Nature Photography, Squirrels, Gardening
I Caught You Red-Handed, Mrs. Squirrel!
I knew that someone was digging up my spring bulbs
Well, they must be tasty snacks because my spring bulbs have been pulled up and munched on at an alarming rate lately! And the left-overs have been casually tossed aside here and there — evidence of the thief’s activities. But we had no idea who was doing the digging.
“Racoons?” my gardener speculated.
But the cameras we installed around our house and garden last year have not shown any racoons. I know that we do get them from time to time because they roll up my baby-tears ground cover like a rug to get to the grubs underneath. And they leave muddy little footprints in the pool. But I really didn’t think that they were the culprits.
We also have star-nosed moles. But they tend to tug their loot underground.
So, who was feasting on my daffodils?
I didn’t even consider Mrs. Squirrel.
I have to confess that Mrs. Squirrel is like part of the family. I put out peanuts for her and I take great delight in watching her “steal” them.
As you can see, she has mastered the “squirrel-proof” hanging tube on the feeder pole. I knew she would. I put it up for the rats, not for her. She considers it a spring board to the hanging feeders and can balance on its teeter-tottery surface with no effort at all.
She often watches up from above and talks to the kitties with little barks. I am not sure what they think of her. They used to be alarmed when she appeared on the other side of the french window to taunt them. Now I think that they are just entertained.
So, imagine my surprise, when I looked out the kitchen window the other day to see this:
She didn’t even have the nerve to look guilty!
And I was secretly delighted by her cleverness. I’m sure she thinks we’ve put those “appetizers” out just for her.
She thinks the same thing about the bird bath. It is her personal drinking pool, right?
After nibbling on the bulb (while staring straight into the kitchen window at me) for a minute or so, she moved on to the bird seed.
And she left that sad little bulb behind.
I’m actually happy that she is getting the extra nourishment, because I’ve been watching her and I think she’s getting a little rounder than normal. I have a strong suspicion that baby squirrels are coming soon!
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem, or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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Photo and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.
Dennett, I thought of you, and your love for squirrels while I was writing this.
