… especially when it comes to peanuts.
The collection of photos in today’s post are from last Sunday when I was amblin’ and ramblin’ around Council Point Park for almost three hours. It wasn’t the prettiest of days, but at least I wasn’t going to have any shadows in my photos. I’ll tell you that it was warmish though – almost 70 degrees by the time I got home.
During the work week when I walk at my favorite nature nook, I usually have the camera handy, but, if I visit on a weekend, I’ll meander around, looking for a photo op at this venue. I surely should know every nook and cranny by heart after nearly six years, not to mention hundreds, if not thousands, of miles logged on the paved pathway.
I have a tried-and-true strategy for when I’m packing treats, which may range from cookies to apples, even mini pumpkins. I’ll begin by making multiple trips on what I call “the critter side” i.e. the walking loop with the most trees, which translates to the most squirrels and birds. The second loop is mostly meh, except for an occasional squirrel or bird that strays over there.
Sharin’ the love on my Sunday stroll.
I decided I’d share some love with my furry pals, so I bought along a container of “Nutter Butters” those delicious sandwich cookies that have a layer of peanut butter in between. I buy the grab-and-go cups which are the mini cookies, so they are just the right size for my pals to munch on and their tiny paws to manipulate.
I’ve developed a technique for dispensing treats to the squirrels and I think I’ve perfected it since my first attempt at introducing Parker to M&Ms back in 2017, when I mistakenly thought “who doesn’t love these candies that melt in your mouth, not in your hand, er … paw?” Nope, peanuts are always primo according to my peanut pals.
Trail mix.
So, with all the time in the world, I ambled around the entire loop, distributing cookies AND the occasional peanut as well.
As mentioned above, my strategy for photo ops is to walk around the first loop twice, ensuring each squirrel that scurries over to see me gets a little stash of peanuts. By the time I’ve walked around twice, the third time is the charm since I can pass out cookies instead of peanuts, um … most of the time anyway.
Uncapping that cup of carb-and-peanutty goodness sent a delicious smell wafting from my pocket. I even felt a hunger pang, so did this squirrel detect that peanutty smell?
You would think so, but he was more appreciative of peanuts than those bite-sized bits.
Evidently there were a few new kids on the block last Sunday because after I tossed down a couple of these quarter-sized treats, they got the sniff test, then a glance at me as if to say “thanks, this is nice, but you know I really prefer peanuts to nibble on.”
I know that look – it is the same look I gave my parents when creamed spinach and chicken livers appeared on my dinner plate back in the day. I daren’t have complained as my parents tolerated no foolishness and I would have been told not to pick at my food, and to think of my dinner plate as a clock, thus “eat around the clock” so I could have dessert. Blech! I drowned the chicken livers in ketchup, force fed the spinach and picked at the potatoes, just to be rewarded with dessert. As to the squirrels, after some urging to “try what Linda is giving you before you turn your nose up at it” the exploration was over and the feasting finally began in earnest … for some of them anyway.
I get such a kick out of studying squirrel behavior here at this Park. These critters are bold and brazen about soliciting food. They know I’m a soft touch and responsive to those pleading eyes, so, a few of my furry pals poked at these peanutty treats, obviously finding no bliss in those tidbits, so, with an expectant look, they turned their gaze to the Ziploc bag in my coat pocket, as if another handout would mysteriously leap out of the bag and land at their feet. Sigh – they are so transparent sometimes.
Clearly, peanuts in the shell prevailed over Nutter Butters, so I guess I’ll stick to peanuts and find them something else for the occasional treat going forward.
This is Parker ready to nosh on a nut on this very warped memorial bench.
I felt badly for this mangy-looking fellow who appeared to hang back, away from of his pals. Mangy-looking was not an exaggeration – he had mange on his stomach and part of his neck area.
Initially he rejected my offer of cookies, and even when I tried to coax him over with a few peanuts, he preferred to scrape his body along the tree branch and run his paws over his face and neck. I sympathized with him, even cooing a bit over his predicament.
I was patient, until he scratched that itch and finally bounded over to see me. It seems we were both rewarded for our patience.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
😍😍 You are such a natural squirrel whisperer. I just love the connection and understanding you have of them. I showed this post to my mother today when I went to see her as she loves animals just like you. There is also a squirrel that hangs around her garden and has started coming up to the shed roof outside her backdoor so she has started feeding him/her. You really put a smile on her face as she loved your photos so much. Thank you for brightening up people’s day Linda, you are so lovely ❤
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you for saying that Zena – those furry pals really do make my day when I see them. I am glad your mother enjoyed today’s post too. I know that you said you have shown her the nature posts in the past. Your mom will have a friend for life after feeding that little squirrel. Tell her that I started out with one little gray squirrel on my front porch and now have two black squirrels, a gray squirrel and a fox squirrel like Parker … not to mention those birds which steal the peanuts I put out for the squirrels … it is a whole menagerie out there greeting me every morning. (But I admit I like it!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that is so sweet and sounds like an animal lover’s paradise. ❤. My mother loves birds and she encourages wildlife in her back garden with all of the trees, bushes, shrubs etc. She must have at least 150 sparrows there and each year it is increasing. She has lots of Robins and other birds and she feeds them and talks to them each day. Most of the them come really close to her and sing to her as she speaks to them. It is so sweet. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
That must be beautiful to see Zena – they know and trust her and enjoy coming every day to visit and get food. I like hearing the sparrows chirping away, especially on a rainy day like we had yesterday (and every day this week from the looks of it) … they seek shelter from the rain and sit on the outside window ledge, all huddled together and cheeping softly. They do it sometimes when we have freezing rain too
LikeLike
Linda you have endless squirrel stories and I never tire of reading them. I agree you do brighten our day.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am glad you enjoy them Kim – they are an endless source of entertainment while at the Park, especially now as critter action is kind of sparse. Thanks for the nice complement on brightening everyone’s day – it is appreciated.
LikeLike
I am still in shock that squirrels eat cookies! Who knew!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think because they have peanut butter inside Diane. Years ago my mom and I made some peanut butter sandwiches on that cocktail bread you buy around the holidays. It was really cold outside (early January) and that bread had gotten really dry/stale, so my mom made little sandwiches and I laid them on the evergreen bushes on top of the snow … the squirrels took the sandwiches and ate the peanut butter but threw away the bread … I had to go pick up after them – grrrr! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hahaha that is funny! You come by your love of nature naturally! Sounds like your mom was the same way.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes she was Diane – we were squirrel and bird magnets at one time.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Linda
Thank you for brightening up my day. As usual, the squirrel antics made me smile. Some of the squirrels did like the nutter butters last year as I remember. Parker looks really small on that bench. Is he ok ?
And the mangy squirrel, is there anything that can be done for that?
Susie
LikeLiked by 1 person
Parker looks a little “fluffed out” on that picture on the bench doesn’t he? I liked that picture as the color of his fur matches this memorial bench … this memorial bench is the only one of its kind in this Park and it is quite warped on the seat. I think that the squirrels are getting thinner as Winter is over – they get an extra heavy coat of fur as Winter approaches and a layer of fat too, courtesy of Mother Nature. The mange is not evident on that squirrel as it was on his underbelly and neck mostly … some of the other squirrels have it bad. I wrote to the Department of Natural Resources and they said mange will not kill the squirrels, but it can be transmitted between squirrels and I asked if it had to do with the Polar Vortex … they said “no” … I feel sorry for them Susie as they try to scratch by dragging their bodies along the rough tree branches.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t think we have Nutter Butter’s here, nor do we have those Pepper-ridge Farm cookies you mentioned back in the winter…..I feel deprived. I’m glad the M&M’s were a hit though….you would think they would like a little variety in their diets!
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Nutter Butters are good – these are the minis and they come in that cup I had in the one picture – $1.00 a cup, and sometimes Meijer has then on sale for 11 for $10.00. Several companies put out treats in a mini size in these cups to buy for kids (or someone wanting a snack) and they are a hit … they also have mini versions of Oreos, Keebler Fudge-Striped cookies, Teddy Grahams, plus Goldfish and cheddar Cheeze-its. The regular-sized Nutter Butters are bigger than an Oreo – they are oblong and shaped like a peanut with markings to look like a peanut. The Pepperidge Farm thin cookies are now available in lots more varieties … the last time I was at the grocery store, they had a display of them … before, that was the only type (the chocolate chip/toffee).
LikeLike
Maybe I need to hire a Metro car and go across the border grocery shopping! You’re making me hungry – looks like no walking today, and rain all week.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Those treats are nice … especially with that Hills Brothers coffee … mmmm. Going to have some after I leave here, then return later. We have the same lousy weather here Joni. Crummy today and the rain or maybe a slushy mix or flakes later and they will linger into tomorrow morning and rain Wednesday and Thursday for sure. I sure hope the weather improves – it is starting to look like a repeat of the Spring of 2018 and it was nothing special.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol… Those Nutter Butters would have been gone before they even made it to the squirrels, had they been traveling in my pocket to get there. Mmm… 😋
LikeLiked by 2 people
Ha ha -a few weeks ago on a Sunday I took one of those cups of Nutter Butters and there were no squirrels … not a single one, so I ate them on the way home!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol! Lucky you!
LikeLike
Cute critters! 🙂
We are supposed to get snow tomorrow and temps in the seventies on Tuesday and Wednesday here. More roller-coaster weather.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you liked these pictures Tom – that Parker is a cutie and I was able to get up close to the poor squirrel with mange. I contacted the DNR to ask if the Polar Vortex and our erratic Winter/Spring weather was causing the incidences of mange, i.e. maybe they were not eating properly as they can’t forage for all the food they hid in the Fall. I’ve never seen mange in the neighorhood or park squirrels and they said “no” but they do transmit it to one another and it eventually clears up. We have an all-day rain, torrential at time, possibly turning to light snow by the evening and also high temps for midweek … no end to this erratic weather. I wanted to register for a couple of charity 5Ks and not sure I should if they might be days like today. I’m going to decide soon though; I’m not liking the weather at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your squirrel photos are wonderful. Even if your little friends aren’t appreciative of what you offer them, they take a fine photo. I especially love the one on Linda and Fred Gruber’s bench. Delightful.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thanks Ally – I am lucky for the poses that these squirrels give me for a few peanuts. They are often content to sit still and munch down. This was the first time I saw a squirrel on this memorial bench. One morning, about five years ago, I was walking and overnight the bench seat had warped … it was not broken as if something heavy was set on the seat. All the walker marveled at the strange occurrence … to this day, it remains warped and not repaired.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lucky squirrels! Peanuts and Cookies…man, you sure spoil them! This is a weird question…have they ever tried to jump on you when you’re sharing treats? If they came running at me, I’d probably run away…!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they are lucky that I spoil them like I do, but they are cute and more like pets since I don’t have any pets right now. That’s not a weird question at all Shelley,. I have had them try and scale my pant leg if I am taking a picture or talking to someone and not paying attention to them, especially if I’ve not tossed out some peanuts yet. In the Winter/Spring/Fall I wear sweatpants until the weather gets warmer. Their nails will cling to the pants … I quickly put out peanuts and they climb back down. They are climbing to get to the package in my pocket and in the Summer I have a mesh bag that hangs on my fanny pack and I put the Ziploc bag in there. I don’t really like that climbing, so I try to watch them carefully and I don’t hand feed them. Last Summer I was wearing shorts and a squirrel was trying to reach the bag, climbed on my bare leg – it freaked me out just a bit and I didn’t like that as they are a wild animal and you have to be wary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yikes! You’re way braver than I would be! You’re smart to toss decoys to keep them off you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d just worry about one of them being rabid, now that scares me. Years ago I took bread for the geese … tossed it out, took some pictures and then other geese saw the bread from the sky and flew down, no more left and they were ticked off (putting it mildly) and started chasing me. I dashed into a group of walkers to avoid them … they ran after me, wings flapping, hissing and honking … last time to take bread for the geese! The squirrels are very persistent and know who to “hit on” and they are like little kids … if you don’t pay attention to them if they come up to you, they get demanding. Once you feed them, as you see them on the first time around on the path, they are fine the rest of the time there, though they’ll run up to you to see if you’ll give them more peanuts, but won’t be as insistent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Like I said, you’re brave!! Geese can be really nasty! Yikes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The women walkers that I “merged” with weren’t too amused as they were sure they’d come after all of us, but once I got into their group, the geese gave up hunting me down. Yup, a gaggle of hungry geese is nothing to giggle about!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Parker sitting on the bench is quite adorable! I enjoyed hearing about your adventures.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Rebecca … I thought that was one of his cutest poses and his fur matched the bench. I’ve never seen him sitting there before – that bench is at the other side of the Park and he followed me over there. He is really a companionable little pal sometimes. Glad you are enjoying my adventures … today was an ugly rainy day with zero adventures.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s pretty messy here too. Better days are coming!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so – it was definitely a stay-at-home day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How about that? Squirrels are smarter than we are when it comes to diet! They choose actual peanuts over processed cookies. I have to admit, I might have nibbled at creamed spinach and pushed it around my plate enough to satisfy my mom, but there is no way I ever would have eaten livers of any kind, chicken included! 🙂
I love the photos of the black squirrels you have started including. They are quite rare in these parts and very handsome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, they are pretty smart cookies if you’ll pardon the pun. Isn’t that something – they know what is best, and more nourishing and not just empty calories? I really couldn’t interest Parker in the peanut M&Ms a few years ago – they had to mingled in with regular peanuts in the shell to grab his attention. We had liver at least once a week, either chicken livers or regular liver (with bacon … at least that was something to be excited about). I was told it was good for you and will make you grow up big and strong. My mother would say “pretend your dinner plate is a clock and eat around the clock” … it still didn’t make liver any more appealing, creamed spinach either. I agree – those black squirrels are handsome Laurie, very shiny fur, jet black eyes and they are quite skittish so I was lucky to capture them here … we only had the occasional one in the Park, but they have become more plentiful lately. I’m glad you liked them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the black squirrels, Linda! You’re lucky to have them so close. And the squirrels of course are lucky to have you! Delightful walk in the park! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sabine – they really are cute and I’ve noticed more of them than ever before. There was only one black squirrel for the longest time and I think he lived in the neighborhood and came over to the Park when his human family was on vacation. I featured that warped bench I mentioned to you before … first time getting a photo of Parker on that bench as he doesn’t usually stray to that side of the Park. I was walking and saw his shadow and turned around and there he was at my heels. (Like a faithful dog.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
The warped bench has a certain charm! Add a squirrel and you have a fun adventure in the park! I’m glad the squirrels in my garden keep a respectful distance from me. I’d sure love to see a black one though!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it does … the squirrels don’t go there too often because there are not many trees on that side of the Park. Parker had followed me on the walking path and I gave him more peanuts, so he climbed up there. He is like that – he often just parks himself wherever he is and eats the peanuts so that is why I am able to get so many up-close pictures of him. That is part of the reason I named him Parker because he parks himself nearby. Several years ago, I had driven to the Park, fed him when I got there as he often comes running across the parking lot or hangs out there waiting for me to arrive, and I walked several miles, came back to the car and he was sitting there, his body parked next to the car. Luckily I had peanuts left but I was afraid he’d go under the wheels when I backed up, so I had to lure him across the parking lot to the pavilion area to eat them and leave in a hurry. The neighborhood squirrels, even the Fox squirrels, are timid and skittish. Yesterday I went outside and one of the black squirrels had climbed onto the porch to get peanuts and saw me and took off and never came back while I was outside. They don’t have enough human interaction so they are scared of me, even after feeding them all these months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I try to keep them at a healthy distance! When we first moved here I put out a squirrel feeder with peanuts. They’d empty the entire thing and I would have peanut plants sprouting all over the yard. Then I started to ration the nuts because it got rather expensive. They destroyed the feeder, and chewed a big hole in the deck. After that, I kept them at a healthier distance. Now I get a few, but they have to work for the seeds (no more peanuts) because I make it harder for them to get up to the food source. They still succeed, but at least it’s earned! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I may enjoy the squirrels in the Park and on my porch, but they are little devils and I know that from feeding them for years. They often ate the birdseed or treats (I used to get those Birdola bars until the cost just got so prohibitive and the squirrels would destroy them while the birds watched) and when the squirrels were done raiding all the feeders, they would eat their own food (peanuts). I didn’t realize peanuts would sprout. I have not cut off the pals on the porch as it continues to be cold and damp and drizzly. I can’t do that to them, but I still need to find a better solution but it can wait until the weather is nicer. I need to contact Wild Birds Unlimited. Now, I have a new problem which I wrote about today. This happened for many years in the past. The robins are building a nest in my coach light over the front door. I may love birds but you can’t open the front door as the light overhead. They build a huge nest in the elbow of the coach light. The mud splats (including grass and twigs which fall from the nest while they are building it) fall down onto the mailbox lid … it is a colossal mess. I don’t care if they build it in the backyard or in the bushes or trees, just not in that light. They didn’t do it last year; the sparrows showed up and built their nests in the blinds instead.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I put out raw peanuts that I got at the bird store. I’m not sure they’re supposed to eat roasted ones. There must be others in the neighborhood that put out peanuts, because I still dig them up from my flower beds!
We had a robin’s nest right outside our bedroom window in a cherry tree once. Right at eye level which gave me a chance to watch the process from nest building all the way through leaving the nest! It was fun, but didn’t cause a mess like you have on your porch!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed watching the three robin families on a daily basis last year Sabine. They hatched at different times so there was always a robin family to watch and take photos of. The robin in the Park was not at eye level, just above my head but I had a good view of them. The whole process is interesting and you were lucky to view it up close. I could not believe how quickly they progressed from scrawny hatchlings to fledglings. I have birds around the house – cardinals for many years in the barberries, a robin nesting in my lilac tree, and nearby my neighbor’s magnolia bush – all wonderful to watch. I wish they would not build a nest there in the light. A heavy nest and birds will break the light and I have to walk underneath – robins are very messy. In the Park, I helped that robin mom a few times when the red-winged blackbird tried to steal eggs, then the hatchlings – I chased the blackbird away and stood by the nest so it would not come back. The robin and the blackbird fought and she scared him away. It happened twice while I was there.
LikeLike
Lucky you to have had so many chances to watch baby birds grow up. I know how messy those robins can be. It’s easy for me to say let them be when I’m not the one having to clean up after them! I’m sure they’ll find another nesting place.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did enjoy this miracle of life Sabine and hope to witness it again this year in my daily treks. I just can’t have it in this location – other locations like a tree in the backyard are fine . I know birds are intelligent – I hoped they finally understood and that’s why they didn’t build a nest there last year after I tried so hard to deter them. Perhaps they see the other birds and squirrels nearby and think it is okay. I don’t know. I am not that wedded to the idea of having a perfect house with a perfect yard anymore … those days are gone. After the back-to-back Polar Vortexes destroyed most of my backyard plants and bushes … and in essence, destroyed my butterfly garden, and the neighbor’s rat issue destroyed my ability to feed and water the birds (something I enjoyed doing for decades) because I had to employ a pest control service who told me I had to discontinue feeding and providing water for the birds, and my neighbors did not control their weeds or even rake leaves so derpite my best efforts to keep the house looking nice, I just gave up and do the minimal amount of work now. I feel like a heel about it though nonetheless. I will be weaning the peanut-eating critters away from the porch as well as soon as I can find a good option for them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Messy neighbors are difficult to deal with. I had a friend with a similar problem a few years back. She got up one morning and spotted a rat sitting on the living room couch! Her place was always immaculate and she completely freaked out. I think someone called the health department as there were all kinds of other things in the neighboring yard as well. Animals know how to make it work. As to my friend, they cleared out everything and became ultra vigilant after that one encounter!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh that would be horrible Sabine! I have read that mice are able to collapse their bodies to squeeze into an opening 1/4 of an inch big. I know that rats have the same bone structure, but don’t know the size of accessibility. Your poor friend – she is lucky she did not faint away or worse. The first time I saw them in the yard I had put out some cherries that had some worm holes in them. I usually went through the cherries in the store, but my mom was waiting in the car, and it was warm, so just gathered up cherries and bagged them. My mom went through them and gave me a baggie full to take outside for the birds. I went to the back window to see if the birds were eating what I put out in front of the shed and saw a rat walk over to sniff at it and ate it. I can’t tell you how upset I was – to see one in the house would have put me over the edge.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was in California. Her place was immaculate and took her by surprise. Her neighbors were quite messy in their yard, and no one could really do anything about it. It didn’t help that there was also a small pig farm nearby. I know I would have lost it! 😬
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would have lost it too Sabine. See, we never had issues with rats before the neighbor moved in and left the dog out 24/7/365 and fed it table scraps. Within a few months, we had rats. I went outside to find a sick one in the yard one time and had to call animal control. I had to remove the birdbaths as we got the pest control service to put bait boxes out and the rats seek a water source as the bait dries their internal organs. He advised that no vessels of water be left around (I didn’t have that anyway for purposes of thwarting mosquitoes breeding there) and also to ensure the hose did not drip. When I finished with the hose, I was to make sure the end was up in the air, as a rat could go to that water source, and the poison would not work as well. I was worried the birds would try to get the bait though it was inside bait boxes and the pest service handled it with very heavy gloves – I never touched it. Behind us, there were renters after the homeowner died and the house went to the bank and the people had two dogs left outside in dog runs. It was a nightmare – I still don’t like going in the backyard. I have not even checked on my roses, though nothing is green yet but the lawn is getting there from the rain.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That must have been quite the ordeal! 😬
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my gosh those nutter butters are making me hungry haha. Maybe they weren’t as excited about them because they wanted to make sure you enjoyed some yourself, Linda!
Aww I Mangy looking fellow already has a soft spot for me! Are you gonna name him? Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You know I should name him – he had my heart too Mackenzie while I watched him fidgeting and trying to scratch his irritated skin. Poor little thing. A fellow blogger said the squirrels know better than we do about eating sensibly. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww so true!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a fun way to spend an afternoon. I really like the dark brown fellow. I’m not sure I’ve seen a squirrel of that color before. 🐿
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, those squirrels have a lot of personality, especially Parker who is sitting on the Park bench. We just recently started getting the dark-colored squirrels. They are solid black except for their tails which have some red and brown streaks throughout. They are more timid and skittish than the bolder and braver Fox squirrels. I’m trying to get them to be less timid by wooing them with peanuts and sweet talk. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You do seem to have a gift with them! I bet you’ll have them “eating out of your hand” in no time. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
And soon they will be following me home. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
the photos are so clear – and the squirrels have some personality
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Priior – those squirrels are so sweet, especially Parker up top … he is my favorite.
They all have some personality going for them, but Parker is bold and brazen and is like a kid in some respects. He knows he can get away with some mischief as I cater to him more. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person