Laurie Snider
Notes from the Nest
“There are eleven squirrels, in our front yard!” Randy exclaimed, his head shaking, while sipping his morning coffee.
“My, my. You’re right. We’ve a real scurry going on out there! Wonderful isn’t it?” came my reply, calm, steady and oblivious to Randy’s obvious mix of sarcasm and alarm.
This is because, as the person in our household who’s responsible for keeping our many feeders rather enthusiastically well-stocked with seeds, I’m also the person who’s responsible for the current squirrel festival and extravaganza, taking place on the front lawn. Perhaps, the word is out that this day, Jan. 21, was National Squirrel Appreciation Day and they’re celebrating.
Squirrels belong to the family sciuridae, which also includes chipmunks, marmots and prairie dogs. These fuzzy creatures are found almost everywhere on earth and range in size from a few inches, to a few feet long.
The most common species in our area, is the eastern grey squirrel, which may be grey, black or salt and pepper. They feast on a wide variety of foods, like nuts, seeds, berries, tree buds and some fungi. They also have well- known reputations for raiding bird feeders, often outwitting the most complicated designs.
Squirrels are able to jump 10 times the length of their bodies. Anybody who has witnessed their death-defying leaps and tree-top antics, can attest to that.
Squirrels have one or two litters per season and greet family members, by nuzzling cheeks. Their bushy tails are used as blankets, to keep them warm, for parachutes, if they’re falling and as signal flags, for communicating.
Their front teeth grow six inches per year, which they sharpen by chewing on branches. I can personally vouch for their sharpness, after an unfortunate incident with the dogs, which didn’t end well for the squirrel. As I tenderly picked up the dying creature, struggling to take its’ last breaths, suddenly it came alive, sinking its teeth into my finger. Despite my screams and frenetic dance moves, it refused to release its grip. I learned an important lesson, never attempt to pick-up a ‘mostly’ dead squirrel, without gloves!
We also share our yard with red squirrels, which are medium sized and especially feisty. They’re aggressively territorial. They’re often heard noisily chattering, at other creatures, or humans they feel are invading their space.
We once had a small family take up residence in a no- longer-functioning chimney, in the kitchen and could hear scratching, behind the covering. When Randy removed it, there they were, staring back at him. Shortly after Mama squirrel told him off for disturbing them, she moved her family to another location.
Squirrels can be very destructive, making nests in walls, ceilings and chewing wires, if they move in. They’re frequently responsible for power outages, twice bringing down the NASDAQ stock exchange.
The award for the most fun variety, goes to flying squirrels. We’re lucky enough to have a colony of these in our yard to. They don’t actually fly. They glide. They have a furry, parachute like membrane, called a patagium, which helps them glide. Their long tails, stabilize their flight. These little sweeties are nocturnal, with big, bulgy eyes.
We’ve spent many a pleasant sultry, summer evening, in the backyard, watching them flit from tree to tree. First, you spy a flash from the corner of your eye, as they soar above you, before spotting them light on the tree. I’ve even been startled to find them sitting in a feeder, during a snow storm, when I’ve gone out at night, to refill them.
The most enchanting encounter I’ve had with a squirrel, was with a beauty, I named Noel. She appeared out of nowhere, in the late fall of 2015. Her coat, was pure white! White squirrels, are a rarity. They’re actually a version of the eastern, grey squirrel, with a genetic aberration. Some have pink eyes and are albinos, but others, like Noel have dark eyes and are known as white morphs.
Noel the white squirrel.
There have been documented sightings, all over North America, but a few towns in particular have healthy colonies of them, Exeter, Ont. being one. These communities pay homage to these tourism drawing, rodents, with gift shops, restaurants and festivals, in their honour.
Noel was a guest at our feeders, for several months and I always stopped what I was doing, to watch her. The following January, she disappeared, as mysteriously as she arrived. Bright, white coats, make them easy targets for predators. I’m relieved, I’ll never know for sure what happened but I certainly enjoyed her visits, while she was here.
If I’ve learned one thing from squirrels, it’s that gifts sometimes arrive in the strangest packaging, if we’re open to receiving them, with a grateful heart. Surely, that’s reason enough, to celebrate them.