Long, long ago there was a female squirrel who liked to slink down a very large fir tree into the backyard and grab whatever nuts, acorns, or other foods she could gather quickly and scamper back up into the fir needle branches totally hidden from sight. She was a brown bushy-tailed beauty of a squirrel. One morning she found our peanut butter bird treat and was so in heaven she scarfed down the entire treat and actually had a sticky time of it trying to open her mouth.
Backyard Picnic Table
In the summer we would sit out at our picnic table quite often and decided to acquire a large bag of peanuts in the shell. We would lay a few on the ground…then on the bench…then on the table. She was enticed alright and started coming down more and more frequently when we were outside. She eventually became quite tame with us. So much so, that we would put peanuts in our pockets and “Princess” would come pick them right out of our pockets.
Our Wild Pet
Yes, we named her because she became, while still very wild, our wild pet squirrel. Even though we had a small dog, he was older and didn’t see all that well. So he didn’t bother her outside.
What was harrowing though was seeing a bald eagle swoop down trying to grab a tasty rodent bite. But Princess proved to be extremely fast.
The months continued on with our little wild friend and she came and went at her leisure getting lots of delectable peanuts to eat and store for a cold winter.
Welcome to the House?
One late afternoon Princess was out on our patio and actually coming up to the door. As I opened the sliding glass door, she slipped right inside. I was astonished and panicking because the dog was in the house. Princess was in a panic too and dashing back and forth. I kept trying to get her to go back outside and opened the door as far as possible. Smart little squirrel as she was, she smelled the air and skittered outside. What a relief that was for all of us!
Meeting of Families
Usually there were only a couple of us outside on our patio at any given time. However, we had a bit of a group one sunny afternoon. Lo and behold here comes Princess, followed by a very young squirrel, and followed still by what looked like a long, lean, fighter squirrel we took to be her mate. He was pretty skittish. She had brought her entire family down to meet with us. We were flabbergasted by our little squirrel friend. Her actions were so heart-warming. Just like a new neighbor introducing her beloved crew to her new friends.
Animals are incredibly intelligent I do believe.
More Animal Stories
If you enjoyed “Squirrelly” see “Remembering Tux“.
And one more: “Walkin’ with your Best Pet Friend“.
Thanks
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