I know I said I had not seen any squirrels lately … and I truly hadn’t, except for the pair of squirrels that were lethargic and lounging around a low branch during that hot spell we had about ten days ago.
Well, when I peered up at those two squirrels, I couldn’t help but notice right away that one of them was missing a good portion of his fuzzy tail.
But, since he and his pal were up in a tree with lots of leaves, which made it shady, I really couldn’t inspect his tail, (or lack thereof), until today. After I walked past “his” tree this morning, I immediately heard rustling overhead, so I stopped in my tracks and looked up. Although this squirrel paid no attention to me the last time, today he was quick to stare at me …
… then immediately started scrambling down to ground level.
This stubby-tailed squirrel timidly approached me as I opened the Ziploc bag of peanuts to feed him. He didn’t race over and nuzzle my shoe or dance around my feet like Parker usually does, nor did he do any of the antics the other squirrels that are “regulars” on the perimeter path do. I wiggled the bag and coaxed him to come a little closer, then laid some peanuts at his front paws.
He looked up at me, then I must’ve passed muster because he took a peanut and enjoyed it …
… then he headed off to bury another peanut, leaving two behind. I told him I’d guard them for him ‘til he returned, because the cardinal and red-winged blackbird would likely be all over those treats.
So, the question is – what happened to the rest of this poor squirrel’s tail? It looks as if it is bobbed right off. No more flicking of the furry tail by this little guy, nor holding it over his head like an umbrella to protect him from the snow and icy pellets on those wintry precip days.
I looked down at him from my vantage point, with that pitiful tail, wondering about his misfortune. Did he take a tumble, or make a daring escape from a predator who was left with the furry remnant of a squirrel’s tail in its mouth?
I decided two things: I would name him “Stubby” and he would get extra peanuts because I felt sorry for him.
I will still be on the lookout for Parker and his pals … I hope they turn up soon.
Doing a “meet and greet” with Stubby is about all the excitement I could scare up these last two days I’ve walked at Council Point Park. The Park seems rather quiet without the cacophony of sounds from the geese and ducks, although a bullfrog was doing his very best to raise a ruckus in the still morn with his raucous croaking.
Our morning temps yesterday and today could best be classified as “sweater weather” and this morning when I left for my walk it was just 56 degrees. Perfect walking weather! Even the sun put in an appearance. Mother Nature has certainly shortchanged us with sunshine this Spring and there have been so very few beautiful days, that a morning like this one was to be savored. Tomorrow promises to be still another rainy and stormy day, the entire day, followed by a heat wave.
I walked five miles today … like I said in the last post, you’ve got to get going while the going is good.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
5 miles plus plenty of squirrels brother
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Yup, I got it done before the ugly weather hits. This poor squirrel – did some predator bite off his tail?
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I bet he has a story to tell imagine it was bitten off when he was younger
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I’d like to know what happened. I saw some large birds cruising around and sent a picture to one of the photographers I follow … his specialty is taking photos of eagles in Tofino (Vancouver Island, BC) … he said it might be a young eagle. Perhaps that is why he is so skittish.
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Oh the poor thing.. Nature is indeed harsh
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Yes, it makes me sad to look at him.
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Bravo
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Stubby- so happy to hear at least one of them returned and was trusting enough to eat peanuts. The tail will probably grow back.Maybe the other day when he was hanging on the tree branch, he was in shock from seeing his friends taken off. I hope he has short memories and might forget.
I have had so many cats with so many ills- most recent brood of cats – many of them have eye infection- at least three of them are blind. They have discharge from the eyes- my daughter tells me it must be from their poor mothers who probably have gonorrhea if there is cat gonorrhoea. It is pathetic to see animals suffer but equally if you care for them, they perk up quite quickly.
Good weather news- congratulations. Hope it lasts. Also for the 5 K walk.
Susie
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I was wondering if that was why he was so lethargic too … in fact, the stubby-tailed squirrel was laying around more than the other one … I never saw that squirrel there before so maybe it was recent what happened. Maybe they lost their babies? Yes, he is not like the others, but maybe timid due to his injury. Our beautiful weather is gone now for awhile … today we have storms and torrential rains … this is not normal weather for us at all … then we go into a heat wave for the next four days, most severe day is Saturday when it will be 95 or 96 and over 100 heat index. I am not looking forward to it Susie … it will be like what you endure all Summer I think.
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Oh yes, but our weather is hot, hot and more hot, no humid at all. I thirst to see a cloud in the sky. The perpetual glare and the dusty outside – everything brown is not so good for the eyes.
Susie
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No, that is true – dust cannot be good for your eyes … all the tiny particles. I hope it subsides for you soon Susie.
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What ever happened to his tail, it doesn’t seem to bother him. Nice job on the 5 miles too!
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Thanks Diane – today is a rainy and stormy day so I have to walk when the weather cooperates – big heat wave Thursday through Sunday – ugh. Yes, this squirrel seems okay with his injury (surprisingly).
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happy you find your squirrels again. They are so cute.😊
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Me too John – I don’t know what happened to his tail … he is new at the Park, unless he is a “regular” and lost his tail, but I don’t think he is a “regular” Park squirrel as he was not really friendly and was checking me out intensely before he came to ground level, then was very timid once he got down there.
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I love them. They are so adorable! 🐿🐿🐿🐿
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I am glad to see a sign of life in the Park Martha… it has become barren without any feathered and furry friends. Even the heron has been staying away!
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I bet that eagle has his tail…….& won’t give it back.Eagle bullies!
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Yup, I was thinking the same thing Wayne – that big bird grabbed him by the tail and he escaped with his life, but now lives with a bobtail. So, I can identify him now, like you can I.D. certain bears. He will be easy to pick out of a crowd!
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Because it was the tail that suggests the squirrel “saw” the threat & ran but was caught by the tail as it was fleeing.That means a ground predator.Most likely a dog?
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I never thought of that idea Wayne, until you suggested it. Looking at the sight of that tail, it does appear that a ground predator caught him by that tail and he managed to get away … yes, he was able to save his life, but the price for his freedom was losing his tail. Poor little guy.
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Seeing Stubby’s tail makes a good case for predators being the reason for the disappearance of so many critters in the park. Hopefully many are taking refuge rather than having fallen prey, but it is the natural order of things. In order to survive eagles, hawks and other predators eat smaller critters.
Hearing bull frogs always makes me chuckle – I remember first hearing them several years ago after we put in our pond. I couldn’t figure out what that noise was because it sounded so much like a cow and I knew none of our neighbors had cows. LOL
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I agree with you. Something is on the prowl and one of my fellow bloggers who is a naturalist suggested it might even be a dog. They don’t allow dogs in the Park, but people walk them anyway, and on a long reel-in leash most times. Whoever got hold of Stubby’s tail ended up with more of that fuzzy tail than is remaining on Stubby now – it is pitifully short and it likely would affect his balance and climbing abilities as well.
Those bullfrogs are really loud – I laughed at your comment because the first time I heard them in the morning at the Park, when it is so still, I thought to myself “surely a frog doesn’t make that much noise when it is croaking!” It does sound like a cow now that you mention it. Years ago, my parents rented a cottage up at Rush Lake near Alpena. There are bull moose up there and they would call to one another ALL night long. The first night you would lie in bed and think – ahh, here we are far from the city and near nature. Then after that, the noise all night and the charm quickly wore off. 🙂
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I do enjoy the sounds of nature but not when I am trying to sleep. Even crickets will keep me awake at night. LOL.
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That’s right – crickets can be loud … obnoxious loud. 🙂
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Miss Linda………………………………….I especially like “Mr. Stubby” because……………………..while I was walking in the early spring on Goddard Rd. a pitiful squirrel was run over by a car and just his tail was flattened that I could see……………………..He dragged himself
up onto the sidewalk near o good patch of trees and bushes………………………he broke my heart………………………..Mr. Stubby reminds me of him…………………..
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Oh Ann Marie – poor you to have seen that. I walk down the street en route to the Park and I see squirrels racing across the busy street and have to turn my head sometimes because I don’t want to see such a terrible outcome. It would break my heart as well. I wonder if he survived? I don’t know how this squirrel doesn’t lose its balance since they use their tail to balance. I saw a picture in the Facebook Crimes site where someone posted a picture of a coyote on the railroad tracks on Emmons. People should be keeping their small pets inside – you saw all the pets that disappeared in the northern suburbs earlier this year. How can we have coyotes – it is not that dense at Bishop Park, nor Council Point Park?
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Poor Stubby. We had a cat that came home with 2/3 of his tail missing. The vet removed the rest. Tor soon learned to balance without his tail and lived a long, full life.
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That’s sad Anne – did you know what happened to the cat? I imagine this squirrel has learned to deal with the problem and overcome the balance issue. Poor little guy. Saw him again this morning – he
seems more chipper and less timid. That’s a good thing.
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We wondered if our cat was caught in machinery. Perhaps he could have tangled with a raccoon. The cat never told us what happened.
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Losing an entire tail and living a long life afterward … that cat had nine lives. It’s best you don’t know what happened – it might be very upsetting to know.
On an unrelated notes, do you have people abusing their pets, then abandoning them at shelters? This is becoming the norm more and more – it is just sickening. At least once a week I hear tales of dogs and cats (mostly dogs) brought into animal shelters and the Humane Society after being tortured and I don’t know how people can do this to an animal. It is so sad to listen to the news anymore.
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I’m not aware of tortured animals. Those stories don’t make it to our newspaper, and we don’t know people involved with shelters. If it goes on in your area, it must be going on here. It is a sickening thing.
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I just heard the story on as I switched over from Reader – this particular dog today was used as a “bait dog” … I could not work in a shelter or the Humane Society and see this on an ongoing basis. I would have to leave – too upsetting.
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I didn’t think of it from the human side. It would be very distressing to help tortured animals.
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Yes, this one yesterday was so pitiful … similar to what I e-mailed you. 200 puncture wounds. Very sad.
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Can’t like this comment!
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I know! I think WordPress should have a “dislike” button or “Hmmm” button. No, it is very sad. I can’t read those stories and also the people who hoard animals. I mean, not just having litter after litter of puppies and kittens, the people who have one hundred or more animals living in their house in filth … never letting them out of the house – ever.
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It is hard to believe.
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Yes, it is.
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Poor thing – looks like it must’ve been quite a furious tail tussle!
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I know I felt so badly for him when I saw it. The lack of tail does not seem to affect his balance in the least. I’m wondering if it happened a while ago and he has now recovered. I’ve never seen him around until recently.
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Hmmm that tail is interesting! Good for you getting 5 miles in:) we have had rain the last couple of days too
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Isn’t it – poor little thing with this stubby tail. I wish I know what happened to him. Yes, the rain has been so pesky. Originally my goal was 600 miles walked by the end of the second quarter of the year, then all the rain happened and my expectations were for 500 – I didn’t even make that. Very bummed. Today it was so hot that I didn’t get to the Park as planned … felt tropical out, 91% humidity and high dew points, so I walked along the car cruising route. I’m not all that hepped up on the classic cars, but I didn’t want to walk too far in all this heat.
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At least you walked! Much more than what lots of people do!
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That’s true – I walked today more than yesterday, but it was wicked hot. I went down to the Detroit River at the boardwalk early to get some steps done there … it was not so bad but humid. A runner there looked like she might pass out. Then I walked three miles at Council Point Park to finish. I was happy for four miles on such a wretchedly hot day. Happy Canada Day AJ! I am still a Canadian at heart. 🙂
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Thank you! I walked all around downtown taking in all the festivities after I did my usual Sunday morning run:)
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Our holiday is on Wednesday – not so great, as employers don’t want to give three days off … when it is on a Tuesday or Thursday, employers often give the Monday or Friday off, so “bonus days” … Wednesday is a one-day holiday only. Bummer!
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Awww:( I’ve always thought it would be neat to be in the US for the 4th as I hear you all do it up big!
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Well we had the international fireworks on the Detroit River this past Monday. That is a really big deal and was the 60th year for the fireworks. It is a joint effort with Windsor and people line up along the Canadian side in Windsor, and over here people line up along the Detroit River. I’ve never been to the fireworks, but it is a big deal here because they have a professional fireworks company choreograph the fireworks to music (different theme/colors extravaganza every year) and it lasts 24 minutes. It is broadcast on TV and they have a military flyover too. I will put the link below if you want to take a peek … I got it from YouTube. Next year if you want, I can give you the link to watch it live. I’ve done that a few times. The traffic jam to get to downtown Detroit is horrid … people sometimes can’t get out of the City for a long time as everyone leaves at one time. They have it so early to celebrate Canada Day and 4th of July so they make it before people head out of town for the long holiday:
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We have something similar here in August. It’s called the Celebration of Light and three countries compete on three different nights to have the best fireworks display. It is also crazy trying to get to and from them!
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That sounds unique and fun – hopefully they broadcast it on TV or is available to be streamed so others can enjoy it.
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No I actually don’t think it is. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of doing that?
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You should suggest it … send a video of the fireworks display from YouTube. It is simulcast on a local radio station and streaming on the local TV station. You feel like you are there, just without the smoke and traffic hassle. Enjoy your first weekday vacation day AJ!
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Oh it hasn’t hit yet as I would have today off even if I was working so tomorrow I’m counting as my first real vacation day:)
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Oh, that’s right – since the holiday was on Saturday. We have our holiday mid-week … no fun there.
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No that’s not fun!
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Oh bless. The poor little squirrel. Bet he loved seeing you bringing him a treat though ☺. Well done on your 5 miles.
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Thanks Zena – this heat spell, like yours, is zapping some of my enthusiasm for walking. We have one more day of this heat – Thursday – then a nasty storm to bring in cool air for three days, then back to the heat, likely for the rest of the month. That poor little squirrel – I felt so sorry for him. I wish I knew what happened to him, but I will give him extra treats to make up for his misfortune and hopefully gain his trust by doing so.
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Oh bless. You are such a kind soul. Your compassion towards the squirrel and all the other animals you see is such a beautiful thing to read. You are a true Earth Angel ❤
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Thank you for saying that Zena – I think I should have followed my dream and had a job working with animals. My original dream was to be a veterinarian but my grades in science and math were not very good, so I had to abandon that dream
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It’s a shame as your caring nature would have been ideal for the job but at least you still have a chance to connect with your furry friends in nature and make a difference in each of their lives by caring for them and taking time out of your day to feed and admire them ☺
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You are right about that Zena – I really enjoy the interaction with them – it starts my day off right. Such a simple interaction but it gives us both pleasure.
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Awwww, Stubby is just adorable! His little tail really is stubby. He looks happy though, and as he’s still around now, he’s obviously managing ok with only half a tail. I always worry as they use their tails for lots of thing, such as balance, but he’s obviously a very clever squirrel and learnt to manage with just half a tail. 🙂 xxx
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He does dash around with the same speed as the rest of the squirrels so it appears to not hinder him any. He had a close call a few weeks ago with a hawk … this was before we connected too. A Cooper’s Hawk came and swept down right after I fed him peanuts – it all happened so fast … luckily Stubby made a run for it, under the picnic table, under the pavilion. This happened on August 8th Heather and I got a picture of this bird in the bottom of the post. We have a crime site on Facebook which is just for our City and it is reporting crimes and such in the City, but a few days later people were remarking on all the Coopers Hawks that were flying around the neighborhoods and the parents teaching the young hawks how to hunt … I feel sick thinking my peanuts might have caused him to get snatched up in the hawk’s talons. I try to put the peanuts away from the pathway now so they aren’t “sitting ducks”. https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/08/08/shadow-dancing/
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