Squirrel Sightings

The Grey Squirrels are just about the only critters that have been out and about in my yards and on my street during daylight hours in the past few days.  This is the beginning of the Acorn harvesting season for the squirrels here.  We have a lot of Live Oaks on the street so the Grey Squirrels have been very busy at work.  They scurry up and down the large tree trunks and limbs and go way out onto the thinnest of branches.

All this food collecting activity is done to secure a cache of choice Acorns for the squirrels to eat in later weeks.  Of course, we do have mild Winters here in Florida.  Much of this  frenzied food collecting work that these squirrels do, is simply instinctive and not as necessary as is seen in cold climates where food gets scarce in Winter.  I took these pictures on August 10, 2013 in my yards.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo.  I hope you’ll enjoy!

Got Acorns?

This young Grey Squirrel has made an appearance in my yard recently.  It is hunting for Acorns and Hickory Nuts to add to its Fall larder.  The Grey Squirrels here mostly live in the woods along the street in front of my little place here.  There is a fringe of mixed hard woods and Pines along the road.  The squirrels and occasionally the chipmunks will come across the open fields to grab tasty Acorns and nuts (Birdseed too don’t forget).  The Grey Squirrels are not terribly numerous here in this neighborhood.  I enjoy seeing them once in a while which is exactly what is currently the case.  I took these pictures in my yard yesterday, Oct. 18, 2012.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

An Cute but Uninvited Guest at the Bird Feeder

This Eastern Chipmunk is one clever chipmunk!  It found the yummy snack machine called the bird feeder.  It went right up the pole and onto the plexiglass bottom landing tray.  Because the chipmunk is very light, the animal did not trip the anti-squirrel mechanism and the tray did not dump the little rodent off.  Oh well.  Sly cute and funny.  It is hard to be mad when these things happen.  We likely will need to add a steel baffle on the pole.  Maybe if we are lucky, that will work.

In the mean-time, one of the Grey Squirrels was up on our front porch yesterday morning.  I am not hopeful that the squirrel won’t try to jump onto the bird feeder some day soon.  If it does, it will not stay on the tray unless it really works at it.  Hopefully all will be OK rodent-wise.  I took these pictures yesterday (5/17/12) from my living room window.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo. Enjoy! 

A Chipmunk on the Porch

This little Eastern Chipmunk has twice been here on the porch.  It is attracted by some spilled bird seed which I’m sure is a delicacy for the tiny and very cute rodent.  The Eastern Chipmunks spend the colder months in their underground dens.  I have only seen the Chipmunk the past couple of days so it either came from the far reaches of the little farm or was underground all this time.  Who can say?

These Chipmunks eat seeds, nuts, fruits, roots, eggs and certain insects.  Mostly though, they are plant-eating critters.  They transport their food in pouches inside of their cheeks.  Eastern Chipmunks are light brown with dark brown stripes on their backs and buff undersides.  Running fast is a trait that  allows the Chipmunks to avoid predators such as Hawks and Coyotes. I took the picture from my living room window yesterday at twilight.   It was raining when I took that picture, which may also be another reason why the Chipmunk was on the covered porch.   Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

The Grey Squirrel Poses for its Picture

This Grey Squirrel likely lives in the small gulch or gully wooded area just under the pond’s dam.  There are a lot of medium-sized trees in that area with quite a lot of privacy and water.  The Squirrel basically sprints from the gulch across open grassy lawn over to the grove of Oaks next to the pond.  The Squirrels run full-tilt as fast as they can in order to avoid possibly being seen by predators.  The attraction is the plump acorns that the Squirrels are so fond of.  I was looking out my window yesterday at almost 4:00 in the afternoon and spotted this Squirrel.  The Squirrels here are quite wary of people so I had to quietly go out of the house and take the pictures.  The Squirrel did spot me and sprinted away.  I seldom see the Squirrels here (that will assuredly change once my bird feeders get put up) so I was happy to see this one.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

A Potted Squirrel?

No not a drunken squirrel  but just one that was busy burying its Acorns in the soft potting soil in that large flower-pot on my back deck.  The Grey Squirrels are smart in that the soft soil in the flower-pots seems a lot easier to dig in than the hard gravel strewn ground here.  So I have the cute picture and the squirrel has its Acorn snack.  I do go around and dig out the buried Acorns as I am not wanting any more Oak trees any time soon!   I snapped these pictures the day before yesterday on my deck.  Not much has been happening in the last couple of days here with regards to wildlife.  I am hopeful that more animals and birds will be out and about soon for me to take pictures of.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Squirrel Watching

Grey Squirrels are all around in the yards here and also are scampering about  in many other yards in my neighborhood.  The Grey Squirrels are happily finding left-over nuts, Acorns, and seeds plus the squirrel food I occasionally put out.  The favorite food other than acorns for the squirrels is, hands down, Sunflower Seeds!  Of course, bird seed fresh from the feeder is a tasty snack.  I like many others, have a hard time keeping the squirrels out of the feeders.  When squirrels get upset they tend to make a chicken-like cluck chatter.  However, being fairly quiet animals, squirrels seldom make a racket with that distress chatter.  Squirrels also communicate with movements of their long bushy tail.  It is now starting to be that time of year when the squirrels are chasing each other more.  Some is due to courtship, or food territoriality, and some is just play between youngsters.  I am happy to have the diverse wildlife I do have here.  I took these pictures in my yards within the last two weeks.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger photo. Enjoy!

A Look at Some Grey Squirrels

There are about five resident Grey Squirrels in my yards.  The Grey Squirrels are quite appealing when they are sitting up and eating, laying on a branch, or just scampering about in the yards.  The Grey Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, berries, fruits, grasses, and parts of some plants.  Like the rest of the rodents, the squirrel’s teeth keep growing continually.  The chewing and gnawing that the squirrel does, helps grind their teeth to a proper length for their health and comfort.  The big strong teeth are useful in breaking the hull of tough walnuts and hickory nuts.  Squirrels are also tremendously great jumpers.  It is just amazing to see a squirrel leap from one branch to another that may be about six feet away, but maybe some ten to fifteen feet up in the air.  The squirrels are very sure-footed.  The squirrels use their tail, claws, and toes to help them balance on thin branches and yes, telephone lines.   I am quite happy to have these cute little neighbors.   Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger photo.  Enjoy!

Chipmunks Out and About

The Eastern Chipmunks here have occasionally come out during the slightly warmer weather we have every few days.  I have seen the Eastern Chipmunk on my front porch where it sometimes explores a cardboard box that has a chipmunk-friendly hole in it.  The Eastern Chipmunks eat grains, seeds, nuts, berries, and insects.  The Eastern Chipmunks are quite speedy.  The Eastern Chipmunks here need to be quick as to avoid the birds of prey such as the Bald Eagles, Red-Tail Hawks and the Mississippi Kites.  The Eastern Chipmunk is a very cute little rodent, indeed!  There are now three little chipmunks living in my backyard.  Because the weather is now warmer, the chipmunks have begun to come out of their underground homes much more often.  They are very entertaining to watch.   Please click on the thumbnail version to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!

Time for Some Fall Chipmunk Pictures

My backyard is the home of two little Chipmunks.  They busily scurry around getting seeds from under the bird feeder (and climbing onto it) and gathering up other types of food to build their winter larder.  They sure do move fast!  They often just stop and sit and munch on some tid-bit of food.  The Chipmunks also communicate with each other by making a series of “Tok-tok-tok-tok” high to medium pitched mono-tone sounds.  The sound is like what a person would make if they popped their tongue against the roof of their mouth.  The Chipmunks will sit and make these sounds back and forth for minutes at a time.  I just recently noticed more of this communication going on.  I don’t know if it has to do with food-gathering, finding a sweetheart, a warning, or anger.  Who knows?  Anyway, the Chipmunks are very easy to watch if one is still and quiet.  I do enjoy the Chipmunks very much.  So far, no trouble other than soft tunnels under the front lawn where I am sure the Chipmunks have been digging.  Please click on the thumbnail image to see the larger picture.  Enjoy!