Today’s post was originally intended to be a Wordless Wednesday giggle about sharing the love with my furry and feathered friends. But instead, it morphed into a regular post, thanks to two enterprising Eastern Gray Squirrels, who made it their business to eat or hide a baker’s dozen of whole walnuts all on their very own.
So that feat begs the question: “where were all the other walnut eaters?” Walnuts are always a big draw for the squirrels and, admittedly, it was not the prettiest of mornings, cold and gray – so perhaps the others remained tucked in their respective nests? The photos below may look like it’s just one squirrel, but I assure you it was a piggy PAIR of furry friends that showed up, took inventory of the goodies, then swiveled their heads around searching for other treat eaters and discovered nary a one. So, as I stood there, camera in hand, taking in the scene, I imagined the gears clicking in their respective tiny heads … “woo hoo, no one’s here, just us … so let’s go for it!”
And so they did. The pair scurried back and forth, alternately noshing, burying or otherwise hauling their prized walnuts away, perhaps for the family, or maybe a snack later.
You all know humans who hog the goodies, whether it’s a tray of cookies, or chips and dip, skillfully positioning themself in a corner where they may feast gorge to their heart’s desire. We had someone at the law firm years ago who fit that very description. “E” was always the first on the scene to stake a claim (many claims) on whatever eats, treats or sweets were laid out on the kitchen table, especially around the holidays, when employees baked and brought in treats galore to share with coworkers. Yep, “E” had the audacity to feast, plus grab a napkin and stuff his pockets for later. He’d stake out my office and when I left it, he ran over to the candy dishes of chocolates I always put out at any of the holidays throughout the year. I’d hear about it from others and besides, there were telltale signs like empty wrappers on the floor, or on my desk … even thrown into the candy dish! Bad etiquette there for sure! Sometimes “E” would be in such a hurry, he dropped foil-wrapped chocolates on the carpet … nice, real nice. So this duo kinda reminded me of “E” and his antics.
Of course during this great walnut heist, there was the occasional appreciative sniff of a cranberry, or a pecan or almond, but those were second-string treats to be enjoyed later, kind of like dessert.
As mentioned, the walnuts were the primo prize. These are a few of my favorite shots.
Next was the smorgasbord of nuts to nosh on. There was a pause to glance at the array of goodies, including the birdseed bells and suet; those treats were for the Jays, Cardinals and if Rex, the Red-Bellied Woodpecker happened by.
Peanuts were a safe bet and could be taken “to go” so they became #2 in this feeding frenzy.
All this munchkin mischief took place at the Safe Haven Tree, so named for the weeping branches tickling the ground that surround the trunk like a natural fortress. Those rigid tree branches help keep predators like swooping hawks at bay. But, I also put treats under the pavilion area on a picnic table, and, by the time I left on this particular day as snowflakes began a’flyin’, the goodies remained untouched. I’m pretty sure these gray squirrels checked this location out too.
I intended to return the following day (Sunday) and inspect and photograph what remained of the goodies, but Mother Nature interceded with freezing rain, so I passed on that excursion. By the time I returned to Council Point Park on Monday morning, the squirrels had decimated the set-up and very little remained of these holiday treats, just a few inverted suet dishes which I assume were not up to snuff with the squirrels’ palate. The birds would not be strong enough to flip the suet dishes, so I had to do so.
I hope you are similarly feasting on holiday treats, maybe more calorie laden than these.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
It is like a thanksgiving meal for them. A wonderful treat for the colder days. I love how they don’t just eat everything and bury some of it for later. I don’t know how they find them again but it must work for them 🙂
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Yes, and it is not like they get sick from eating the dirt that collects on those peanuts. 🙂
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I loved your title and the story that followed. The squirrels are so cute. I saw an unusually large squirrel running down the fence highway yesterday with an acorn in his mouth. Thought of you and how you would have named him and written stories about him.
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Thank you Anne – glad you liked the title. These gray squirrels are so cute – they are timid like the black squirrels, occasionally being bold by stationing themselves along the path, then you approach them and they scurry up a tree and peek around to see when you’re gone. I can’t get them to take peanuts from my fingers like the Fox squirrels – they are not quite ready for that. I had a gray squirrel at the Park I called “Fluff” and thought it was him, but when the two showed up, that tripped me up then!
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I wish I could tell squirrels apart like you do.
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Well … a few have identifying characteristics which help, (like Stubby with the half tail), but the Fox squirrels are getting smart and they see one Fox squirrel take a peanut from my fingers or nuzzle my shoe and they realize I don’t bite, then they try it too. Anything for extra peanuts but it may trip me up too. 🙂
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Don’t get tripped up!
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What a delightful post!
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Glad you liked it Anne – next Monday I’m going to have a post about one of my favorite Park squirrels – he has been around for a while and he is very chubby now. I was hoping to get a few shots to show how the squirrels gain weight from their extra fat layer and heavier fur for Winter and was lucky to get some photos of him.
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Lucky critters!!
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I do like to spoil them Eilene, but I treat them like pets since I don’t have any pets of my own. I’ll have another squirrel post next Monday of my favorite squirrel who has quite the personality.
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they are going to be so BIG that they won’t fit back into their nests! A fat squirrel is a happy squirrel!
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I know – they need Baggies to take back to their nests when I don’t make it down there. Wayne – wait til you see my squirrel post next Monday – some amazing “fat squirrel” photos.
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I’m looking forward to you showcasing furry fatties!
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I like that description Wayne – the look like they’ve been in the egg nog and cookies!
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they need all that fat so they can last the winter! Like filling up the gas tank for a long drive!
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Yes, plus Mother Nature gives them an extra fat layer and thicker fur. Ive got some shots for next Monday, that Parker looks like Buddha – that fat!
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Very cute and well fed squirrels. Our fox squirrels love nuts, apples and strawberries. A very nice post Linda. I had a brother who was a pig just like E. He was always eating from the desert area.
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Glad you liked it Peggy. I never tried strawberries with the squirrels at the Park, so will have to do that next year when they are in season for a special treat. I usually give them apples in the Fall, when the stores have deals on them, but the last two years I hesitated doing it due to the hawks as they stay in one place too long and become a target for the hawk. I have some posts showing the squirrels taking their “apple” to go and having a difficult time doing so as they try to roll it or grab it with their teeth. Yes, I have known people like that in my lifetime too – why?
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The reason I know squirrels like strawberries is because they raid my strawberry row in the garden every year. You can cut the aplles into pieaces, which allows the squirrels to grab them in their mouths and run with them.
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Aah – I see now Peggy. I was thinking you were buying them for them. I used to give them mini pumpkins around Halloween and take photos. They would drag them off the path and chomp on them. In those days there were no hawks circling overhead like now. I guess I should cut some apples for them next year and maybe dip the ends in peanut butter to treat them. A high school buddy lives in North Carolina and liked cherry tomatoes and grew them in containers in her yard … the squirrels would pull them off the vine and eat them. So she painted Tabasco sauce on each cherry tomato before it ripened to deter them – they ate them anyway. She moved them up to her back deck – they still ate them, so she just gave up altogether.
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Yes, we lost cherry tomatoes to squirrels too. It is surprising what some of the wild critters will eat.
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The first year we lived here my father planted regular tomato plants as one side of the house was very sunny. My mom loved tomatoes and had high expectations. The birds would peck at them and the squirrels took a few bites, then tossed them away. We went for a ride in the country to visit the farm stands instead.
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I don’t get as many squirrels at my new house as I did at my old one. Maybe the word hasn’t gotten out yet or there is so much natural food available they don’t need my offerings.
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The squirrels are lucky there is that much natural grub out there in your neighborhood Kate. I see them foraging in ours, but find nothing (except telephone wires sometimes). We have lots of pine trees at the Park, so they gnaw on pine nuts and drop the cones all over.
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Squirrels are cute and you are a good soul for feeding them. While they may prefer peanuts, the seed bell makes for a better photo. Adds a touch of whimsy
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Yes, they are cute Ally, especially the gray ones, though they’re a bit timid. I thought they’d go for the seed bell while I was there – after everything disappeared first I guess. I pass a house on my walk and they put out a large bird feeder filled with regular birdseed and a squirrel is maneuvering around and hanging upside down to get at the seed every day. It looks funny and I should take a photo.
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Squirrels never lived in our woods until a few years ago. I eye them cautiously because I know the damage they can cause. A few days ago I saw that potential as one squirrel skittered through my living room. I managed to get it outside again. A few days later another one, or maybe the same one, was back in the house again. This time it knocked china figures off a shelf, breaking them beyond repair.
Hubby has spent the better part of the last few days trying to find out how they are getting in. (We have a 40 year old house that wasn’t designed with squirrels in mind, I guess.) I’m vacuuming up a storm, hoping to limit the possibility of the fleas or mites the squirrels may have brought in…
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That’s terrible Margy. My grandmother had squirrels in her attic years ago and had to get an exterminator in. They were running back and forth and she lived on a street where the houses were attached. Neighbor worried about bugs – if one house got them, they all did. I have issues with the squirrels gnawing on the telephone wires and moisture gets in and I lose phone service … I have had AT&T out to my house four times already for this!
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Boy they sure do love you, Linda!
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I do spoil them silly Pam, especially in Fall and Winter as I know I may not make it down there as much in the Winter months. These two lucked out on this day!
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👏👏👏
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You are so good to your furry and feathered friends, Linda. At least they posed for some great shots as a thank you for the treats. At first, I thought the suet dishes were full of popcorn, but I guess that would be a no-no for the birds and squirrels.
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I do spoil them silly Laurie, especially this time of year and for holidays. My favorite photos have been with the Christmas tree and heart-shaped sugar cookies, but I know they aren’t nourishing, just good for an occasional treat. The birds will eat the suet, (the squirrels too), if I chop it up, which I did at the house before I carried it down to the Park. Then they nibble at it. I got some of the same treats for a Valentine’s Day shoot. It might be snowy by then and look wintry – hard to tell with our wacky weather.
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Maybe you will get some more woodpeckers at the suet. Woodpeckers are in the majority when I put suet out – mostly red bellies, hairies, downies, and flickers. Occasionally a yellow-bellied sapsucker shows up.
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I was hoping that would happen Laurie. I saw a Red-Bellied last week … I put peanuts and sunflower seeds in three places in the Park, so the critters know where to look. Last week a woodpecker flew down to get a peanut. I’ve got some more suet for Winter to put out there. I chopped it up for them before I put it out as I’ve noticed in the past, they won’t make the effort otherwise. (Either lazy or spoiled.) We have a Flicker at the Park – I hear it, but never see it – hopefully will one day.
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Imagining a Christmas Day walnut was fun’
Also – the do have great teeth for nuts so no cracker needed.
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And your former colleague “E” sounds like he loved sweets – wow!
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Yes, they love walnuts – I got some more for in the Winter, for a Valentine’s Day shoot. Squirrel’s teeth grow 6 inches a year, so they constantly have to gnaw on things to wear them down. “E” was always like that – the more food and treats around, the more for him. We had a company move in the building that did copying and binding and so we used their services a lot. So we each got glass candy jars with the company name on it – this was staff, paralegals and attorneys – anyone who used their services. So our “rep” would come in once a week with a box with M&Ms, Skittles and jelly beans and fill our dishes with our choice. It was so bad that people would keep their candy in their desk drawers and lock it up at night as he thought nothing of going through desk drawers. Not nice at all.
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🙂
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Yikes! You sure are giving them enough!!!
Hoping you have a great Christmas and a healthy New Year, Linda! 🎅🤶
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Well it was SUPPOSED to be for the birds (Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees and Red-Bellied Woodpecker) too, but I think it was misappropriated by these two. They were savvy as it was cold and gray and no other critters were out – they were not slackers, that’s for sure! I have another bounty to give them mid-Winter. Same to you Tom – stay healthy and safe as this newest variant soars.
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What an enjoyable feast! ☺
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Clare – since I don’t have a Tim or Tom or chickens, these are my pets … I kind of spoil them. 🙂
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The squirrels remind me of Tom and Tim, cute and cheeky!
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You’re right Clare – they are cheeky and know they are cute and that I will fall prey to their begging ways. Wait until you see Monday’s post with Parker, the Fox squirrel at the Park. I had run out of peanuts and he would not let it go, tugging on my pants with his paw!
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What a lucky day those squirrels had! 🎄 You’re very generous to share so many treats, Linda, and I suspect your squirrel and bird friends are far more appreciative than the rude coworker you had to put up with years ago. These little guys are so adorable that it would be fun to cuddle them, although I suspect those nut-cracking teeth wouldn’t feel good if they were inclined to take a bite out of one’s fingers. 😉
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Yes Barbara – they really like their Christmas treats. Too bad they didn’t share them with all the others (of which there are a lot) and wouldn’t you know it started to flurry hard that day so I didn’t stay as I was hoping for some bird pictures! I got a Junco and a Cardinal but not close up. Yes, they are appreciative (more so than the coworker). Those gray squirrels are so fluffy looking that you want to cuddle them. I am able to feed the Fox squirrels by holding a peanut between my fingers, but not the smaller squirrels who are very skittish and give me wide berth when I put some peanuts down. 🙂
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You are really spoiling those squirrels Linda – what a Christmas spread!
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Yes, I did spoil them a little Joni. 🙂 I will give them similar treats which I have set aside for Valentine’s Day. The suet especially will be appreciated during the heart of Winter.
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