My grandfather Al used to feed the birds and squirrels in his tiny Staten Island backyard. He would sit in a chair on his back porch and hold peanuts in his hand. The squirrels would come up to him slowly, carefully, and reach for the peanut in his fingers. I would have loved to join in but at the time the squirrels weren’t sure of the eager child sitting across from him. It was enough to sit quietly and watch his interactions.
Many people think of squirrels as a nuisance. A rodent! (not that rodents are really a bad thing and oh, I know some of you may be cringing, but they’re smarter than we think). In my adult years I have not managed to feed the squirrels on our little farms by hand as my grandfather did, but they do frequent the bird feeders. Sometimes that has annoyed me because they can be piggy, but in the past few years a certain visitor has changed all that.
Spot has been here on this farm for a few years now, her unique marking on her forehead the giveaway.
What I’ve learned from observing Spot is.. squirrels have families. They have territories. They live for a while if they aren’t splat crossing the road. That crazy zigzag behavior you might witness in front of your car or out in your yard does not mean they are stupid or “nuts”… it’s their natural defense mechanism for escaping prey. So slow down your driving if it’s a safe option and let them get away.
Spot’s home base seems to be the ancient maple in our driveway across from the bird feeder at my kitchen window. For a few years now that’s where I see her most often, besides our feeder. I know she’s a female because that’s rather obvious ( no balls) when she’s hanging upside down from the feeder. That nob from an old branch is where she and a buddy or two often sun themselves, clean themselves, bring a morsel to nibble.
Squirrels frequently stretch before they move on – You can see her hanging by back feet in two of these pictures, extending her front paws out in a reach/stretch position.
I can watch her from my office desk too.. sometimes she ventures over to the split rail near the road, looking across, but I have yet to see her actually cross to the other side.
So the next time you see a squirrel, don’t think of them as a nuisance… remember they have families and places they consider home, too. We humans have encroached on their habitat, they aren’t encroaching on ours.
How fun to know by her markings that it is the same squirrel hanging out. We have a lot of squirrels around here. It is fun to watch them jump from tree to tree chasing each other.
Great photos! There are almost no squirrels here, and it seems odd.
You must listen to the podcast 99% Invisible (all the episodes are great, but this one…) about how squirrels came to co-exist with cities. https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/uptown-squirrel/
I also have named the various wildlife that inhabit or visit our yard…
She’s adorable. We do not have squirrels here, well we have what are called ground squirrels a version of chipmunk so when I went to take Hannah to NYU for the first time we went to Washington Square Park and I was actually squealing with delight at the squirrels and embarrassing Hannah. As a kid we had squirrels that would leap across our garage roof and my room sat above the garage. I started putting peanuts and peanut butter on the window ledge and sure enough I had a front row seat. If I forgot I would hear scratching and they were on their hind legs with paws on the window as if to say “hey where’s lunch?”
I am a sucker for all things furry and fully appreciate my squirrels.
In town, we have very bossy, social squirrels (they thrive on the college campus) and my favorite was Squnk, a squirrel with a white tail. From our back porch, I have seen all sorts of crazy squirrel antics. My favorite is when we watched a mama move her babies from one tree, across our road to a huge old oak with a hole. Another time, my husband jokingly reached out to gently tug the tail of one on our fence. The squirrel turned around and scolded him.
The cabin squirrels are a different sort. They are shy and take to the trees. Little do they know, I can spy on them from the bedroom window. On warm days, they stretch out like cats on the giant pine branches. Once in a while, a red squirrel shows up and everyone (humans, cats and grey squirrels) freaks out.
First off, Karen, I have NEVER seen a squirrel with a spot on her face! Spot is beautiful and so unique! And it’s extra nice because you can tell she’s who she is! I never know the squirrel who comes to my feeder (and eats the seed, which does bug me!) — is it the same one from year to year? I try to keep him away from that by offering up nuts but now he just knows where to come and when those are gone…!
The photos are terrific and I loved every single one. This is a perfect way to start my morning!
Awwww! Spot is darling! I like watching the squirrels too…there is one funny critter that’s a white/tan color, as opposed to gray.
We have a large feeder for the birds, it’s squirrel proof, but we make sure to put out ears of dried corn and suet to share. (Some of that suet smells pretty good, especially the apple and seed one!)
Silly squirrels chase each other around and around the trunk of the walnut tree where the feeders are located. My cats watch from their perch on the cat tree in front of the slider…squirrel antics drives them crazy! lol!
It’s always sad when we have to close the pool in the fall.
All summer long I stand in the pool on the end nearest the feeders, which is just feet away and watch the birds and the squirrels. So peaceful.
Spot is so cute–I love how you have caught her behaviors in your photos. And that white spot. And her partner. I always thought they were “squirrarly” (sp?) by the way they chased each other, sometimes four at a time running around my house and up and down the trees. And definitely, I always pause for them crossing the streets. Sometimes they look like they are heading to the other side and then change their minds.
Your grandfather sounds like a real nature lover. Very sweet memories.
Jane