water, a hat, bug spray, and shoes with good grip for dewy bricks.
• Your data guides where new oaks get planted, helping wildlife and people alike.
Picture it: Linda’s zoom lens catching a midday leap, Mia’s kids tallying furry blurs for a math lesson, Jenna squeezing in a ten-minute count before her next Zoom, and Marco live-posting a sunrise tail-flick in #CityWildlife glory.
This guide shows you:
• the calmest, crowd-free hour to arrive (yes, parking intel included),
• a step-by-step survey you can finish from a folding chair,
• and the hidden benches where both squirrels and cameras perch best.
Curious how many bushy tails call Savannah’s oldest square home—and what that means for the city’s urban forest? Keep reading and start the count.
Why We Count Squirrels in Savannah’s Oldest Square
Johnson Square has shaded Savannah since 1733, its live oaks weaving a continuous canopy that rains acorns each fall. Biologists consider places like this living barometers: healthy squirrel numbers hint at strong seed dispersal, disease-free trees, and connected green corridors downtown. A dip in sightings, meanwhile, can flag gaps in the canopy or stress from crowds long before leaves begin to brown.
Last winter’s pilot survey logged twenty-two Eastern Grays per acre—well above the coastal plain average of fifteen. Such density suggests the square’s mast crop and mature hollows still provide luxury real estate, yet the presence of a few burly Fox Squirrels confirms room for rarer residents too. Counting, then, is less a game of numbers and more a health check for the whole urban forest.
Who’s Hiding in the Oaks?
Most rustling tails you see belong to the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Twelve ounces of salt-and-pepper fur and a flamboyant tail let them tight-rope along telephone lines and vault between Spanish-moss drapes. Watch for quick, chirping alarm calls; those are your audio clues while sipping morning coffee on a park bench.
Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger) tip the scales near three pounds and sport coats ranging from sable to blond. They prefer roomy lawns and higher trunks, so aim your binoculars at the open northeast quadrant for a slim chance at a caramel-colored giant. Fun fact for the kids: a squirrel’s tail works like an umbrella, providing shade in summer and a blanket in winter.
How We Gather the Numbers
For purists—Jenna, this is your lane—our survey blends three techniques. Point counts anchor observers at the central obelisk for ten-minute intervals, perfect when you’ve only got a folding chair and a mug of tea. Line-transect walks trace the outer brick paths; Mia’s family can turn each ten-yard segment into a math problem on wheels or sneakers.
After you’ve left, motion-activated camera traps keep watch twenty-four hours a day. Studies across the Southeast show that mixing methods lifts Fox Squirrel detection by thirty percent. Uploads from citizen scientists plug directly into the city’s CSV dataset, which you can preview before heading out to set personal benchmarks.
Mapping Your Dawn Drive from Savannah Lakes
Slide behind the wheel at 6:30 a.m. and steer south on SC-28, merging onto GA-21 and I-516 before slipping onto US-80 toward the river. It’s twenty-five miles all told—forty unhurried minutes when herons still doze along salt-marsh ditches. Traffic thickens after eight, so arriving by 7:15 not only beats the crowds but also hits the squirrel activity sweet spot just after sunrise.
Rig size matters downtown. Leave the Class A or fifth-wheel parked beside the resort’s palmetto hedge. Tow vehicles fit inside Whitaker Street Garage (eight-foot clearance), while sedans find metered spaces on Bryan and Bull Streets if you roll in before the pastry shops open. Prefer transit? Chatham Area Transit’s express bus from Oglethorpe & Price drops you two blocks east of the square—no parking app required.
Quiet Corners and Perfect Perches
Paul and Linda, drift clockwise from the monument and settle on the shadowed bench facing East Bryan Street. The Tuesday–Thursday lull between seven and nine delivers hushed foot traffic and soft morning light ideal for 300-mm lenses. Use a lightweight camp stool if standing bothers your knees; squirrels forget you’re there when you sit at eye level.
Families should orbit the play-friendly southwest lawn. Set a mini-transect—five lampposts apart—and challenge the kids to chart gray versus fox sightings. Toilets on the south edge cut meltdown risk, and peanut-free muffins wait at Byrd Cookie Bar on Bull Street, a two-minute wander. Meanwhile, digital nomads can perch on the northwest granite bench, snag the Collins Quarter Wi-Fi, and push iNaturalist uploads before espresso cools.
Play, Learn, Upload: Citizen Science for Every Traveler
Download a free naturalist app at the resort, where signal is strong enough for big installs. Once in Johnson Square, switch your phone to burst mode so tail flicks don’t blur. Ten-minute stationary counts—one per compass direction—mean you log forty minutes of data without pacing a single brick.
Back at Savannah Lakes, connect to campground Wi-Fi and sync observations. Time stamps and GPS pins lock in while memory’s still fresh, preserving the integrity scientists crave. Even three behavior notes—“foraging,” “nest building,” “vocalizing”—expand the city’s wildlife database, and kids love seeing their usernames flash on the public leaderboard.
Squirrel-Watching Etiquette You’ll Be Glad You Followed
A ten-foot buffer keeps furred faces relaxed and photographs natural. Speak softly; spooked squirrels burn calories they could spend caching acorns. Feeding them might feel kind, but processed snacks cause mineral imbalances and lure aggressive gulls that raid nests.
Stick to paved or clearly worn grass edges. Beneath that rust-colored leaf litter lie seedlings and, sometimes, ground-level dreys. Pack out orange peels and energy-bar wrappers—microbes are slow in urban soils, and rodents quick to chew plastic. Leave-No-Trace isn’t just for mountains; city parks need it, too.
Pack Smart, Stay Safe
Coastal mornings begin cool and edge toward sticky fast. Layer neutral-toned shirts so you blend into bark and stay photo-ready. Closed-toe shoes grip dewy bricks; slick soles turn graceful leaps into clumsy slides. Half a liter of water per person per hour is the Savannah summer mantra—fill at the public fountain near the restrooms, and you’re good for an entire survey circuit.
Sun angles through oaks like a magnifying glass, so brimmed hats and broad-spectrum sunscreen matter even in February. Mosquitoes join the count from March through October; a quick swipe of DEET beats constant swatting. Program the non-emergency police line and the resort’s front desk into your phone before leaving the parking deck—panic plus poor signal is nobody’s idea of a vacation story.
Seasons of Tail Flicks
Late January through February and again in August and September, breeding chases ripple across the canopy. Expect sudden spirals up trunks and gravity-defying leaps that test shutter speeds. Autumn mast years carpet lawns with acorns, concentrating squirrels at ground level and providing front-row views from any bench. Lean years push them higher, so pivot your binoculars upward.
A passing rain shower darkens bark and drives worms to the surface; watch lower trunks afterward for damp-furred foragers. Cold snaps trigger communal nest huddles—count dreys in leaf-bare crowns to estimate winter populations even when bodies stay hidden.
So, pencil in that dawn squirrel count, then cruise back across the river to Savannah Lakes RV Resort—where shaded, pull-through sites, a heated pool, and rock-solid Wi-Fi await your field notes and afternoon nap. From pet-friendly walking loops to Lowcountry sunsets crackling over the lake, you’ll have the perfect home base to recharge before tomorrow’s wildlife mission. Book your stay today and let Savannah Lakes turn every Johnson Square acorn adventure into a relaxed, resort-style getaway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are healthy squirrel numbers really a reliable sign that Johnson Square’s trees and other wildlife are thriving?
A: Yes, biologists treat Eastern Gray and Fox Squirrels as “indicator species” because they rely on abundant acorns, safe tree cavities, and connected green corridors; when counts stay high and age‐diverse, it usually means the live oaks are producing a strong mast crop, insect levels are balanced, and predators such as hawks are also finding what they need, so a robust squirrel tally is shorthand for an overall resilient urban forest.
Q: When is the quietest window to visit if we want fewer tourists, softer light for photos, and easier parking?
A: Arriving between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday consistently beats commuter traffic, secures roomy spots in the Whitaker Street Garage before the eight-foot clearance fills, and lines up perfectly with the post-sunrise burst of squirrel foraging that photographers and casual watchers enjoy most.
Q: Can I set up a folding chair or camp stool and still contribute useful data to the survey?
A: Absolutely; the stationary “point count” method was designed for seated observers, so you can settle beside the central obelisk or along East Bryan Street, remain comfortable for ten-minute increments, and still log time-stamped sightings that feed directly into Savannah’s open wildlife dataset.
Q: Is Johnson Square friendly for strollers, wheelchairs, or anyone with limited mobility?
A: The square’s perimeter walks are level brick, curb-cut at all four crossings, and wide enough for side-by-side rolling, while interior lawns have short, paved spurs that let you reach benches without negotiating roots, so both strollers and wheelchairs can navigate easily as long as you steer clear of rain-soaked grass after storms.
Q: We’re towing a fifth-wheel; where should we park the truck and how tall is the garage downtown?
A: Leave the full rig at Savannah Lakes RV Resort, then drive the truck alone to the Whitaker Street Garage, which offers eight-foot clearance and all-day rates; if your cab rides higher than that, metered surface spaces on Bryan and Bull Streets open up before pastry shops unlock at 8:00 a.m., and Chatham Area Transit’s express bus from Oglethorpe & Price is a stress-free fallback.
Q: Could the squirrel survey become a quick homeschool math or science lesson for our kids?
A: Yes; you can split the southwest lawn into five-lamppost “transect” segments, have the children tally sightings of gray versus fox squirrels in each zone, then graph the results back at the RV using free spreadsheet software, which sneaks in multiplication, basic statistics, and ecological vocabulary without feeling like homework.
Q: Are there peanut-free snacks or restrooms close by in case the little ones need a break?
A: Restrooms sit on the south edge of the square near Bull Street, while Byrd Cookie Bar—two minutes away—labels all nut-free muffins and fruit cups clearly, letting you refuel without risking allergies before you dive back into the count.
Q: How rigorous is the counting method, and can professionals download the raw numbers?
A: The project blends seated point counts, line-transect walks, and 24-hour camera traps, an approach shown in peer-reviewed Southeastern studies to raise detection rates for less common Fox Squirrels by about thirty percent, and all anonymized observations feed a public CSV file linked through the city’s open-data portal for anyone who wants to run their own analysis.
Q: What citizen-science apps or platforms should I use to log my sightings?
A: iNaturalist syncs smoothly with the city’s database, geotags photos automatically for quick uploads on campground Wi-Fi, and includes a leaderboard that kids and competitive adults alike enjoy, while SquirrelMapper offers a browser-based option if you prefer to skip installing anything new.
Q: What are the top Leave-No-Trace reminders specific to an urban park like this?
A: Stay on bricks or clearly worn grass edges to protect tender oak seedlings, keep at least ten feet from any squirrel to avoid altering its behavior, pack out every crumb and wrapper so gulls don’t raid nests, and resist feeding wildlife—even a single pretzel ups their sodium levels and teaches bad begging habits.
Q: Which seasons or times of day give the best odds of lively squirrel action for photos and counts?
A: Late January through February and again in late summer mark breeding peaks, so dawn chases and branch-to-branch leaps are common, but any autumn morning with a heavy acorn drop will draw squirrels to ground level for easy viewing, especially in the first two hours after sunrise when temperatures and foot traffic are low.