Cute Squirrels: Year End Roundup

 Best of Breed  2012

 

click on a pic to enlarge it

 

The Madcap Adventures of Sonic the Squirrel

She's called  Sonic because she moves at the speed of sound. She's so loaded with
 energy that you to want to get out of her way when she's coming at you!

Alphie's Evil Twin

Squirrels tend to come and go. They're often here today and gone tomorrow. It's always a mystery as to where they go, but it's also a mystery when they suddenly appear out of nowhere. There's a new squirrel on the block that looks like Alphie - same size and color, though not quite as pretty - but he looks enough like Alphie to be mistaken for him.


the evil twin

Christmas Cookies

Merry Christmas to All! 

And to all a good bite




tell-tail signs of a recent skirmish

it's embarrasing for an alpha squirrel 

but it looks to be recovering nicely
 

Apocalypse Not Now

Well the good news is that we passed Winter Solstice today -- the deadline for the end of the world, according to some interpretations of the Mayan Calendar -- passed about 8 hours ago. Not only is the threat of Doomsday now behind us, but also  the darkest gloom of winter. Although it's officially the first day of winter today, its really more like mid-winter, since from now on the days will be growing longer and the nights shorter. Yay!



What, me worry?
I wasn't all that concerned.

Is Orange the New Black?

At The Edge of the Wood asks,
Is Cinnamon the New Gray?

The New York Times says,
Cinnamon is Now the New Black

So The New York Squirrel has to ask,
Is Orange the New Black?
Or is Cinnamon the New Orange?

We've had several generations of orange squirrels living in the "Orange Tree" over the years.


On the Orange Tree

As babies the squirrels are mostly orange, then as they grow up they turn mostly gray, while retaining touches of orange that distinguish them from the other grays.

Perhaps they should be called cinnamon squirrels. We apologize for the paucity of pics, but the babies move so fast that it's hard to get them still long enough to take a picture. When you feed them they usually take off  with the nut and run up the tree. Maybe they should be called cinnamon swirls.

Cute Cinnamon Squirrels

And here's the recipe:
The Cookie Cutter Project - Cinnamon Squirrels

Mittens & Muffs

As the weather grows colder, the squirrels are doing their own kind of growing: they now have heavy fur coats that will keep them warm through the winter.

So what if I look fat?!

I'm fully winterized

 

 

For extra warmth, many gray squirrels have fluffy white ear muffs and matching mittens for winter. So cute!  

 

 

 

Alphie's ear muffs are a chic tan that contrasts well with his auburn fur.

my tan ear muffs

Alphie used to be the color of caramel when he was younger, but recently went through a "black phase". Could it have signified adolescent rebellion? He did have a personality change as well, becoming something of a bully. Amazingly, this month he is sporting an all-new red-brown coat and tail. Squirrel colors can change dramatically and quickly. But why? Seems to ne more than just a fashion statement, perhaps having to do with camouflage.

 

 

As for me, I fit right in with my new sherpa "squirrel coat".  

I look like a big fuzzy brown squirrel!

Alphie gets chastized (and responds accordingly)

Alphie got in trouble this week.

Superstorm Sandy at PVC

October 29 -  Superstorm Sandy hits NYC

We were badly hit by Sandy here in New York City, especially those of us who live in what was called Zone A, the evacuation zone. These are buildings that are by the water - either the Hudson River, New York Harbor or the East River. Waterside, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village are all close to the FDR Drive, which got badly flooded by water from the East River, as did these complexes. People were without power (elevators, lights, water, heat) for over a week. In some cases electrical systems were damaged and temporary emergency generators had to be brought in.

Saying Goodbye

Hurricane Sandy is on the way. I hang out with my special little friends for a while this afternoon. The wind is already starting to pick up, but otherwise things seem normal. They have no idea about what's coming that's about to shake their world. I comfort them in advance. And I feel sad.

A Squirrel's Halloween

 

Mmm... M&M's

 

yup...

demon squirrel

When witches go riding,
and black squirrels are seen,
and the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.
~Author Unknown

 

 

Tricks AND Treats!

Sweetie's Secret

This is Sweetie

She has a name now. Getting named is not so much an honor as an indication of a relationship with me. I started paying attention to Sweetie when she wouldn't go through the fence to get a nut, no matter how hungry she was. I had called her an enchanted squirrel because she acted like she had a spell on her. Silly me! I had  failed to notice her secret!

New Baby on the Block

One of Spunky's babies that we haven't seen before (click to enlarge an image)

 

teething time

Hawk Sighting in PCV

 

Hawk gawking and a whole lot of squawking going on

It was a beautiful October Sunday today. The weather couldn't be nicer - sunny and cool - a great day for taking babies out for a walk. So Bernie Goetz decided to bring his new little black squirrel over to Peter Cooper Village. It was the baby squirrel's first outing and he stayed snuggled under Bernie's jacket for most of the time, but he was very calm.

Suddenly Bernie heard some squawking going on near the children's playground and thought it was some crows but could not see them. Five minutes later he saw what he thought was a sparrow hawk harassing a hawk. Then several minutes after that he saw the sparrow hawk come and sit right next to the hawk on the roof of  a building. Suddenly they took off -- together! It was than that he realized that they were both hawks -- a parent hawk was showing a baby hawk the ropes! He said it was amazing to watch them.

Baby hawk in Washington Heights

Baby hawks do look kind of like sparrows, don't they?

The Day After

On the day following "The End of the World", I walked around looking for changes to the environment.

The End of the World

It was a beautiful October morning, and there was not a single squirrel in sight. It seemed like they had all gone into hiding.

Enchanted Squirrel

Once upon a time there was a funny little squirrel who seemed to have a spell cast on her that

was preventing her from leaving the fenced area where I would always see her.

 

Big Bird and the Squirrelles

That is one big bird eyeing my stash
 

Union Square Squirrels

Who Shot Ya? PBS Shot Me!

 

We received this nice surprise from a photographer who recently stumbled upon this blog:

Ever since I was a boy I've always loved squirrels. For years though, I hadn't encountered them much. This past summer I made a point to head over to find where there were friendly squirrels. I found them to be quite friendly in Union Square and Madison Square Park on 23rd Street.

Afternoon of a Squirrel

A lovely autumn afternoon, perfect for roaming about, checking things out.

Bernie's Nursery

A peek inside the squirrel nursery reveals the latest arrivals: two adorable baby squirrels who have both lost their mothers. (click to enlarge)

Last Days of Summer

It all came to an end today, when the Autumn Equinox marked our passage into autumn. Equinox comes from Latin meaning "equal" "night", which is the time when night and day are equal in length.

 "The September equinox takes place whenever the sun is at zenith – straight overhead – at the Earth’s equator. This magical moment signals the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. On the day of an equinox, the sun rises due east and sets due west all over the world"   http://earthsky.org/tonight/celebrate-the-september-22-equinox-and-the-first-quarter-moon

We've welcomed the breath of cool air we've had in these last couple of weeks after a long, hot summer, and we've  been enjoying these golden days that are great for taking long walks.

Stuyvesant Cove Park

The Hole Story

Hello World

The other day I had a delightful encounter with a new PCV resident who was very inquisitive about squirrels. He had recently moved in and was understandably fascinated by the squirrels. He asked a lot of questions, many on the technical side, some of which set me thinking. I found out that he was a mathemetician, which could  explain why he looked at things with  different eyes. Oh, and he was also ftom China.  One of the things he was most curious about was squirrel holes.

Prayer on 9/11

"Never again war,
adventure without return,
spiral of struggle and violence,
never this war in the Persian Gulf . . .
threat to your creatures in the sky, on earth and in the sea....
No war ever again."

Prayer of Pope John Paul II

Saturday Night Special

Bernard Goetz Gets a Special Visit on Saturday Night   
 
It was 8pm on  Saturday night. There was a knock at the door and Bernie Goetz opened it to find two uniformed policemen standing in the hall outside his apartment, one of them armed. They were from New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and they indicated that they wanted to come in. 

Here's the story of DEC's attempted home invasion, as told by Bernie Goetz in an exclusive to The New York Squirrel: