The New York Squirrel

Squirrel Mahem -- Murder or Mating?

2012-01-15T12:43:00.051-05:00

I noticed a different mood among the squirrels today and put it down to the cold weather. They seemed desperate for peanuts and were jumping all over themselves (and me) to get them.

All of a sudden there arose such a clatter that I ran to the bushes to see what was the matter! There must have been at least 4 or 5 squirrels tangling in the bushes and it sounded like a murder was in progress. I could literally hear the pouncing, squeaking, snarling and clicking, but couldn't see what was going on. Every now and then I caught a glimpse of a squirrel running at top speed as they appeared and then disappeared back into the bushes.

I waded in as far as I could, pleading with them to stop, but to no avail. They were not paying any attention to me. The old ploy of tossing peanuts wasn't working.

Then a black squirrel escaped from the bushes and ran up a tree with several others in hot pursuit, and then back down and into the bushes again. This went on for a while. I thought about all the wounds I've seen on squirrels during the winter months. These wounds are often slow to heal and are especially nasty because of the cold. Yet that's when they appear. I wondered if I was seeing the source of them now, if they fight among themselves because they get so cold and desperate. Were they exhibiting existential angst?

Things finally calmed down and I went back to feeding the other squirrels.

Don't look at me... I had nothin' to do with it.

Soon I noticed that one of the black squirrels was being chased up a tree by a gray squirrel that was flicking its tail and making clicking sounds. Thinking that this could be a resumption of the previous attack, I threw them some peanuts in an attempt to distract them. The black squirrel took one and began eating.

The gray squirrel however, was too intent on harassment, and ignored the offer:

Although he did take time out to gnaw on a branch with buds on it:

Duh, mating season!

Sympathy for the Devil

2012-01-12T20:26:00.022-05:00

I've already expressed my feelings about breeding hawks in New York City in my blog on Violet: http://thenewyorksquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/01/violet-red-tailed-hawk-whose-intimate.html

Having said that, I must admit that in the past 24 hours I've fallen totally in love with the hawks of Washington Square Park - - thanks to the amazing series of pictures on the Urban Hawks and Roger Paw blogs.

I became absorbed in the story of Violet and Bobby and their baby Pip and the wonderful newcomer, Rosie. And I fell in love with the medieval aspect of hawks being posed against dramatic cityscapes. These pictures are works of art in my estimation, in the way they juxtapose the beauty of nature with the architecture of man. Absolutely stunning!

Photo: D. Bruce Yolton

I urge everybody to have a look for themselves:
http://urbanhawks.blogs.com/urban_hawks/
http://rogerpaw.blogspot.com/

I still believe that these birds exist in New York City as a product of our own conceit. But one could also say that about squirrels, I guess. The only true natives here are the rats. Speaking of which, it seems that the hawks are performing the needed function of keeping the rat population down in the park. There seems to be some concern about the use of poison harming the hawks, as well as other birds and the squirrels. I say, why not use nature's perfect contraception -- the hawk? Why use poison at all? I'm talking about keeping the rat population down of course, not the squirrels. We all love the squirrels and appreciate them as a New York City treasure. Interestingly enough, I noticed that the hawks seem to be hunting rats rather than squirrels. I know they also hunt pigeons. But rats and mice seem to be their preys of choice.

Squirrel Houses at Washington Square Park

2012-01-10T17:33:00.259-05:00

Mission: Search and Replace

Washington Square Park East Entrance

We arrive at Washington Square Park on a fairly warm afternoon for January. On the scene are squirrel rescuer Bernie Goetz and tree climber Sorge, with a pile of squirrel houses.

Inspection

Their goal is to take down some old squirrel houses that are falling apart and replace them with new ones. Some of the old ones are in pretty bad shape:

The Squirrel Whisperer
Who should stop by but the legendary Squirrel Whisperer of WSP! We watch as Susan Goren whispers to one of her "pets".

Speaking of which, a female squirrel allows Susan pet her. Alas, the camera shutter was not fast enough to capture that ephemeral moment.

I'm reminded of my own Alphie, who once let me pat him on the head without jumping two feet in the air. He likes to come up real close and nuzzle my shoes, but we're not to the petting stage yet.

Squirrel Tag
We watch some squirrels play "tag you're it" in this wonderful tree trunk that remains as a testament to the giant tree that once stood here.

Operation Preparation
Bernie and Joe discuss logistics:

Joe cuts some peeky holes in the houses:

Squirrels need to feel secure in their nest boxes, and part of that is being able to look out and see what's going on around them. Another consideration would be to provide an exit in addition to the entrance, although this would mean that wind and rain and snow could easily blow right through, so it was decided to have just an entrance and no exit. How many squirrels can fit into one house? Packed in tight, as they tend to do in cold weather, maybe 10 squirrels per house. With enough houses, hopefully every squirrel in the park could find shelter on the worst days.

Operation Restoration
East Side

Gearing up

Several park visitors have been around taking pictures of squirrels earlier, and at least one squirrel came over to inspect the new houses, but as we commence the operation, there's hardly a squirrel in sight. Knowing their curiosity, I'm sure they're observing every move from afar.

Joe throws the rope up into the tree

then tightens it securely

With his harness secured, Joe climbs high into the tree.

Sorry Charlie, but this house has to go!

uh oh.

Out with the old and in with the new

The new houses are filled with nests of soft rags -- an improvement over the piles of damp leaves, dirt and plastic wrap that we find inside the old houses. Dirt? Yes, the squirrels actually use dirt to keep themselves warm!

House of leaves

This Old House
This one is ready for the dump. The floor was falling apart and squirrels had actually eaten through the roof!

We found missing roofs on several houses. I was bemused by the idea that squirrels would actually eat the roof over their heads. Seems to be rather self-defeating, doesn't it? Hopefully these new plastic houses will be sturdy enough to doscourage such attempts. They will also be warmer, more weather-proof and more protective than the wooden ones.

Plastic Bedding
This nest that was found inside one of the houses is composed of shredded plastic bags.

yech!

The squirrels could also use some protection from the hawks that currently reside in Washington Square Park: Bobby the red-tailed hawk and his new friend Rosie, who arrived around the time that Violet died.
http://thenewyorksquirrel.blogspot.com/2012/01/violet-red-tailed-hawk-dies.html

Bystanders
Interested passers-by stop to inquire about what's going on.

This man turns out to be an old friend of Joe's.

Hey buddy, fancy meeting you here! How's the weather up there?

West Side
With one house left to go, we move to the west side of the park.

Rosie the Hawk
A park visitor points out a hawk sitting in one of the trees observing us.

The hawk just sits there motionless on a branch We think it is Rosie, the red-tailed hawk.

On a branch below, some squirrels are making a great deal of noise -- what I call "hawk chatter". But they make no attempt to run away, nor does the hawk attempt to go after them. They all just sit there in a winter tableau.

squirrels on branch (click to enlarge)

Our park friend tells us that the squirrels are safe if they stay where they are in the branches, but if they tried to run across the ground the hawk could swoop down and grab them.

Bobby
We spy a second hawk in another tree a short distance away. This one is probably Bobby.

Bobby (click to enlarge)

I make my way over to get a closer shot, and just as I shoot, the big bird takes off!

To make up for the loss, here is a wonderful picture of Bobby that appears in today's NY Post:

A Fait Accomplis
It was a very productive day. Gone are six old houses that were falling apart and in their stead are four new houses. Hats off to the New York City Parks Dept. for providing the squirrels with houses that give them the shelter and protection they need in cold weather and storms. The Park people obviously value the squirrels as park assets, as indeed they are, providing local color and amusement to many park visitors.

A few days later, Rosie the hawk (below third window from left on second floor of white building) is seen swooping by the new house (above second window from left on second floor). Checking it out perhaps? Hopefully the squirrels stay safe and snug inside.

Drought Threatens Endangered Whooping Crane

2012-01-10T00:20:00.002-05:00

by Associated Press , on Jan 9, 2012 7:27 am ET

FULTON, Texas (AP) -- Raising its slim, white neck out of the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, one of the world's last surviving whooping cranes hungrily searches a Texas marsh for the blue crabs and berries it devours during its annual migration to the Gulf Coast.

The high-protein diet is supposed to sustain North America's tallest bird through the winter and prepare it for the nesting season in Canada. But this year, the state's devastating drought has made food and water scarce, raising worries among scientists that the parched conditions could threaten the only remaining flock of cranes.

The lack of rain has made estuaries and marshlands too salty for blue crabs to thrive and destroyed a usually plentiful supply of wolf berries. In addition, a long-lasting "red tide" - a toxic algae that blooms in salty water - has made it dangerous for the birds to eat clams, which retain the algae's toxin and can pass it along the food chain.
More...

Violet, the red-tailed hawk dies

2012-01-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

Emily S. Rueb/The New York Times

Violet and her eggs in her nest high above Washington Square Park in April

Pip is born

You can see the huge size of Violet's leg here

Violet and Pip

Photos: D. Bruce Yolton

December 29 2011
Violet, the red-tailed hawk whose intimate family life in a nest overlooking Washington Square Park was was chronicled on a live-streaming webcam, delighting more than a million viewers with the sacred spectacle of nature, died on Thursday. She was believed to be about 5 years old.

Violet had “heart-related complications” following surgery to amputate her necrotic foot, said Robert Horvath, a raptor rehabilitator based on Long Island. He said he was awaiting necropsy results.

The hawk had been suffering from chronic leg injuries for several weeks and was taken to North Massapequa, N.Y., for treatment on Saturday.

Last winter, Violet and her mate, Bobby, caught the attention of faculty and staff members at New York University, where the couple had created a nest on the 12th floor of Bobst Library, outside of the university’s president’s office. Read More...
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/29/violet-the-red-tailed-hawk-is-dead/#more-385749

Violet the Hawk's Fans Flock Online to Mourn Her Loss
MANHATTAN — After news broke Thursday that Violet, the beloved red-tailed hawk of NYU and Washington Square Park, died following surgery, bird lovers took to Twitter and Facebook to express their condolences.
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20111230/greenwich-village-soho/violet-hawks-fans-flock-online-mourn-her-loss#ixzz1ibhhzLAg

Violet the Hawk's Mourners Plan Washington Square Park Memorial
MANHATTAN — A pair of wildlife rehabilitators who were the last to treat Violet the Hawk, the sick raptor who once called Washington Square Park home, say they are planning to build a memorial in the park that will "capture her spirit."
Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20120105/greenwich-village-soho/violet-hawks-mourners-plan-washington-square-park-memorial#ixzz1ibZsV35X

My thoughts about hawks
Judging from the outpouring, we can see that many New Yorkers are interested in the fate of Violet the hawk. While it is sad to see a creature like this die, we believe that the idea of introducing hawks into the New York City area is a wrong-headed one. As much fun as they are to watch, hawks belong in forests, not in small city parks. We recently learned that there is one living at Playground 5 in Stuyvesant Town for example. This hawk flies over to Peter Cooper Village and sits by the orange tree where some of our baby squirrels are living. It justs sits there, waiting to pick one for lunch.

BTW, I think I've finally solved the mystery of Patches, who lived a short distance away from the orange tree, and disappeared one day last summer. Not only that, but his entire nest disappeared. The piles of leaves on the ground that were from his nest indicated that there had been a tussel. Patches had a disability: he had a patch on his back that kept healing and then opening up again. When it was open it was bloody and would easily attract a hawk. I didn't know about the hawk from Playground 5, which no doubt was making visits to PCV last summer.

The presence of hawks is devastating to one of our most precious wildlife assets: the New York City squirrel. Ah, there there are no other squirrels like these anywhere, and they should be protected!

From the squirrel's point of view
Squirrels are also restricted to small park areas, and thus do not have the resources of a forest available to them. Squirrels are vulnerable, and therefore they have to be assisted and protected. And in turn they provide city people with a remarkable experience and needed connection with nature.

From a squirrel feeder's point of view
To squirrel feeders they often become like pets. We get to know their individual personalities and idiosyncraciesl We even give some of them names. Can you imagine how terrible it would be to go into your back yard and find your precious Fido eviscerated by a hawk?

Stuyvesant Cove Park

2012-01-04T16:30:00.002-05:00

I spend so much time with the squirrels at Peter Cooper Village that I rarely take time to visit the beautiful Stuyvesant Cove Park which is right next door. It was created in 2002, after a proposal to build a mixed use facility on the waterfront failed. We got our park instead! The Park runs from 18th Street to 23rd Street between the FDR Drive and the East River. It is located to the south of Waterside Plaza and east of Stuyvesant Town - Peter Cooper Village. It has great views of the river, a jogging path, gardens and a small beach. It's a good place for bird watching and some people even fish there. I took some walks over there on a couple of sunny winter days, and shot these pix:

Encounters with Seagulls
The gulls were friendly

Click on an image to enlarge it

This little fellow was friendly and quite fearless

The Welcoming Committee

The Beach

At Low Tide

Stuvesant Cove has this little beach which is fun. It's crowded with sunbathers in summer (no swimming though). It was actually quite controversial when the park was first built. It was not a natural beach, having been built on cement pilings that were dumped in the East River, and some people wanted it removed, as they felt it was a potential liability for the City. Luckily, saner voices prevailed.

OK, it ain't the Jersey Shore...

View of Waterside Plaza from the beach

The Beach

At High Tide

A Cormorant

Waterside Plaza
The beach is mostly submerged at high tide

Global Warming at Peter Cooper Village

2012-01-01T12:08:00.005-05:00

Strange goings on in the middle of winter. Is this evidence of global warming?

Trees blooming in December.

Buds on the cherry tree. Frozen food for squirrels?

Shell Shocked Squirrels

2011-12-28T00:38:00.011-05:00

It was cold out there today - brrrrrrr! - even though the sun was shining. And it had been a stormy, rainy night, so I had to go out to check on my fuzzballs. The squirrels were all sitting like statues at the bases of trees, just staring at me, shell shocked. As if I was somehow to blame for this sad state of affairs. I cried out to them, "Hey, don't blame me! I'm not Old Man Winter! Just because I bring the food doesn't mean I bring the foul weather!"

But they were just not running up to me as usual. Except for Alphie, who came bounding over in his typical exhuberant way. A little cold weather didn't phase an alpha squirrel. Such a darling! Eventually the two black babies came down from the tree. I'd been worrying about them, not having seen either of them for a few days. One has grown a thick fur coat and looks to be twice the size of the other one. I worry about the little one. I fed him well. The red baby, the one I call Red, has grown a luxuriant auburn coat and looks quite large now. Of course I know there's just a little guy hiding beneath that crowning glory. Speaking of which, Pinky is the King! His big fur coat amazed me as it glistened in the sun. Spunky has also a grown a nice thick coat finally, and actually looks very beautiful, as opposed to her usual scrawny self. I know I'm partial to blacks, browns and reds. But my special pet of course was a gray squirrel named Patches. Patches is not around to see the winter.

Check out the Fur Gallery:

twas a cold winter's day just after Christmas

the days are short and it gets dark early

The smart squirrels are all sporting their new fur coats now, and looking smart and stylish for winter.

Alphie

wazzup?

Huh?

Pretty boy Alphie

Spunky

Spunky by sunlight

still skinny but well-rounded now

Pinky

I'm Pinky - don't mess with me!

ya wanna hand over one of those nuts now?

a big, gorgeous, furry squirrel!

Foxy

Foxy - the mother of all squirrels

Red

Baby Red

I'm just a little guy underneath

oops - my tail is showing

Yes, something happened to my tail

Another Fashion Parade

Christmas Elves

Too Sweet

Run for the hills! Never trust anyone under five
(they never have any nuts either)

Seeing Double

Happy Holidays!

A Squirrel's Christmas

2011-12-25T11:31:00.009-05:00

Christmas Eve
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the park
Not a creature was stirring, once it got dark;

The squirrels were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of peanuts danced in their heads;

Christmas Morn
Waiting for Santa

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from their nests to see what was the matter!!

Santa and his helper

Bernie Goetz and his pet squirrel

Let the feasting begin!

Christmas Trees

Robins

Ornament

Santa and his elf are wishing you...

Bernie Goetz and his pet squirrel

Merry Christmas!

Winter Trees

2011-12-14T23:26:00.013-05:00

All the complicated details
of the attiring and
the disattiring are completed!

A liquid moon
moves gently among
the long branches.

Thus having prepared their buds
against a sure winter
the wise trees
stand sleeping in the cold.

William Carlos Williams

There is still life in those trees, however, and I don't mean still life -- although this particular life can be very still indeed, until the time comes to pounce.

red-tailed hawk (click to enlarge)

The red-tailed hawk had made its second appearance near the orange tree. A couple of people were gawking while I took these photos, talking about the bird's beauty. I had to agree that it was a beautiful bird, but that's all we agreed on. One woman was going on about how marvelous it is that they're introducing these birds to the New York City area. I attempted to disabuse her of that wrongheaded notion, saying that these big hawks should not be living (and feeding) here in the city. They should be out in the forest somewhere! But they eat the rats, she said. And I knew what was coming next: they also eat the squirrels. They eat my pets!

I really didn't like seeing the hawk twice now near the orange tree, where Alphie and now two baby black squirrels are currently living. One of the onlookers said that this hawk lives at Playground Five in Stuytown, which is south of here, down by 14th Street.

The trees at PCV that are so pretty when they bloom in Spring, so lush and green in Summer and so dramatically colorful in Autumn, also have a strange kind of beauty in Winter. Here are a few scenes of Winter:

nest

two baby squirrels

squirrels

squirrel

out on a limb

nest

squirrels

December blooms

snow -- not!

nest

winter sky

Creme Puff comes a calling

2011-12-14T14:01:00.027-05:00

Creme Puff comes by for a sunny afternoon photo shoot.

Creme Puff is a healthy, happy, affectionate and playful little squirrel. He got his name because of his sweet and easygoing nature. He had been found on the ground next to the tree he fell from, with bites all over his body. Two were particularly severe, and he also had a concussion from the fall. When he was brought to the hospital, the vet pronounced him to be in agon mortis (death throes). So he has made a miraculous recovery. Dr. Pilney, we love you!

After the shoot, we move into the parlor for high tea: green apples and chestnuts.

Yummy

Now I'll try me one of these.

No! Please don't eat the crocheted daisies! What part of the word "No" don't you understand?

Guess I've worn out my welcome... but thanks, it's been fun!

Postscript

Creme Puff shows off his "table manners" on a return visit.

See how good I can be? Zzzzzzzzz....bo-o-ring.

There arose such a chatter

2011-12-10T14:46:00.022-05:00

Today I was feeding the squirrels over by the orange tree in the late afternoon. It's the end of autumn, and the daylight hours have grown steadily shorter, with sunset arriving earlier and earlier, making the window for feeding squirrels shorter and shorter. But today was a turning point. The sun started to set a little bit later this afternoon, at 4:29pm (EST). For the past three days it had set at 4:28pm. The sun will now set one minute later, as the days progress, until the end of June - beginning of July, when it sets at 8:31pm. It will then do that for a number of days before it starts heading back towards where we are now. But we're over the worst of it today, and we'll be watching it get better and better as sunsets occur later and later over the next seven months. Something to look forward to! The Winter Solstice will arrive this Thursday December 22, in the wee hour of 12:30 in the morning (EST) - half past midnight. It will be the longest night of the year, and then the days will start getting longer.

While the sun was still shining, I was there feeding my favorite squirrel Alphie, who is now wearing a heavy fur coat. He's still recognizable though, by his four little black feet that contrast so cutely with his dark beige fur like four adorable mittens! I was also pleased that Baby Black Squirrel made an appearance. I hadn't seen him (or her) in quite a long time and was fearing the worst, but there he (or she) was, looking decently healthy, although thin, having no fur coat as of yet. Probably still too young to be able to do that. Black Baby was not quite as scared as in the past, and would actually stick around for a nut, while staying close to the base of the tree, so as to make a quick getaway if needed. This is typical baby squirrel behavior.

I had just settled down for a long winter's feed, when out on the lawn there arose such a chatter, that I sprang from the bench to see what was the matter. Away to the orange tree I flew like a flash, when, after making my 50 yard dash, I gazed up at the tree... and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a large red tailed hawk exerting its reign of fear!

From its high perch, the big hawk was quietly watching the squirrel show below. And the squirrels were putting on quite a show! Both the hawk and I were staring straight at a tiny head that was sticking out of the baby hole in the orange tree. Why didn't the squirrel go inside? It was just calling attention to itself by staying there and making such a racket! Was it possible that equipped with its sideways vision, it still could not see the hawk and only sensed its presence? I'm not sure if squirrels even rely on their eyesight and tend to think not, because in the past they have sometimes sensed a hawk way before I noticed it.

I saw how easy it would be for the hawk to swoop down and nab the little fellow at any moment. I called out hysterically: go - go - GO - go inside the hole! I felt like a cheerleader at a football game! But the squirrel paid me no heed. How could it be so stupid? Nearby was a man and his dog, chatting with a neighbor, and they too paid me no heed. Was I in some alternate reality? Had I perhaps died and gone to hell? Hell is where the hawk is.

But the hawk was also being distracted by the caterwauling emanating from just beyond, in the cherry blossom orchard, where a group of five squirrels had congregated in one of the smaller trees, making themselves into a veritable hawk banquet.

They were holding a concert - and again, all I could think of was how they were attracting the hawk with their suicidal symphony! I went over and told them in no uncertain terms to shut the heck up. Did they pay any attention? Nope. By then they were on automatic. People strolled by, but nobody saw anything amiss except me. It was like one of those bad dreams...

I frantically ran to and fro between the orange tree and the cherry blossom tree, hoping that my presence might dissuade mr. hawk from doing anything drastic. Apparently it worked, because suddenly the big bird took flight  and disappeared from the immediate vicinity. What a huge wing span it had!

I breathed a sigh of relief. The squirrels however, kept up their chorus of grief, not seeming to realize that the threat had flown away. Interesting. Was there some type of sensory delay? I finally left too, after realizing that they would not be calming down anytime soon. Besides, I didn't want to feed them again.  I was feeling guilty. Unfortunately the act of feeding squirrels draws them out into the open, where they become a natural attraction for hawks. The thought of a hawk tearing up Alphie or little Black Baby was too much to bear.

I've been wondering about the strange behavior of the squirrels ever since. Why did they not have the sense to run and hide from the hawk? They seemed not only rooted to the spot, but almost to be purposely calling attention to themselves. Why would that be? Was it something instinctual?

I used to think that they were sounding an early warning system for the other squirrels, but now I'm not so sure. I remember hearing a  theory once that a squirrel (or perhaps any prey) will go limp when caught in the talons of a hawk, perhaps following the dictates of Nature to make themselves into an easier meal. I'm wondering if that could be the message of their cacophony: come and get me!

To that I'd say: "Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

Camera catches squirrel pulling school's fire alarm

2011-12-09T11:14:00.002-05:00

ELLENTON - The story of the vandal squirrel lives on in the Manatee County School District.

Long after the rascally rodent pulled his stunt — setting off a fire alarm that led to the evacuation of an elementary school last year and an investigation into who pulled the false alarm — the squirrel's actions came up at a School Board budget meeting this week...

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20111207/ARTICLE/111209650/-1/SPORTS?Title=School-fire-alarm-is-pulled-by-a-squirrel

Occupy the Marina

2011-11-26T14:45:00.039-05:00

I'm curious about the mystery birds that occupy the marina these days. So far I've been unable to identify them. Most of the time I see them at twilight, when it's too dark to get a good look or take a good a picture. I got these pictures the other day which shows them a bit more clearly.

Cloud Nine
They sit on the raft by Cloud Nine that the ducks used to occupy. They are very large birds that almost have the shape of a hawk.

Swinging

The birds can be seen swinging on the rope that ties the boat to the dock.

Gulls just like to have fun.

Diving

I watched one bird expertly swoop into the water and come up with a fish. They act like gulls but they don't exactly look like gulls. Could they be some other kind of water bird or maybe mutant gigantic seagulls? They seem to enjoy their isolation, whereas most gulls stick together in large flocks.

Spotting the fish

Making the dive

A Squirrel's Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T18:13:00.004-05:00

The wonderful neighborhood store that is the source of our nuts.

Picking peanuts

Fill 'er up

Ouch!

Thanksgiving Feast

Squirrels galore

the feast

Squirrel watcher

beep beep!

The lady squirrel in the rose garden

an elegant perch

"gray trash"

She's Gotta Have It

2011-11-24T14:12:00.005-05:00

All the squirrels were grateful for their Thanksgiving feast, but Spunky was particularly enthusiastic and -- uh, demanding!

me me me me!!!!

My Baby Book

2011-11-14T13:14:00.017-05:00

My Baby Book

By Alphie the Squirrel

They call me an Alpha Squirrel because I have such a great personality.

Hello World!

The place where I was born

Up in the Orange Tree

My baby fur

My twin sister Betie.

Mommy moved to another tree, but comes back to visit whenever my new Mom arrives to feed us. We get all kinds of yummy nuts.

Our Mommy

My new Mom takes lots of pictures. She thinks I'm cute.

Me!

Posing in my birthday suit

We like to play the peanut game where mom throws a peanut and I catch it, then I run off and bury it some place far away. We play this game over and over again until Mom gets tired. I never get tired, because I have boundess energy. It's REALLY FUN!

Bring it on!

My first peanut butter cracker

Mmm... sinfully delicious.
Now if I could just get some Nutella* on this...
life would be perfect!

* Alphie will NOT be getting any Nutella, because chocolate can be dangerous to small animals who may not be able to metabolize it properly. We know it does not work for dogs, and wouldn't want to take any chances with squirrels.

Love,

Alphie

Where Have All the Pigeons Gone?

2011-11-07T20:55:00.020-05:00

Long time passing!

Actually, I'm not sure how long it's been, since today was the first day that I was fully aware of the fact that there were no pigeons clustering around as I fed the squirrels. I think it may have been a while since I'd seen them, but I just hadn't been paying attention. I did notice today though, as I sat on the bench in the park by the east flagpole, that they were not there on the periphery as they usually are, hoping for a handout -- anything but a peanut, as they are unable to break the shell. There was not a single pigeon to be seen anywhere on that side of the park!

Then I went back to the Orange Tree and noticed there were no pigeons there either. How strange. Seems like they've flown the coop, but where would they go? Pigeons don't fly south! Whoever heard of such a thing? Someone, please tell me, where are the PCV pigeons?

What brought the pigeons to mind was this really huge bird that was sitting on the raft by Cloud Nine in the marina yesterday. This bird was no pigeon. At first I thought it must be one of the ducks, but soon realized that it was a bird, and much larger than any duck. Then I thought it might be a hawk, but I'm really not sure if it was. It did not really look like the red-tailed hawks that we often see (ugh) at PCV.

Unfortunately my camera battery was dead, and anyway it was twilight, too dark for a picture. I managed to scare the bird away with my stares, and then noticed a similar but somewhat smaller bird "swinging" back and forth on a rope that tethered the Cloud Nine to the dock. It looked like it was having fun there, if birds can have fun. This must have been the other bird's companion. I'll keep looking on Google to see if I can find a similar bird. It was large, gray and had white specks where its wings folded into its body. The coloring and markings were similar to the mother duck, but this was no duck!

Autumn in New York

2011-11-07T11:34:00.020-05:00

It's been a late autumn this year, but we're finally getting some pretty fall foliage at Peter Cooper Village.

Playground Squirrel (in foreground)

It's that time of year when I love taking invigorating walks and enjoying that wonderful air that smells of leaves and apples. But this year I can still smell the Stuytown Stench which, unfortunately is also the Peter Cooper Village Stench. I believe they've laid down yet another layer of that stinky stuff, and there seem to be rings of it around all of the squirrels' trees. They are constantly burying their noses in there, as squirrels do.

Angels with Dirty Faces

WTF is that smell? It sure ain't dirt!

Does it bother them as much as it bothers me, I wonder? It certainly ruined the smells of summer for me, and now it's ruining the smells of fall.

The Autumn Leaves
Aside from that unpleasantness, it's fun hearing the squirrels scampering through the leaves on the ground. Squirrels are extremely sensitive to rustling sounds. For example, when I rustle a plastic bag containing nuts, it makes
nearby squirrels jump sky high and head for the hills no matter how hungry they were a moment ago! The rustling of leaves must be greatly magnified in their tiny ears, as they are constantly leaping and twirling about at the sound, which of course makes even more noise! Add to that the fact that the cooler weather gives them bigger appetites, and they're jumping and jostling one another much more than usual, vying for nuts. They bully the babies terribly, so I have to make extra sure the little ones get their fair share. My pleasure... they love me for that :)

Peanut Boy
There's a new kid on the block, who rides his bicycle around with a bag of peanuts hanging from the handlebars, throwing peanuts everywhere. What a delightful idea! Needless to say, the squirrels love it. They're fascinated by contraptions of any sort to begin with. Whenever I bring my cart over they love climbing over it and under it. I think they are basically bored most of the time and need more stimulation, as they are very intelligent creatures.

Peanut Boy

Like an ice crean truck - there's even a bell!

Peanuts anyone?

Pleased to meetcha, peanut boy!

Teen Terrorists

On a less pleasant note there are some young people who apparently enjoy terrorizing squirrels. I snapped a few pictures of two girls who were going up to the base of the trees to yell and scream at the squirrels. I saw them doing this in the park by the front gate and started following them.

When I saw them approach the Orange Tree where Alphie and Betie live, I rushed over.

They started their yelling and screaming routine.

Then they noticed me, and seemed to know what I was doing, because they tried to avert the camera. I did manage to get this picture.

two terrible teenagers

Then they quickly walked away.

Good riddance, girls.

Creme Puff

2011-11-06T20:30:00.014-05:00

This is the tale of a baby squirrel named Creme Puff who once lived in this tree.

If you look closely (click to enlarge) you can see a great big nest up there. Creme Puff was found on the sidewalk by a very caring lady from PCV, after being thrown out of the nest. She brought him to a local vet who got in touch with Bernie, who brought him to Dr. Pilney, who treated him and saved his life. When he arrived at the vet's he was shaking all over in what the vet called "death throes". In addition to having squirrel bites all over his body, he had suffered a concussion. What could have happened to this poor little squirrel?

Today, 30 days later, Creme Puff was well enough to take a trip over to Peter Cooper Village, to the scene of the crime. Bernie brought him back to the very tree he fell out of, in hopes of meeting up with his mother. He is a sweet-natured squirrel who apparently has no memory of being traumatized.

Semma, the lady who saved Creme Puff, is excited to see him again.

Creme Puff is removed from his carrying case

A snack to calm down: a formula of hazelnut milk and tapioca pudding,

Semma gets to hold Creme Puff and feed him. He's a very gentle squirrel.

Bernie puts a leash on Creme Puff.

The leash is so Creme Puff can walk around and not run away.

Creme Puff tests the leash.

Creme Puff does not try to climb his tree, but instead sniffs and licks the bark like a typical baby squirrel.

A squirrel approaches that might be Creme Puff's mother.

The squirrel is curious and comes closer.

The squirrel comes right up to Creme Puff to have a better look...

Then the squirrel runs off...

Creme Puff is left sitting there alone on the leash.

Now it's time to remove the leash, and we hear a lot of squirrel talk and squawking, as Creme Puff lets us know in no uncertain terms that the noose must come off! NOW! Bernie works as fast as he can.

Our friend Mya comes by and wants to hold Creme Puff.

A thoroughly calmed down Creme Puff snuggles with Mya and Semma.

It's time to go home now, but sweet Creme Puff will be coming back for another visit some day soon.

Operation Pinky

2011-11-05T12:41:00.028-04:00

I watched in amusement as Pinky sailed by in a swirl of furs.

Could this big bundle of fur be the same little Pinky of only a few months ago?

August

September

October

Pinky is a beautiful squirrel, but somewhat diffident. A contrast to the Pinky of September, who was a playful little squirrel, always doing somersaults and hanging from trees. Maybe I didn't sepend enough time at this end of the park, as I've been quite preoccupied with the babies by the Orange Tree, but Pinky is now reserved with me. Resolved: spend more time wooing Pinky, feeding him and calling his name. I'll call the project "Operation Pinky".

November

Trick or Treat

2011-10-31T18:52:00.069-04:00

HALLOWEEN
I decided to take a walk over to PCV today.

Of course I had to TREAT the squirrels today. I met some on the sidewalk outside PCV. Every once in a while an adventurous squirrel leaves the Gated Community and ventures out into the Big City in search of nuts.

But they don't usually stray far.

The squirrels were acting strange today. They were asking for TREATS (nothing new)

but some were also performing TRICKS!

I don't know what was getting into them (well yes, I do - squirrels are totally psychic). But they went really treat-crazy today. Whenever I turned away from my cart they'd try to sink their sharp little teeth into my nut bags!

Trick

Treat

A passer-by commented on all the squirrel costumes! I thought that was pretty funny, and told him that anyone dressed as a squirrel would be given a nut :)

Spunky the Halloween Squirrel

They kept me busy as afternoon faded into twilight. I was surrounded by squirrels that were acting pretty agressive. The cold weather does something for the appetite as well as the spirit. And there was a definite spirit in the air. I had been feeding Spunky when suddenly everything turned eerily quiet. The other squirrel I was feeding ran away and disappeared into the gloom without picking up the nut I had tossed its way. I turned around and saw that Spunky was gone too.

I heard a strange shrieking sound in the trees, which was neither squirrel nor bird. I realized that in a single moment the whole world had turned dark.

It was HALLOWEEN!

Autumn Leaves, Autumn Squirrels

2011-10-23T13:42:00.010-04:00

Autumn is here and we're seeing some squirrels turning colors like leaves. Squirrels remind me of the amazing chameleon that changes color in the blink of an eye. Their tails - and at times the fur on their entire bodies - are changing all the time, but especially with a change of seasons. This seems particularly true of growing babies and brown squirrels, although grays change all the time too. It's a constant show, where you never know what to expect. Here's how Foxy is looking nowadays.

Foxy

Foxy's Bustle

Blending in with the leaves

Foxy was black a season ago, but is now back to being auburn for autumn. She is a beautiful squirrel. Foxy is heading into her third winter, while Alphie is heading into his first.

Alphie also blends in well with the leaves. This can be very helpful when hawks are about:

Alphie's Camouflage

The berries are blooming:

And there are horse chestnuts lying on the ground:

The other day I came upon Spunky eating one of these and proffered a peanut, thinking she would drop the spiny monster, but no - I had to wait until she devoured the entire thing before she'd consider taking the peanut! Can you imagine? I guess they must be tasty, but still, all those prickly spines. How do they do it I wonder?

Alphie Has Two Mommies

2011-10-23T13:05:00.012-04:00

Alphie

It turns out that Alphie the squirrel has more siblings than I originally thought. I thought there were three babies: one gray and two brown (pictured together here for the first time):

Alphie (the alpha squirrel) and Bettie (the beta squirrel)

But yesterday two gray babies were poking their heads out of the hole where the nest is.

orange tree nest

So there are at least four babies in this nest.

But even more interesting, there seem to be two mommies!

Meet Mew Mew
I had been feeding a small black squirrel along with the brown one that I've already introduced here as the Mommy Squirrel of this orange tree brood. I thought it was a junior male, but yesterday I found out that it too is a nursing mother.

Mew Mew

How Mew Mew got her name

When she came up on the bench to get fed, she issued the most heart-rending cry. I did a double-take -- this squirrel was mewing like a kitten! At first I couldn't believe it was coming from the squirrel, and thought maybe there was a cat in the vicinity. But then a nearby squirrel chimed in and began mimicking her. It was absolutely amazing to hear the two of them mewing! (don't blame me, I'm a squirrel nut - things like this turn me on).

Squirrels have an entire soundscape in their repertoire, much of which is rarely heard, since they do not often seem impelled to vocalize. Like hearing a tree fall in a forest, one has to be in the right place at the right time to get treated to squirrel talk.

A boy and his grandmother meet Mew Mew.

Playing with Baby Squirrels

2011-10-16T12:18:00.000-04:00

As a sort of sop to my sorrow over the loss of Patches, I have been given the joy and wonder of baby squirrels. There are three of them - one gray and two brown - who are living in the orange tree - the tree where Patches was born. Yes, Patches was born an orange squirrel. He was the only one of his orange siblings to survive the winter. They all suffered from the same infection that Patches had. I was proud of the way we were able to help him grow strong and healthy enough to combat it, although eventually it seems to have gotten the better of him, just before his first birthday.

Several months ago Patches moved over to another tree not far away, where he built himself a fine nest. Bernie was the one who found him over there, after I had given him up for dead. I thought at the time that maybe he'd been forced to move because of babies and now I'm sure of it, for three little babies have been growing up in his old tree for the last few months!

Their mother is barely more than a baby herself. She's very small and was looking a bit delapidated when I first "discovered" her several weeks ago. I've been feeding her ever since, and she is very hungry!

Mommy Squirrel

Over the last week the babies have begun to emerge from their tree. At first they would only show up around twilight time, when it's harder to see them, but is not quite dark yet. Of course they never go out in the dark, apparently having already been taught that lesson by Mommy (or Mommy Nature). But earlier in the day you could see them scampering about together up high in the branches, eating buds or bark. Or just sitting up there looking down at the Great World Beyond.

Baby Squirrel in Tree

I spent a lot of time feeding their mother and other squirrels while they looked on. And eventually they started coming down the tree to find a nut. They exhibited the usual behavior of baby squirrels -- pure fright if you threw a nut at them -- so I had to throw some nuts under their tree and step away, hoping that the bigger squirrels didn't get there first.

Descending the Tree

Now when I go over they are usually down on the ground, although they quickly run up the tree when they see me. The gray squirrel and one of the brown squirrels are especially skittish. But the other brown squirrel has been quite brazen, and I believe he will grow up to be an Alpha Squirrel, so I've already named him Alphie.

Alphie the Baby Squirrel

Alphie started coming quite close to me and did not run away. As you can see, he stayed still long enough for me to take this nice picture. Then yesterday he actually started playing with me! We had a game of "touch peanut" together, where I'd toss the peanut and Alphie would retrieve it and sprint off to the other side of the lawn to bury it.

Sprinting...

This game went on for quite a while, until I decided to follow Alphie over there in hopes of getting another good picture. Then a strange thing occurred: Alphie started advancing towards the camera!

Advancing...

Then he stood up on his hind legs in a confrontational pose! (sorry for the blurred pictures - not sure if it was due to the excitement or the speed of the moment, but you can at least get the idea).

Confrontation!

At this point I was standing there in stunned awe and amazement, when suddenly Alphie darted past me and made a fast run for the orange tree. Ah, that was it! I had been blocking his path to the Mother Tree! Game over.

CHuCK the Rally SQUIRReL

2011-10-15T11:17:00.000-04:00

As a nice sequel to the story Squirrel Candy, which is about squirrel pArticiPation in the aFFairs of hUmans, a reader sent in this lovely story about a sports-loving squirrel named Chuck:

CHuCK the Rally SQUIRReL

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970203914304576627222452750278-lMyQjAxMTAxMDEwNDExNDQyWj.html

Know Thine Enemy

2011-10-13T23:16:00.000-04:00

Watch this absolutely amazing video of an eagle owl coming right at ya!

Eagle Owl

Be mesmerized. And squirrels, be scared.

Squirrel Candy

2011-10-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

I picked up some pecan crumblets (all I could afford) at Trader Joe's today. I popped a mouthful and it was simply scrumptious - visions of pralines and pies danced in my head - this was real squirrel candy! And the squirrels went for it. I sprinkled crumblets in the grass and they nosed about like they were on an easter egg hunt. They seemed to enjoy the challenge, with the rich reward forthcoming.

Squirrels are too funny to watch. The other day I passed a guy speeding along the sidewalk on his bicycle, and there keeping pace alongside him was a squirrel! It was the funniest thing.

Another time, a man was playing catch with his son on the grass near the orange tree, and one of the squirrels was apparently fascinated by their game, because he sat behind the man watching the ball go back and forth. There was no way the squirrel was begging for nuts, he was obviously a sports fan!

And one time when some large trucks were parked on the sidewalk near Spunky's tree, I noticed that squirrels kept going underneath the trucks just to check them out.

Squirrels are not just curious but I think they may get bored. Living in the lap of luxe at PCV does not provide quite the challenge that living in a forest provides.

We need to think about providing more activities for our squirrels, or at least more distractions. They seem to enjoy spectator sports, and when they can manage to overcome their natural fear, they're quite curious about us humans! So come on out and give the little guys a show... and bring some squirrel candy in your pocket...

Empty Garden

2011-10-09T18:52:00.000-04:00

And I've been knocking but no one answers
And I've been knocking most all the day
Oh and I've been calling, oh hey hey Patches
Can't you come out to play?

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

2011-09-28T23:21:00.000-04:00

Patches is gone and so is his nest! I've been calling out to him for several days now but he has not appeared. And then today the large nest that managed to survive Tropical Storm Irene was no longer there! And there have been no storms or real winds.

A wonderful nest

What in the world could have happened? Where could the nest have gone? Could Patches have packed up his home on his back and moved on? No! I can't believe it!

Oh where oh where has my Patches gone?

Precious Patches

Squirrels are an eternal mystery.

The Last Time I Saw Patches

2011-09-25T18:51:00.000-04:00

A feast for my little friend

Dig in!

Are you lookin' at somethin'?

I know, my patch doesn't look that good today...

But this nut tastes great.

Last Day of Summer

2011-09-23T03:10:00.000-04:00

Also known as the Autumn Equinox, the last day of summer in 2011 is September 23.

It's time to look back and review the summer, which has been good to the squirrels on the whole. Most of the squirrels stayed healthy throughout the season and had plenty to eat. They were able to flourish, with time to relax and play, with not too many weather concerns other than a few hazy, hot and humid periods. This summer's heat wave came early, in July, and was followed by two months of many beautiful days in August and September. Most of the squirrel rescues were of babies fallen from nests.

A sudden cold spell the other day was enough to remind us of what's in store. Do the squirrels even remember last winter? Do they have memories of the bitter cold and the short dark days and those ferocious snow storms? Or has it all been forgotten?

For now, we'll continue to enjoy the good weather and the long days of light, as we enter the beautiful season of Autumn.

To the Squirrels, to Make Much of Time

Gather ye acorns while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

Squirrel Alarm

2011-09-18T13:59:00.000-04:00

I love this video of Piggy responding to an alarm call.
http://www.nutsaboutsquirrels.com/1384/playing-tricks-on-piggy-imitating-a-squirrel-alarm-call/

I know that particular call well. It's sounded around here when a hawk is in the area, or when Riley the Cat walks around. Riley the Cat drives the squirrels crazy, although he doesn't appear to be the least bit interested in them (although he's very interested in the dogs).

I do question the idea of upsetting the squirrels. I've seen squirrels that became so rattled that they couldn't stop squawking and shaking long after the threat had disappeared. I recall one who kept eating nuts (to calm down) and kept on squawking between chewing. It was like trying to cure the hiccups! Apparently once they get started it can be very hard to stop.

But that wasn't the case with Piggy, who was able to handle the alarm without panicking and remained watchful throughout. I think Piggy has the makings of an alpha squirrel. You know, one of the squirrels that stays behind to challenge the invader after the other squirrels scurry.

I'm fascinated by the human-to-squirrel interaction that went on here. Our friend has the squirrel sound down pat and did an amazing (and amusing) job of communicating vocally with Piggy!

Backyard Neighbor

2011-09-17T11:39:00.000-04:00

Meet the lovely Gracie
Another wonderful squirrel from "up north".

Stalked by a Hawk

2011-09-15T19:28:00.000-04:00

If anybody doubts the intelligence of squirrels, just read this story about a baby squirrel who had the presence of mind to know just what to do to outsmart a hawk!
Florida woman saves baby squirrel from hawk

Happy Birthday, Piggy!

2011-09-15T00:11:00.000-04:00

I just love this little guy named Piggy. Here he is posing for his birthday pictures

Bernhard Goetz New York's Infamous Subway Gunman on WBAI 911

2011-09-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

Goetz was interviewed by Paul DeRienzo on WBAI 99.5 FM on 9/11/01 just minutes before the attack on the twin towers.

http://vimeo.com/28799796

Release!

2011-09-10T19:55:00.000-04:00

There was a general feeling of release in the park today. First a squirrel, then a pigeon. Let freedom ring!

Releasing a Squirrel

The time has come, little one.

tail snipped for easy reognition

lower chompers only, no upper teeth.

Ready?

Off you go!

Releasing a Pigeon

He's a pretty little bird

I'm not a big pigeon fan but babies are always cute

Get ready, get set, go!

The pigeon's release was not quite a success however. Two hours later he's still sitting in the same spot on the lawn, acting bewildered.

Where am I?

Where am I going?

When Bernie approaches he flies away

Only to crash land on the tarmac a few seconds later! He sits there and lets Bernie scoop him up.

Inspection

No damage done.

Wings look fine. He may have strained a wing muscle.

Knocking on Heaven's Door

Paradise found: a friendly bird rehabber who gives us some pointers.

There are two elements involved in releasing a pigeon:
1 - every day for 3-4 weeks prior to release let bird free to fly around in the bathroom for a few hours
2 - for 4-5 days put the bird outside in a cage with birdseed nearby so it gets used to other pigeons being around

Ok little fellow, home you go. You'll need to practice before you go out again.

I Remember Momma

2011-09-09T00:02:00.000-04:00

The story of Momma
From our friends in Canada

When we moved into our current house six years ago, the first animal to greet us was this squirrel. We had only been in our new home a few minutes, and suddenly there she was, peeking in at us from … Continue reading --->

nutsaboutsquirrels.com

Spunky by Starlight

2011-09-08T12:43:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting on the bench when all of a sudden Spunky is there beside me. Oh hullo, Spunky! What a surprise!

She's looking fine, all black, silky and shiny.

I offer her a strawberry.

Not having any of that! I'm into the big stuff. Where are the nuts?

That's better.

Oops! Gotta be moving on...

Where's Spunky?

Right over here, kid!

Oooh Spunky, we LOVE you!

Love you too, kids! I know I'm a STAR.

Feeding the Hungry

2011-09-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

I walked right by the man who was calling out to me. I was halfway down the block before I turned around and went back to where he was sitting on a stoop. He had apparently seen what I had in my bag, and was asking: "Could I have some of your peanuts?" I thought to myself: shame on me for passing him by! If I gave peanuts to hungry squirrels in the park, why not to a hungry dude on the street? He took the peanuts and was all smiles and very grateful. He even offered to share the sandwich in his knapsack with me! Hmmm...

It's in the Bag

2011-09-07T00:33:00.000-04:00

Hmm... what's this?

Very interesting...

Go for it!

Well worth the effort.

The Life of Riley

2011-09-05T23:58:00.000-04:00

Just managed to catch these quick pics of Riley the Cat as he disembarked from his car and made his way in haste towards his apartment door.

click on an image to see Riley up close and personal

Just a quick stop to sniff the squirrels

Then headin' on home

Home sweet home, after the long drive back from Labor Day Weekend in the Hamptons.

Ah, the lux life of a New York City cat!

Baby Squirrel Rescue

2011-08-30T18:05:00.000-04:00

A heart-warming story from our friends in Florida

Got out to the farm, went to feed the goats and horse. I hear a baby squirrel calling for mom. I listened and had it narrowed down to one of two trees. Went to get Will and he came and listened. He told me which tree. We found the drey up at the top of the tree. I am standing there trying to figure out how I am going to get to them. I waited a few minutes and kept hearing them call. I looked around on the ground just in case.

I see a tail on the tree. A little girl squirrel (about 6 1/2 weeks old) let me pick her right up. She cuddled into my chest as I held her. I took her inside and get her some formula, put her into a Nutriberry bucket (all I had at the time) and went back out to listen. Just as I get to the tree, a loud thunderclap and the sky opened up. I could hear more babies so I was trying to figure out what to do while I was standing there getting soaked.

Next thing I know another little girl comes down the tree. She is smaller but the same age. She ran a bit from me but as soon as I picked her up she was fine. Stood there another minute and a little boy squirrel crawls down onto my foot. I picked him up and decided I would go inside with them as we were getting drenched. Got them some formula and put them with their sister (after getting them dried off a bit).

Went back out several more times after it stopped raining and didn't hear any more yelling. No more movement so I guess that was the litter. I am assuming mom get caught by one of the hawks out there. I found it absolutely amazing though that all three of them came down that tree directly to me and let me pick them up without any argument.

I am calling these three the miracle triplets. I can't figure out why they would come down to me from such a high drey and just let me pick them up. They are all doing well, eating great and nibbling on their squirrel trail mix I make. Karen

The Miracle Triplets

Squirrel blamed for flag thefts from Ohio memorial

2011-08-29T21:07:00.000-04:00

Toledo: Police in Ohio have discovered that small flags being swiped from a police memorial were being squirrelled away.
AP- Published: 18:44 August 29, 2011

Two Toledo officers watched on Wednesday as a squirrel quickly snatched a flag off its wooden dowel and ran off with it. Lt. James Brown told The Blade newspaper the bushy-tailed critter was too quick to catch.

Nest of flags

Later, police noticed a squirrel hanging out on a tree branch outside a third-floor window at their headquarters building.

They also spotted a squirrel's nest made of leaves and branches - and at least two of the little flags.

Brown says at least three of the flags have gone missing in recent days. He's careful to point out he can't prove all were the work of the same squirrel.

After Irene at PCV

2011-08-29T14:58:00.000-04:00

I went to PCV today to view the damage caused by Irene. Except for one area, things looked pretty normal with only a few downed trees here and there and lots of leaves on the ground. But the area in the northeast corner of PCV that I call "The Wind Tunnel" because it's always cold and windy there in the wintertime, had been devastated. The wind from the East River blows in through the opening between the buildings there, causing a wind tunnel effect.

This was one of the most picturesque parts of PCV. It's sad to see it now.

click on a picture to enlarge it

One tree over by Spunky's area that was a favorite of mine (and the squirrels) was also downed. It was a small, hollow tree with great branches and big holes that squirrels loved to run through and hide in. It's gone. This spot too has a "wind tunnel" between buildings.

Squirrels

First of all I went looking for Patches. His nest was still up there in his tree, and he came right down to see me.

I'm fine Mom!

But hungry. Gimme some nuts!

Spunky was also fine and at the top of her game today, grabbing nuts as fast as I could throw them. She was faster than any other squirrel, and very dominating, chasing others away from the base of the tree where she was dining.

Pinky was fine too!

I'm alive and well and I feel GOOOOOOOOOD!

The squirrels were acting very hungry, even though there were acorns all over the ground everywhere you looked.

This little girl is finding acorns and feeding them to the squirrels.

But the squirrels are lukewarm on acorns and still crazy for peanuts.

Is that a peanut?

I'll just end by saying how blessed I feel that the little creatures I've cared for were safe and sound and in good spirits. As I said, Spunky has never seemed better, Pinky never happier and Patches -- well even his patch looked healed.

But all squirrels haven't been so lucky. Here's a report about hundreds of baby squirrels that were displaced by Hurricane Irene

Waiting for Irene

2011-08-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

The storm is along the Jersey Shore right now, on its way here. The center is 280 miles from New York City and moving very slowly. This is BIG, roughly about the size of Europe. There is actually a tornado watch here right now until 5am tomorrow. I can hear the wind starting to pick up a little bit now. Looks like it will really get going 'round midnight - 4pm, and the peak will be between 8am - 11am tomorrow, when it will be slashing through the five boroughs.

I went through PCV earlier today, and there were no squirrels out, even though it wasn't raining. There was only one little gray baby who was digging energetically in the dirt, and ran away when I approached. I'm wondering if they were already sensing the approach of Irene. I am so worried for all my poor little squirrels. I took a picture of Patches's nest. Will it still be there tomorrow? If it blows down, what if Patches is in there?

Even the tree itself might fall down. The earth is very soft now due to all the rain we've been having lately, which makes the trees unstable and more likely to fall over. Oh, the beautiful trees of Peter Cooper Village!

One nice thing is that they've learned a lesson from Katrina - the lesson being that many people will refuse to be evacuated without their pets - and have allowed people to bring their pets with them to the shelters. Unfortunately there is only one shelter in New Jersey (in Oradell - yay!) that has allowed people to bring their pets.

Meanwhile, I'm listening to L.A. programming being piped into WBAI 99.5 here in NYC and it's 110 in the Valley right now. They're havin' a heat wave!

Sunday

8am - Irene has made landfall in Little Egg and is now barreling towards New York City. It seems like we're in the eye of the storm, as it is very calm with no wind at all blowing, It is raining, and it's high tide now. No sign of flooding here at Waterside, but we're still expecting a storm surge.

I'm hoping Patches is still safe in his nest.

9:00am - Irene has been officially downgraded from a category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm.

10:00am - looks like it's over.

11:00am - sun's coming out. What a fizzle.

12:00pm - it was like waiting for Godot.

squirrels just wanna have fun!

2011-08-25T01:45:00.000-04:00

On a summer afternoon

come 'n get me

double dare ya!

And girls just wanna have fun!

fun in the sun

Stuytown Lux Living

http://www.facebook.com/stuytownluxliving

shake rattle and roll

2011-08-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

A 5.8-magnitude quake struck the East Coast today. It was the largest quake on the eastern seaboard in over 100 years and was felt in 22 states. The quake hit sometime between 1:30 and 2:00pm while I was on my way to the doctor's office, so I didn't feel a thing. But within a minute all of New York was in a tizzy. The waiting room in the doctor's office was abuzz with the news.

As soon as I got out of there I headed over to PCV to make sure no little babies had been thrown from their nests by the trembler. Everything was calm and still by the time I arrived-- all present and accounted for. Just another beautiful August afternoon.

The National Zoo in Washington issued a press release about the unusual behavior of the birds and animals shortly before the earthquake.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/PressMaterials/PressReleases/NZP/2011/earthquake.cfm

Many animals reacted: apes climbed to tops of trees, lions stood still, lemurs sounded an alarm. A giant elephant shrew hid in his habitat and refused to come out for his regular feeding. All the Eld's deer ran out of their barns and remained huddled in the pasture nearest the keeper. Wild beavers and ducks immediately took to the water. Flamingos huddled together. Snakes normally still during daylight hours were writhing around. I wish I could have been at the National Zoo!

Barring that, at least I wish I could have been at PCV to observe what the squirrels were doing. I was almost there -- I was walking through just minutes before what must have been a scene even more dramatic than what goes on when Riley the Cat passes through.

I spoke with a lady named Helen who was sitting on a bench by the east flagpole when the earthquake hit. She said that she never felt a thing, as she was outside, but she noticed that all the squirrels were suddenly acting crazy, running around and around in circles. She thought something was up, and shortly afterwards people came streaming out of her building and told her about the quake.

Nobody knows why the animals should be sensitive to impending earthquakes. One explanation is that these creatures are so highly tuned into their environment because they live in a multi-dimensional world, whereas we humans are one-dimensional. They say a great ape lives in a multidimensional world as it climbs through trees and branches, and so experiences events differently. The same could be said of squirrels!

Later that evening I learned that nuclear experts had previously expressed concern about the effect of a quake with a magnitude of 6.0 on old nuclear power plants. It fell short of that, but 5.8 was too close for comfort. We need to close Indian Point now!

squirrel swatters

2011-08-22T20:35:00.000-04:00

Swat me, I'm a Squirrel!

The latest PCV sport appears to be swatting squirrels. What makes a good squirrel swatter? Why the New York Times newspaper of course, which conveniently serves a dual purpose. As I watched a lady in a big hat who sat ramrod straight on the bench reading her paper, every once in a while she took a break from the important ideas of the day, rolled the paper up and took an angry SWAT at the odd squirrel that had happened into her vicinity. Then she unrolled it and picked up reading where she had left off. She obviously despised the creatures that shared her park.

But what about dogs? After all they are as ubiquitous as squirrels at PCV these days. Oh, dogs are just fine and dandy. After all, they are officially sanctioned PCV pets now. A second lady came by and stopped to chat with the lady on the bench, who was practically drooling over her neighbor's big dog. When her friend was finally ready to leave she tugged on the dog's leash, saying "Let's go girl", and then twirled around and hissed -- I kid you not, HISSED -- at a passing squirrel! Did she suddenly feel like a cat? I felt like calling out to her, "Hey lady, you and your dog are standing on sacred ground -- in the middle of squirrel country -- and your dog is the nouveau bitch around here!"

a possible squirrel swatter

A New Crop of Oranges

2011-08-20T13:31:00.000-04:00

There are some new orange babies over by the Orange Tree!

We had a big family of oranges in that tree last winter, so we started calling it the Orange Tree. Patches was an orange. Even though he's gray now, he kept his beautiful orange tail until just a few weeks ago when it started turning silver.

Max: I Enjoy Being a Squirrel

2011-08-18T22:59:00.000-04:00

I met a wonderful squirrel named Max today, who lives with a very nice couple named Sam and Sandy and their cat Suzie.

Max

A year ago last May, Sam found Max lying on the ground after she had fallen out of her nest, which often happens to baby tree squirrels. Unless it's in a hole in the tree, a nest is not always the safest place to be. She was quite sick and dehydrated when Sam found her, and she was nursed back to health with tender loving care by Sam and Sandy.

Hello, World!

Do I really look like that?

Old enough to go outside with Dad

By Christmas time Max is a bouncing, healthy squirrel who can't wait for Santa to arrive.

Did you give Santa my list?

Look what Santa brought!

Today she is so good-natured and relaxed that nothing seems to bother her.

I enjoy being a squirrel!

Max loves life. She loves everyone and is not at all fazed by Suzie, who shares the same space.

I'm Suzie

Max and Suzie enjoy a peaceful coexistence, thanks to a bit of clever engineering by Sam and Sandy. And Max is not at all bothered by strangers. She acted as if I came by every day, and just went about about the business of having fun and putting on a show for us. She's a bundle of energy who runs and jumps and plays all day, and does so without ever damaging the furniture! Okay, she's been known to nibble on a wire or two, but what's a teething squirrel to do? All wires are well hidden from sight.

Who says squirrels don't make good pets? Max is a source of great joy to her parents, who are so attached to her that their daily lives kind of revolve around her. She is more lively than the Suzie, who is barely more than a kitten. Suzie prefers to sit in or near her cage when Max is out and about. She seems to enjoy just sitting there and watching Max's antics from a nice, safe place.

Guess I'll sit up here just in case I need to jump in

My problem with having a cat as a pet is that while I love the playfulness of kittens, once they grow up into cats, they slow down and lose that wonderful playfulness that makes them so irresistable as kittens. I used to imagine using genetic engineering to create a kitten that would never grow into an adult cat. Endless kitten. Well guess what? Squirrels are a lot like that. They do not lose their quickness when they mature. That makes them more playful than cats, and therefore better pets in my opinion. And squirrels are actually more affectionate than cats, being more like dogs in that respect. But it's much easier to snuggle a squirrel than a dog!

I love you too Mommy!

The Life of a Squirrel

Wakeup Time

What's life like for an apartment squirrel? Max sleeps in the bedroom with her parents. Her nest box is located up on top of a tall chest, which is where squirrels like to be. She awakens at 7am sharp each morning, Then she wakes Sam up

by running over him at 100 MPH, and will sometimes "bite" his hand when he's less than responsive. Actually Max never really bites. But she wants out of the bedroom now and needs Sam to negotiate that. You see, Suzie is often sitting on the other side of the door, so it usually takes a bit of maneuvering!

What's for breakfast?

After breakfast Max runs and jumps and plays away the morning,

Subduing a Stuffy

then takes a nap between 11am and noon. When she wakes up it's time for lunch, then playtime for the rest of the afternoon. She loves playing with her stuffies. But she doesn't play with Suzie the Cat. They manage to carefully and cautiously and politely steer clear of each other.

I'm the Squirrel, you're the Stuffy!

By 4pm it's time for an afternoon nap. Max then wakes up like clockwork at 5pm, and goes to the front door, where she sits and waits for Sandy to arrive home from work. Max knows as soon as Sandy steps off the elevator into the hall. It seems to be telepathy. I've sensed that kind of telepathy with my squirrels. Like how they know when I've arrived and will suddenly appear "out of nowhere". Unless of course, they're all sitting up there in the trees, waiting and watching all of us. Sometimes I wonder if I'm walking through PCV with hundreds of tiny squirrel eyes fixed on me.

After supper Sandy wraps Max in her "blankie" and croons lullabyes to her, which she absolutely adores.

Sweet Dreams

Then at around 7pm Max climbs into her nestbox and goes to sleep for the night. She normally sleeps through the night without waking up.

Max enjoys being smooched and cuddled by Sandy but she also loves Sam, who takes care of her during the day. It's somewhat unusual to see a squirrel that is equally attached to both "parents". Often it will be one or the other, with the squirrel liking one and taking a dislike to the other. A female squirrel may bond with the male in the house and ignore the female, while a male squirrel will bond with the female and will even attack the male. This can be quite serious, as we've seen with Rama Rota, the King of Costa Rica. Trouble in Paradise
Rama has two loving parents, but one day he turned on his Dad, who had to constuct a helmet and mask to protect himself! But Max is quite even-tempered and gets along fine with both Mom and Dad. And I can attest to the fact that she is great with guests too.

Max's Diet

What does Max like to eat? She likes a variety of nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts. Unlike most of the wild squirrels that go crazy for them, Max is not a big fan of peanuts. Of course an occasional peanut is nothing to sneeze at.

But Max also likes greens like lettuce and asparagus and stringbeans and avocado. And she also eats carrots and corn. I have not been able to get my "outdoor" squirrels to eat greens, carrots or corn, although Bernie has had some luck feeding corn to his squirrels at Union Square Park. I wish my squirrels had a more varied diet, but it's hard to get them to like new things. They're not overly fond of veggies. I've recently discovered that they will take an occasional piece of bread.

As for fruit, Max especially likes cherries and plantains. Here she is enjoying a piece of plantain.

And then there is "Forbidden Fruit". Nothing like the taste of cactus flower. Mmmmm.

Even cactus leaves are okay! Just have to be careful of the prickly parts.

Remembering Ruffles

Max reminds me of the first squirrel I ever befriended back in the winter of 2007, a squirrel I named Ruffles, because she had a "ruffle" of fur around her midsection. Ruffles was a big gray squirrel that looked a lot like Max. I was to learn that she was also an old squirrel. She was definitely an "old spirit". We often communicated via what may have been telepathy. She always seemed to know when I was in the area. And she was always smiling when she came over to see me. Ever seen a squirrel smile? Then one day something bad happened to Ruffles. I remember the last day I saw her. She came over to take a nut and to say goodbye. I saw that her paw was shaking when she took the nut from me. I wondered if she was having a stroke or had perhaps just had one. She did not eat the nut, but took it with her as she ran up a tree. I never saw Ruffles again.

When I met Max her calm, friendly spirit reminded me so much of Ruffles. I might have thought they were related if they didn't come from different parts of town. Max is a very special squirrel. And also a very lucky squirrel to have such loving parents.

ducks redux

2011-08-18T19:40:00.000-04:00

Here's one for duck fans: ducks blown off their feet by the wind - that really sucks for the ducks - but it's so cute to watch!

ducks blowin' in the wind

more duck tales

well mannered squirrels

2011-08-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

I went over to check on the squirrels today and was happy to see that table manners were back on the table. Squirrels are normally super-polite and will patiently wait to be fed.

Speaking of manners, I love this video of a squirrel seated politely on a chair while eating corn on the cob, until a kernel goes down the wrong way... or something.

Squirrel Takes a Seat to Eat

I also got my first glimpse of God's little green apples - that is, the autumn acorns!

They haven't matured to the point where they're falling off the trees but they're already lying on the ground with their tops gnawed off. That must be the tastiest part :)

feeding frenzy

2011-08-15T22:56:00.000-04:00

I guess it had been Thursday since I was last at PCV. I'd planned to go there over the weekend but was rained out. By the time I got there it was Monday, during a lull in the rainfall. The squirrels were going nuts. Apparently the rain had deterred others as well from feeding them. I've never seen such a hungry bunch! When they saw me, polite table manners went out the window. Spunky jumped into one of the bags and started scarfing down a slice of bread. Two of the nut bags were grabbed and clawed open, leaving holes in the bottoms. Feathers were flying when pigeons got in the way. And I myself emerged bloodied and scathed. Nothing serious, just some scratches :D

My old foe, the man who really hates me and calls Security whenever he sees me, came by and as usual started yelling at me, saying that there was a $50 fine for feeding squirrels. If so, that's the first I'd heard of it. I wish he'd actually watched me feeding them and notice how desperately hungry they were. This is no luxury, no "let them eat cake" scenario. These squirrels need us. There is not enough food on the PCV grounds to feed all the little monsters.

Cat and Squirrel

2011-08-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

The cat mother, Tito. The kitten, Paco. And the baby squirrel, Firulais. They became family last year, when Rubén Darío Gaviria, who lives in Colombia, found the squirrel under a tree, limping and unable to climb up. The squirrel instinctively cuddled with him, hiding from the cold weather, at 6 a.m.

As Rubén got home, he introduced the little squirrel to mom Tito, who was not so pleased to see the newcomer. A quick reprimand of “Bad Tito! He’s family now,” followed. The mom got the message and immediately welcomed the squirrel into her bed with Paco, the baby kitten. The squirrel, then named Firulais, bonded with his new mother when she started nursing him back to health.

The unusual family plays together daily. At night, Firulais ventures into the woods, where he dug a hole. He’s free to go whenever he wants, says Rubén, but he doesn’t seem to be very interested in giving up the comforts of his new home. He always comes back to sleep all curled up with Tito and Paco.

Firulais is a Colombian Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)

What's wrong with this picture?

A squirrel eating cat food!

http://www.thedailytail.com/pictures/cat-mom-adopts-squirrel-colombia/

Give Us This Day Our Day-old Bread.

2011-08-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I'll buy a loaf of day-old bread when it's on sale for 99 cents. It's for the pigeons. Last winter I got sensitized to the pigeons when I realized that their cooing sounded more like moaning. Pigeons are people too!

Seriously, I cannot feed all of the pigeons all of the time, but will sometimes bring some bread along to pacify them if they start interfering with squirrel feedings. I've seen more than one pigeon-squirrel fight where the feathers fly.

Pigeons often try to eat the squirrels' food, peanuts exccpted because they can't get the shell open. They'll often intimidate babies that are much smaller than them. Try feeding a shelled almond or walnut to a baby and just watch how the pigeon gets there before baby does! I've lost a lot of expensive nuts that way.

I did not however expect the squirrels to crowd around when I was throwing bread to the pigeons. But there they were, glomming onto the pigeons' food. It turns out that squirrels enjoy a slice of bread, and some will even run off with their "treasure" to be consumed far away, in solitude.

The pigeons like something soft and white like Wonder Bread, and go nuts for something called Potato Bread. The squirrels like it too. I guess it's not such a bad idea to give them a slice now and then. After all, it's enriched" with
vitamins and minerals. Hey, maybe I'll even serve peanut butter sandwiches one of these days.

Even little birds like it.

A Feng Shui Day

2011-08-11T02:14:00.000-04:00

Today is my birthday!

"Good Beginning and Good Ending" is Chinese belief and reason for choosing a good day to have a wedding, opening shop, decorating, moving house or office etc.. to improve success, prosperity and avoid any pitfalls in future.

How can you choose a good day to have a birthday? You can't. You have no control over the Earth Forces that were present when you were propelled into this world. The best you can do is choose surroundings that will bring forth the kind of energy you seek. So what better way to celebrate my birthday than to play in the park with some little friends? And off I went!

Patches comes up for a birthday present.

Suddenly there's a cacophany of squirrel talk in the tree behind us and I see that the "offender" is the little guy that was just here a moment ago getting a peanut. Now he's sticking his neck out to sound an alarm (still holding the nut in his mouth by the way). What's it all about?

Sound the alarm!

I don't see a thing, but when I walk down the path a ways I encounter Riley the Cat enjoying a Feng Shui moment! So that was it!

Riley the Cat always appears totally oblivious to the squirrels, which I find interesting in itself. But can Riley ever get them riled up! In this case he was quite a safe distance away. Go figure.

I'm Riley the Cat and I'm BIG

Then I go over and play with Pinky, who is having fun with me in a tree.

I'm Pinky the Squirrel and I'm little

Hey! I'm down here now

Stuytown Stench

2011-08-06T13:28:00.000-04:00

Stop and Smell the Stench

Yesterday was one of the most beautiful days of the summer. The sky was blue, the clouds fluffy white puffs, the sun warm and gentle, the breeze singing. A perfect day for walking in the park, and there I was, feeling lucky to be
surrounded by all the beauty of Stuyvesant Town. If only the perfection of the moment were not marred by the awful stench.

I'm calling it the Stuytown Stench but it's all over Peter Cooper Village too.

It's especially noticeable on a close, muggy day. The other day they had apparently just laid down more of the foul-smelling fertilizer they're using this year, and each gentle waft of breeze which should have been a flowery delight, was instead an insult to my nose. Not sure what it is, but they obviously never smelled it before they ordered it, and they apparently bought a TON of it.

I'm wondering what's in there to make the smell so pungent? One year the fertilizer smelled like a walk in a forest, and I think it might have been composed of cedar chips. It was lovely! The fertilizer this year has more of an animal smell. I'm imagining the streets of New York 100 years ago, when the smell of horse dung on a sweltering summer day must have been suffocating.

Personal disclaimer: as a reformed smoker, I seem to have developed an especially sensitive sense of smell, which may be stronger than that of most people, but certainly not as strong as that of an animal. So if it bothers my nose, I'm wondering how it affects the dogs of PCVST? They say a dog's sense of smell is up to 500 times stronger than ours, and a bear's sense of smell is 10-20 times that of a dog! Where does a squirrel's sense of smell fit on the spectrum?

"The sensitivity and discrimination of their olfactory apparatus is astounding"
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=squirrels-sniffing-distin

Of course Doggy gets to retire back to a nice A/C-cooled apartment after taking a brief walk in the park a couple times a day to do his duty. But what about the squirrels, who cannot escape the foul air, and must breathe it 24/7? Is it not adding insult to the injury of the heat?

Another problem is where they spread the fertilizer, which is often around the base of a tree - the squirrels' stomping ground, where they tend to spend most of the time when out of the tree.

Oh please, please somebody tell PCVST to use this fertilizer again NOT!! I've spoken with some of the groundskeepers who can't stand it either. Hopefully the word - if not the smell itself - gets back to Management.

I do smell all horse-piss; at which my nose is in great indignation.

The Tempest, 4. 1

A Fine Summer Day

2011-08-03T23:54:00.000-04:00

The summer winds

Like painted kites, those days and nights

They went flying by

The world was new beneath the blue

Umbrella sky

What a day! All kinds of nice things happened. starting with encountering this sweet baby mourning dove. Then I had a happy, peaceful picnic with the squirrels by the east flagpole.

They hadn't seen me in a while and were very friendly and very relaxed. Especially when I looked the other way while they raided the bag of peanuts on the grass. Hey, I was feeling laid back today, what can I say? They all got along, with no competition or bullying going on. I take this to be due to the influence of those two grand matrons Tubby and Spunky, who were both present, setting an example of polite squirrel behavior to the younger generations.

I think I saw Pinky today!
I'd swear this is Pinky's face. What do you think?

Pinky then

And now

minus the pink

And he has Pinky's personality. Not too shy, gets up close and personal, doesn't scare away. That was Pinky's behavior. I remember once he was so excited to see me that he jumped up and hitched a ride on the bottom of my bag! But why did he disappear for such a long time? I wish I had the answer. Squirrels are mysterious creatures.

More about Pinky

Black Patch was also around. He no longer has any patches, but the most beautiful soft, black baby fur. A lovely little squirrel, a true beauty in the making.

Speaking of Patches, when I then went over to his area to look for him, I called his name and he ran down the tree to greet me. He is a sweetie.

Patches does a bench trick

I know, I know... it's not a shoulder trick but hey, this is Patches, not Nibbles!

I'm delighted that Patches has started to show some initiative, such jumping up on the bench with me and even taking nuts from the bench. He does tend to be a scaredy squirrel, which is strange because he's always been spoiled by us. But it may have something to do with his awareness of his disability. In addition to his patch, he does not have the full use of his right paw, which had been
covered with the disease when he was very young. So I think this is a sign of his increasing confidence keeping pace with his better health. He may never be an Alpha Squirrel, but I think he will always be a sweet, especially sensitive squirrel.

I'm delighted that the horrid patch is disappearing.

Oh I expect it will open up again, but the fact that it heals up so well that it's hardly discernible means that he is making progress in overcoming this disease. Maybe he'll be totally better by the time winter arrives.

August 2 - Two Mallard Fledglings

On my way home I happened upon two of the Cloud Nine ducklings sitting on raft. Gosh they are big now! Both are females. You can see the distinctive marking of the female - the blue and white stripe on the side. They are not mates, but siblings. They do not have all their feathers yet, nor can they fly.

The duck on the left has something silvery hanging from her beak, probably a small fish.

They did not sit there for very long. however. Without their siblings surrounding them and the comforting presence of their mother nearby, they quickly got camera shy and swam away. Just as I was getting out the bread!

More about the Ducklings

Polished the day off with a couple of chemtrails. Or are they contrails?

Either way, a smashing end to a lovely day!

Columbia Squirrel Update

2011-07-29T21:00:00.000-04:00

Bitty

I haven't seen Bitty in about a month... I think she has abandoned her former turf (given it to her childeren) and may have taken up residence elsewhere.. that is standard procedure for a squirrel matron, so it isn't wholy unexpected.

Nibbles

Bitty's kids are out on their own now, they have all set up summer nests in the upper branches along the entryway.... the one with the missing tip of the tail I've named "Nibbles' and she is an absolute darling... she has fully mastered 'up' and is working on 'shoulder' and does all manner of interesting tricks for her adoring fans.

Sissy

Her sister I'm calling 'sissy' or CC for now as she is a little bit of a scardy squirrel but is still Cute and Cuddely (hence CC)... she actually tried to do 'Up' on her own, but i wasn't expecting it so I accidentally moved my arm and she missed and bounced a bit which she didn't like... it will take a while to convince her to do it again...

Bitty's Boy

And Bittys little boy is still a bit of a loner, but he comes over and mooches food regularly...

Bella

Bella it appears, gave birth to a late crop of squigglets, and has been taking care of them up in her nest in the eves, but she dislikes hot weather so she doesn't come out much... she just rummages through the trash in the early morning hours...

Big Sasha

Sasha is still a (loveable) pushy pest, but her kids are becoming significantly more social, that is when they can be convinced to come down from their cool perches in the high branches.

I saw BB (bushy butt) today, in her usual stomping grounds near the east college walk gate, and it looks like she may be just finishing up nursing a brood...

I haven't seen Stripe, and most of the juveniles have been hard to spot, but I chalk that up primarily due to the hot weather, they just don't like to eat, work , or come down from the trees unless it drops below 80.

Marc Rosenthal

Squirrel Camouflage

2011-07-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

This beautiful Florida Fox Squirrel is a good illustration of squirrel camouflage. The location is Estero, Florida. Which came first, the squirrel or the tree?

This Douglas Squirrel on Washington's Olympic Peninsula blends right in with the squirrel feeder.

Nanook's Vigil

This Costa Rican Variegated Squirrel blends right

in with the living room.

Note: Variegated Squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides) are large, arboreal squirrels found in tropical woodlands and scrublands from southern Mexico to Panama. Throughout their range, Variegated Squirrels are amazingly variable in their coloration. (http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2008/08/01/variegated-squirrel/)

Spunky's Madness

2011-07-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

Has Spunky gone mad? Is it possible that the stress of the horrible heat while nursing her babies has made her mad? Here's what I'm thinking. First of all, she is not as easily recognizable since she gave birth, as she is very small now with no nipples protruding. Of course there is still that cute little face with the popping eyes that gave her the name "Spunky".

So yesterday I wasn't absolutely sure, but thought it was she when a small black squirrel fitting her description came running down the tree where her babies might be. She took a single grape from me, then disappeared back up the tree.

Later, when all the squirrels were gathering by the flagpole for a food fest, I was sitting on a bench, and a squirrel that looked like Spunky jumped up on the bench with me. So far so good-- that seemed like Spunky. But then a puzzling thing happened. When I proffered a cherry she was too afraid to take it. I thought that was strange, and decided to put the cherry on the bench with a couple of loose nuts and to sweeten the deal, a peanut. I then witnessed some rather weird squirrel behavior. The squirrel who looked like Spunky would creep up to the food, stick out a paw to almost touch the food, then withdraw in a cringing motion. This theatrical drama went on for quite some time. I was still asking myself if this could really be Spunky, or was it just a squirrel that looked like Spunky? And if so, where was Spunky? I didn't get an answer, and the squirrel never took the food from the bench, although it did keep trying.

Back I went the next day in search of Spunky, as I was worried about her and her babies in this still terrible heat. I saw a black squirrel sitting on "Spunky's Branch" -- the usual branch that she sits on while guarding her babies, who are presumably tucked safely into the hole at the end of the branch. This had to be Spunky. I kept calling her name and waving, but she would not come down. And that was so unlike Spunky.

Squirrel Feeding Recruits

Meanwhile. I was gathering a small group of recruits who wanted to help feed the squirrels.

Spunky remained up on her branch, watching the show. A while later she finally descended to join in the chaos and commotion of the feeding frenzy. I immediately offered her a cherry. She reached up and plucked the cherry from its stem, but then let it drop to the ground. Could this really be Spunky? The Spunky who would once eat anything that I gave her? Spunky " the bottomless pit"?

So then I tried offering her a walnut, which she sniffed with disdain. Now I was starting to think she'd gone crazy! Okay, it was time to get out the heavy artillery, pull out all the stops, get out the peanuts! One of my recruits offered her a peanut and Lo and Behold -- she ignored it! Ran right past it. Now we know for sure that Spunky is certifiable, right? No red-blooded American squirrel in its right mind has ever refused a peanut to my knowledge, even if just to bury it.

I was wondering if perhaps Spunky had become dehydrated, so I set down a little dish of water nearby, but she did not go near it. Instead she chose to propel herself at a big gray squirrel that had been minding its own business AFAIK. After the mid-air collision with the gray squirrel, Spunky ran back up her tree. End of Spunky for the day. So what's going on with her? I wish I knew. I was thinking that maybe the gray squirrel had been trying enter the hole where her babies were, but her attack had seemed to come out of the blue.

I also saw a scary sign that her left cheek (the one that had blown up with an infection before) looked like it might be getting bigger. It could be that the stress of the heat and having to nurse the babies has brought her sickness back. I hope not.

eXtreme Heat

2011-07-23T18:01:00.000-04:00

We're in the middle of a brutal heat wave. According to weather.com:
Friday's Heat Rewrites History
The blasting heat wave smashes records from Boston to New York to Baltimore.

The entire northeast corridor is under the dome as they call it, a high pressure area sitting over the east coast right now. The dew point - the amount of moisture in the air - raises the heat index. The heat index is what it feels like, rather than the actual temperature. But actual temperatures are high enough. Here in New York City it's been as high as 101. It hit an all-time high of 106 in Newark NJ, and 110 in Washington DC, where it felt like 120 with the heat index . This oppressive heat has been here for over a week. The heat has so far claimed about two dozen lives. Ozone levels are at unhealthy levels across the entire northeast. Here in New York City we're experiencing what they call the Urban Heat Island effect - where the concrete and asphalt warm up faster and keep the city hotter.

Today, Saturday, was another scorcher. The wicked heat will continue to stick around for the rest of the weekend. I couldn't bring myself to go out to check on the squirrels, as they've been warning people not to go outside. I imagine most of PCV's weekend squirrel feeders are enclosed in their air conditioned apartments and not venturing out, so not sure anyone will be feeding the little fuzzies. And would they even want to eat in this heat? Probably not.

Will Spunky's babies survive the heat? I hope the squirrels are getting water. I hope PCV is generously turning their sprinklers on.

A Summertime Dream

Last Wednesdat was the last time I was at PCV, and it was a really lovely day even though it was hot. There was a (slight) breeze blowing to temper the heat, and the sprinklers were going off all over PCV, making it feel semi-cool. The grassy was dewy wet everywhere. Squirrels were romping about. It was a summertime dream.

I ran into a bunch of "the ladies" sitting by the fountain and feeding sqs, who assured me that they had the fountain area covered. So I concentrated on Spunky's area over by the east flagpole, and of course, on Patches.

I had fun with Patches, who came over to play by the benches near the playground.

Today he was so glad to see me that he jumped up on my bench for the first time ever!

We're making progress, even though a bigger squirrel soon jumped up and chased Patches off the bench! He's still a little guy, and as you can see in this picture of him and a pigeon.

I don't like the way his scab is looking. It's not even a scab, but still open and raw, and under the skin around the edges you can see more stuff getting ready to erupt.

And he also has those other little spots. I think if we're going to help him it should be soon. As he gets friendlier and less wary, he may become easier to catch. I hope he's surviving the heat.

Postscript:

I finally worked up the nerve to go out in early evening. It was not that bad. I made the rounds, dispensing cool grapes and cherries as well as water. Patches came running out to say hi! Most of the squirrels were not interested in the water, semi-interested in the cherries and grapes, and mainly interested in getting a peanut! Not sure if I saw Spunky. A small black squirrel ran down her tree, took a grape, then ran back up the tree. I think it was she.

Later some other squirrels came around but not Spunky. Hope she and her babies are ok. Do squirrels get dehydrated in the heat? Worried about the babies.

The New York Squirrel

Squirrel Mahem -- Murder or Mating?

Sympathy for the Devil

Squirrel Houses at Washington Square Park

Drought Threatens Endangered Whooping Crane

Violet, the red-tailed hawk dies

Stuyvesant Cove Park

Global Warming at Peter Cooper Village

Shell Shocked Squirrels

A Squirrel's Christmas

Winter Trees

Creme Puff comes a calling

There arose such a chatter

Camera catches squirrel pulling school's fire alarm

Occupy the Marina

A Squirrel's Thanksgiving

She's Gotta Have It

My Baby Book

Where Have All the Pigeons Gone?

Autumn in New York

Creme Puff

Operation Pinky

Trick or Treat

Autumn Leaves, Autumn Squirrels

Alphie Has Two Mommies

Playing with Baby Squirrels

CHuCK the Rally SQUIRReL

Know Thine Enemy

Squirrel Candy

Empty Garden

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

The Last Time I Saw Patches

Last Day of Summer

Squirrel Alarm

Backyard Neighbor

Stalked by a Hawk

Happy Birthday, Piggy!

Bernhard Goetz New York's Infamous Subway Gunman on WBAI 911

Release!

I Remember Momma

Spunky by Starlight

Feeding the Hungry

It's in the Bag

The Life of Riley

Baby Squirrel Rescue

A heart-warming story from our friends in Florida

The Miracle Triplets

Read more here:

Squirrel blamed for flag thefts from Ohio memorial

After Irene at PCV

Squirrels

Waiting for Irene

Sunday

squirrels just wanna have fun!

shake rattle and roll

squirrel swatters

A New Crop of Oranges

Max: I Enjoy Being a Squirrel

The Life of a Squirrel

Max's Diet

Remembering Ruffles

ducks redux

well mannered squirrels

feeding frenzy

Cat and Squirrel

Firulais is a Colombian Red-tailed Squirrel (Sciurus granatensis)

Give Us This Day Our Day-old Bread.

A Feng Shui Day

Stuytown Stench

Stop and Smell the Stench

I'm calling it the Stuytown Stench but it's all over Peter Cooper Village too.

A Fine Summer Day

Columbia Squirrel Update

﻿

Squirrel Camouflage

Spunky's Madness

Squirrel Feeding Recruits

eXtreme Heat

A Summertime Dream

Postscript: