Squirrel dreys in bare trees, Wellesley, MA (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

19 November 2025

Now that most of the trees are bare(*) we can see nests that were hidden by summer leaves. Among them are those built by hornets, birds, and squirrels.

Papery hornet nests dangle like hanging raindrops or upside-down cones from a sturdy branch.

Hornet nest silhouetted against the sky in Schenley Park, Nov 2023 (photo by Kate St. John)

Hornet nest in Indiana (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Squirrel nests — actually called dreys — look like misshapen leaf balls with a few twigs poking out.

A drey is the nest of a tree squirrel, flying squirrel or ringtail possum. Dreys are usually built of twigs, dry leaves, and grass, and typically assembled in the forks of a tall tree. They are sometimes referred to as “drey nests” to distinguish them from squirrel “cavity nests” (also termed “dens”).

Squirrels use dreys as nests in spring-summer and shelters in the winter. In October they were busy biting off leafy branches and carrying them up to the drey. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep the shelter warm and waterproof. Brrrr!

See three dreys in three trees in the top photo and one drey in the fork of a tree in Schenley Park, below.

Squirrel drey in the crotch of a tree, Schenley, 11 Dec 2016 (photo by Kate St. John)

How can we tell if it’s a drey (squirrel) or a large bird nest?

Large bird nests, such as the crow nest below, are built of sticks. Squirrels use mostly leaves.

Crow nest (photo by Wanderin’ Weeta via Flickr Creative Commons license)

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(*)p.s. This year most of the trees were bare on or before Friday 14 November 2025. Here’s what Schenley Park looked like on that date.

Most of the trees are bare, Schenley Park, 14 Nov 2025 (photo by Kate St. John)