Whilst sheltering at home in the new, fashionable style, I spend a bit more time out on my deck. Reading, watching birds, smoking a cigar, and counting squirrels. When I first moved in here, there were five kinds of squirrels in the woods behind me. There were fox squirrels, gray squirrels (with tufted ears), black squirrels, red squirrels, and one or two flying squirrels. Now, the most I’ve seen is a single red squirrel and a single red squirrel.
Trees are readying for summer. Yesterday, the cottonwood trees had little buds on them. Last night, the third (I think) rally of thunderstorms rolled through. Today, the grass is all a bright green, and those buds are little leaves about rhe size of a fingernail. They reminded me of a squirrel of yore.
About 10-12 years ago, I was sitting on the front deck. A small grove of tall cottonwoods stands across the drive. I heard a chittering down below me; a sassy fox squirrel was scampering across the drive, headed for those trees. They were all filled with buds- fat, juicy, 1/4” buds. Mr/s squirrel ran up a tree at about 10mph, ran out onto a branch, and settled down.
For a full half hour I watched that squirrel as it ate bud after bud after bud. Finally, it slowly and clumsily turned around 180 degrees on the suddenly much smaller branch. Clumsily, it waddled back along the branch until reaching something about 3” across. Pausing, it looked around. Then selected a route back to the ground. Normally, squirrels run down a tree as fast as going up. Their hind legs hinge around so the rear claws dig into the bark. This little bugger was in trouble
His belly was so full that the hind legs barely reached the bark. The claws were not digging in. Twice, on the way down, he lost the rear grip, swirled around, and barely regained traction to prevent falling. His belly was STUFFED. It was so big and got in the way so badly that he was having trouble. When he finally reached the ground, he dudn’t scamper back across the drive. He slowly, painfully waddled those 40’.
i think there was a real belly ache that night in the woodlot.
Trees are readying for summer. Yesterday, the cottonwood trees had little buds on them. Last night, the third (I think) rally of thunderstorms rolled through. Today, the grass is all a bright green, and those buds are little leaves about rhe size of a fingernail. They reminded me of a squirrel of yore.
About 10-12 years ago, I was sitting on the front deck. A small grove of tall cottonwoods stands across the drive. I heard a chittering down below me; a sassy fox squirrel was scampering across the drive, headed for those trees. They were all filled with buds- fat, juicy, 1/4” buds. Mr/s squirrel ran up a tree at about 10mph, ran out onto a branch, and settled down.
For a full half hour I watched that squirrel as it ate bud after bud after bud. Finally, it slowly and clumsily turned around 180 degrees on the suddenly much smaller branch. Clumsily, it waddled back along the branch until reaching something about 3” across. Pausing, it looked around. Then selected a route back to the ground. Normally, squirrels run down a tree as fast as going up. Their hind legs hinge around so the rear claws dig into the bark. This little bugger was in trouble
His belly was so full that the hind legs barely reached the bark. The claws were not digging in. Twice, on the way down, he lost the rear grip, swirled around, and barely regained traction to prevent falling. His belly was STUFFED. It was so big and got in the way so badly that he was having trouble. When he finally reached the ground, he dudn’t scamper back across the drive. He slowly, painfully waddled those 40’.
i think there was a real belly ache that night in the woodlot.