Iceland Saga: Cinnamon's Story

The next day I go back to check on Cinnamon. I see evidence of a hawk's presence.

I think Cinnamon looks a little bit better today. Or is it wishful thinking?

Iceland Saga: Damage

After an 8 day siege of cold weather where thehighs were sometimes in the 20's and lows were in the teens and as low as 20, Bernie and I go over to PCV to check on the squirrels. Today it is a balmy 52 degrees.

Winter Garden

It's  a lovely winter day. The high for today was 53 degrees. The squirrels have been spoiled so far this year.

Mating Season
The squirrels are having an extended mating season, which is normally from December to January, most likely due to the warm weather.

 

I see a woodpecker!

The eaglets have moved!

Good Morning, Sunshine

 Their new home: http://watching-eagles.blogspot.com/

 

What has Sedgwick Deely been up to?

Anyone who reads this blog knows that we here at the Squirrel are dog lovers NOT. These animals have turned a former squirrel's paradise into a prey-adise, where a squirrel feels like prey every moment of the day, being constantly besieged by creatures on leashes who have nothing more on their minds than making some poor squirrel's life miserable. We have literally watched a squirrel evade three different dogs in about as many minutes. What does that do to a squirrel's cortisol levels?

Many dog walkers delight in breaking the "stay off the grass" rules to bring their dogs as close as possible to a squirrel tree, where the dogs are often on those extendable leashes that give them the ability to launch a sudden rush attack. They will smile sheepishly and say: "Oh not to worry, Rover just likes to look, he's a million years old and he'd never hurt a fly". Yes, yes, we've heard all that before. Tell it to the squirrel who's having a heart attack (or at least a bad case of indigestion) after his evening meal has been thus rudely ruined!

That being said, what's not to love about a dog that takes center stage in the latest issue of Country Living (http://www.countryliving.com/homes/house-tours/bobby-houston-cabin-decor#slide-6), a dog with a name like Sedgwick Deely, a dog with such photogenic tongue and teeth, a dog with his own FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/SedgwickDeely

 

A dog that (in the interest of full disclosure) happens to be my sister's dog ?

 

sleeping squirrels

These pictures came from the New York Wild web cam. Right now there are no squirrels using it, but it doesn't hurt to keep checking. http://newyorkwild.org/webcams/webcams.htm

click to enlarge

two squirrels sleeping side by side

nursing squirrel

 

Update January 16

The day after I posted the above I finally saw some action on the squirrel cam. When I tuned in I saw this big pile of leaves instead of the regular scene:

light shines through the hole, the entry way to the squirrel den

 

Then I saw a squirrel body emerge from the leaves. That was exciting!

 

leaves, squirrel tail in upper left

 

The squirrel was busily piling up leaves and doing quite a job of it. She (most likely) came in and out of the hole, each time with a mouth full of leaves to be added to the pile. This went on for a while. Judging by the size of the pile, it looked like she had been at it all morning. She finally stopped and remained very still for a while, head buried in the leaves. Perhaps she was taking a squirrel nap. Then, re-energized, she sprang up and darted out the hole! I didn't see her for a while after that -- maybe she was out to lunch. But then she came back and was at it again--  in and out, in and out. Such a busy little worker. I'm thinking there may be baby squirrels on the way!

 

To be continued...

Squirrel Appreciation Day 2013

Monday, January 21 is a BIG day.

Hug a person! Hug a tree!
National Hug Day is on January 21

Hug a President!
Presidential Inauguration Day is on January 21

Hug a hero!
Martin Luther King Day is on January 21 in 2013

Hug a squirrel!
Squirrel Appreciation Day is on January 21

Our friends at the edge of the wood  have some interesting things to tell us about Squirrel Appreciation Day: http://www.attheedgeofthewood.com/2013/01/16/national-squirrel-appreciation-day-thank-you-christy-mckeown/ 

Squidoo has lots of fun stuff  about squirrels, including a recipe for homemade squirrel cake and a very moving action flic that shows a squirrel defending a dead friend against crows. They also suggest ways to celebrate squirrels:
http://www.squidoo.com/national-squirrel-appreciation-day

No less than the Huffington Post gives us 5 Ways To Show A Squirrel You Care ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/21/squirrel-appreciation-day-2012_n_1220089.html

The Washington Post also list ways to "help the little fellas out"...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/squirrel-appreciation-day-lets-hear-it-for-sciuridae/2012/01/20/gIQABngFEQ_blog.html

And if you don't want to break out the corn cobs and  sunflower seeds yourself, there's an easy way to make a squirrel's day:

Donate via PayPal to The New York Squirrel's  "Feed the Squirrels Project"
It only takes a minute and leaves us to do all the work.
Our motto is: You buy, We fly

a fun way to get my calcium

2013 - Year of the Snake

The Snakes Are Arriving!

 

Whereas the squirrels have brilliantly assimilated into city life, these are the only city snakes we get to see around here:

Bulgari Serpenti