Red Squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Chipmunk and Rabbit all dine together in a pouring rain and react to loud Thunder. The rabbit is the calm one. It is unusual for the three squirrel species of Backyard North to be hanging out together, must be the weather.
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Gray Squirrels bury nuts as fast as they can - a true nut burying frenzy - as I spend some quality time handing them large ripe acorns given by a friend. The Backyard has no acorns this time of year (water oaks) while they are falling in piles in other areas of Florida with small live oaks. Rather than eating them as I expected, the squirrels seem in a great rush to bury them as fast as possible - many they will not find again. Maybe it is going to get cold this winter! You will also hear the calls of Gray Catbirds and Northern Cardinals in the background at various times.
Gray Squirrel stakes out a female Pileated Woodpecker on three different days and waits until she has exposed bug infested wood with her powerful beak and then attacks - scaring off the woodpecker and then immediately begins to eat where the Pileated Woodpecker just exposed the rotting wood. It is either doing this to gain access to the tasty ant larvae under the bark or there is something about the wood such as minerals or "medicine" that the squirrel finds appealing. Although it is not uncommon for squirrels and woodpeckers to occasionally have a tussle I have never heard of or seen this unusual behavior before. Clearly the squirrel has learned to take advantage of the Pileated Woodpeckers hard work - no doubt for some nefarious purpose. This may go on all the time in dense cover like this its just that I was lucky to notice it on a stretch of says. Generally the big Woodies are rare visitors to the Backyard.
Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day - January 21st !
Wednesday January 21st, 2016 is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Squirrels have a number of admirable qualities, not the least of which is obvious intelligence (have you ever tried to outsmart one, it's a humbling experience), dedication to family and raising their young, strength and agility, perseverance, a natural instinct to show off and entertain, plant trees, and a certain irresistible cuteness, especially young Red Squirrels. Squirrels are a great species to introduce children to wildlife and to learn to interact with and appreciate the natural world right in your own yard. Start observing the squirrels in your environment and you'll be amazed at the things they do. Just a sample of the many squirrel pictures and videos taken in the yard are found below. My personal favorites are the Red Squirrels - check out the Red Squirrel Playlist !
Celebrate Monday by buying a bag ofunsaltedroasted peanuts in the shell - take a break from the daily grind and go out in the backyard or the park and feed the squirrels. In colder climates this is the time of winter when they could use a little help as well as the birds.
A little motivation message from the animal kingdom. This little Red Squirrel is inspiring - the picture of determination. The task seems insurmountable, but it assesses the situation, takes a deep breath and gets on with it. Nothing like a "tough nut to crack" to challenge you! Its hard work will pay dividends down the road. The full version of this is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld9OQgOUOdk
Squirrels entered into a Backyard Taste Test Contest must choose between roasted unsalted peanuts and tree-ripened juicy sweet Loquats. Watch and find out what four out of five squirrels prefer!
Run Squirrel Run. Squirrel only runs on stepping stones! My trained Gray Squirrel Buddy waits for me to open the back door each morning and then runs to get a peanut - always careful to stay on the path. He runs back and forth all the way for each peanut! One might say I have trained him well, but he is smarter than that - he has trained me! Filmed with a cell phone so a bit shaky in places. A more thorough training video is planned.
Gray Squirrel feasting on Oak Tree buds - Relax and watch as a squirrel enjoys a tasty seasonal treat when the tender buds of the oak tree come out in mid-winter, usually late January or February in Florida.
Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day - January 21st !
Thursday January 21st, 2016 is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Squirrels have a number of admirable qualities, not the least of which is obvious intelligence (have you ever tried to outsmart one, it's a humbling experience), dedication to family and raising their young, strength and agility, perseverance, a natural instinct to show off and entertain, plant trees, and a certain irresistible cuteness, especially young Red Squirrels. Squirrels are a great species to introduce children to wildlife and to learn to interact with and appreciate the natural world right in your own yard. Start observing the squirrels in your environment and you'll be amazed at the things they do. Just a sample of the many squirrel pictures and videos taken in the yard are found below. My personal favorites are the Red Squirrels - check out the Red Squirrel Playlist !
Celebrate by buying a bag ofunsaltedroasted peanuts in the shell - take a break from the daily grind and go out in the backyard or the park and feed the squirrels. In colder climates this is the time of winter when they could use a little help as well as the birds.
A little motivation message from the animal kingdom. This little Red Squirrel is inspiring - the picture of determination. The task seems insurmountable, but it assesses the situation, takes a deep breath and gets on with it. Nothing like a "tough nut to crack" to challenge you! Its hard work will pay dividends down the road. The full version of this is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld9OQgOUOdk
Mother Squirrel enjoys a peanut. Her nest is above in the tree top. I've seen nesting squirrels in Florida (this one) and North Carolina recently so now is not the time to do tree trimming without checking!
Gray Squirrel in Florida feasting on ripe messy Tommy Atkins Mango and then wiping his juicy face on the fence. Oh, the life of a backyard squirrel! Of course between the squirrels, raccoons, possums and birds few mangoes can ripen on the tree. The mangoes provide a big boost in available wildlife food in the hot mid-summer. The squirrels in particular have a knack of biting the mangoes off at the stem one day before I was planning to pick them.
The Greedy Squirrel Fable - How can you have four of the choicest nuts and end up with only the smallest of the four. I'm sure there is a moral - or several - to this story! The squirrel is really not greedy of course, but the sudden good fortune of finding four nuts has got it excited and no doubt diminished its problem-solving skills. Perhaps taking the largest peanut of all first. Seems like ample opportunity for testing squirrels here. Although a squirrel often stands on two legs it has not learned to walk on two legs and carry nuts - which might be helpful, but quite slow and clumsy. Having put the very smallest nut in its mouth first was the first mistake. I was just testing out a new lens when this little vignette occurred - nature always holds surprises!
One of the friendly Gray Squirrels pops-up from behind the fence that divides the Backyard and the great tangle of brush and woods that makes up the conservation area behind. Couldn't resist taking the picture!
Gentle Cute Squirrels - they are not "morning people". On cold windy mornings the squirrels gather to warm up on the high branches of a tree that first catches the morning sun before they start their busy days. This clip shows some excerpts from a 30 minute video illustrating how these Gray Squirrels use delicate touch and smell to communicate with each other.
A Brown Thrasher has stolen the Blue Jays peanut and taken it deep in the brush - but it could use some pointers from the Jay on opening it. Then after all that exhausting hard work opening it - a squirrel steals it from the Thrasher! The Humanity! - That's the way of nature! It is interesting to watch the Thrasher repeatedly and strongly strike the peanut against the soft leaf litter and then break the nuts into smaller pieces to eat. I'm guessing that it will learn to put it into a wood crevice after cracking a few more nuts.
A cute and tasteful Valentine's Day squirrel love story of epic proportions! Have you ever heard the sound squirrels make whilst in the throes of passion - it's cute! Unknown to these young squirrels they were caught on a video camera meant for observing Screech Owls. This is the story of two classy, but adventurous, young squirrels who dared to check into an Owl Nest Box to conduct their courtship ... introducing an element of excitement, danger and intrigue to their romance........
Play at high volume and HD for best results! The rest of the story at:
Cute squirrel juggles peanuts - its nesting season and if the squirrels can't learn to carry more than one peanut at a time to the nest the Blue Jays will have them. Our blue jays are actually bigger than some of the squirrels and definitely tougher and to be feared! Perseverance pays off in the end! Filmed with a cell phone.
Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21st - These young squirrels are excited and can't stop talking about it. It's time to pause and reflect and say thanks to your squirrels. Buy them some peanuts and feed them through the cold winter days as well as the birds! Get in touch with your "Inner Squirrel". To really appreciate the intelligence, social skills and work ethic of these furry little friends Check out the definitive Red Squirrel YouTube Video Playlist!
