The storing of something when in abundance against
a time when it will be scarce (after the manner of a squirrel).
I know, it's a love/hate thing when it comes to squirrels in your garden. Personally I love them because they are incredibly smart little guys who don't scare or attack me! As long as they have food available, thanks to nut bearing trees, bird feeding people, and fruit, seed, and berry growing gardeners, they don't really cause a problem. They don't hurt the garden birds, just chase them around a bit, and they do a good clean up job under the feeders. If you really don't want squirrels near your house just discontinue feeding the birds - but to me that's sad because every garden also needs beautiful songbirds.
Our current visitor is back each morning - completely fearless of us
when we politely request that he leave the seeds for the birds.
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Sending Happy New Year greetings from our house to yours.
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I have never seen a squirrel but your photos show alert, cute little faces.
ReplyDeleteWishing You both A happy 2023 Mary.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have squirrels in NZ so don't know if I'd encourage them or not. We do love our birds except Canadian geese and feral doves.
I like squirrels; here, the red variety is native, and thankfully, so far we have not had an invasion of the grey ones who are larger and stronger and have caused the rapid decline and almost disappearing of the native red ones in the UK.
ReplyDeleteWith the trees around my house, it is easy for them to get about, and I often see squirrels the moment I look out of my window or open my front door. Contrary to yours, ours here can harm the song birds; they steal eggs from the nests and would not shy away from a newly hatched baby bird if they could get at it. But they don't do it out of cruelty - they just do what their instinct tells them.
I like squirrels too, and what lovely pictures you have taken Mary. My daughter really dislikes them, not sure why, but they run around in her garden nonetheless. Happy New Year to this pretty little guy...and to you too, of course :) xx
ReplyDeleteHere in Winston Salem we had a few white squirrels, escapees from the Asheville area I’m told. Sadly the last white squirrel died last month. Like you, I enjoy the antics of the squirrels in my garden.
ReplyDeleteCarole A
Happy New Year to you and your family Mary. I love your cheeky squirrels.
ReplyDeleteDearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteYour squirrels do pose very well!
More than 20 years ago, I had squirrels that I could scratch on their back and they jumped from the tree onto the roof and went to the balcony—looking for me! So cute and they are fun critters. We feed our birds and also the squirrels.
Hugs,
Mariette
We get more and more squirrels each year Mary. We stopped feeding the birds many years ago as we seem to have so much natural food and hiding places in our garden and, even though we don't feed them anymore, we get many birds visiting us. Because our garden is North facing, we have so much lichen on the trees, berries, insects etc much ivy on the ground for wildlife to hide in and trees on both sides. I watch the birds flying from one side of the garden to the other. Even the squirrels seem to love the garden without bird feeders. They bury their nuts in the lawn and make little holes everywhere, digging them up. Natural aeration !!! I saw a couple of squirrel's the other day, teasing some pigeons and chasing after them ! I like them. XXXX
ReplyDeleteAll of us who feed the birds well know that we are feeding the voracious squirrels, UGH! We even went so far as to "shooting" them with a Nerf Dart Gun. Before anyone loses their minds, the darts are soft, and would glance right off of the silly squirrels who paid them no mind. All it ever did was torment us, then having to go pick up 9,000 darts in the yard. One industrious squirrel chewed the top off of the feeder, and dove in head first to eat! I thought he was stuck, and readied myself to go pluck him out. Ah, no. Never underestimate the agility of squirrels! We thought we had solved the problem with a "non-chewable" PVC feeder, that has a PVC "stopper" in the middle through which you can fill the feeder. I watched in amazement as one little bugger took the stopper out and carried it off! I ran outside yelling, of course, and he dropped the thing on the neighbor's side of the fence! Hunger makes demons of them all!
ReplyDeleteOh, we have more than our fair share of squirrels here. I don't have bird feeders out for the very reason that the squirrels eat it all. We still have plenty of birds though, They seem to like our garden, nest in the shrubs and trees despite the squirrels. Actually, this Christmas a friend gifted me a pretty bell covered in seeds to hang in a tree. I thought the way I hung it, that it would be safe. Wrong! It wasn't out two days, and a squirrel completely consumed not only the seeds, but the entire bell form. It was gone before I could retrieve it for safer ground. Oh, well, the squirrels need to eat too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Christmas card. You are always a dear, Mary. I'm so grateful our paths crossed through our blogs all those years ago. Happy New Year!
I know we will never get rid of the squirrels, but two of our feeders are on an iron pole. Sometimes I rub the pole with shortening and my "live-in gardener" sometimes puts pepper oil on the pole. It does keep them away for a few days. It is rather funny to see them try to climb the greasy pole. The squirrels are quite chubby with much of our bird seed in other feeders. They are pesky, but cute.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary, Charming little visitors you have and you take such wonderful pictures of them.
ReplyDelete