Honorable Mention

We're pleased that The New York Squirrel got a most honorable mention on The Westchester Land Trust Facebook page in their welcome to March, as the beginnings of spring start to peek through!

The Rescue of Red Momma

First a little background on this lovely red-brown squirrel called "Red Momma":

1-20 is the last time I go to PCV before the devastating 9-day cold spell. I notice that Red Momma is looking rather sickly. I'm not sure if she's pregnant but her skin and fur have been going through changes, which is often the case for a pregnant squirrel.

1-29 We finally get a break from the cold. Today it is 52 degrees and sunny. I  go to PCV after a 9 day absence to check on the squirrels. I'm relieved to find Red Momma, who has survived the cold, basking in the sun.

2-6 After yet another cold spell, we go to back PCV to assess the damage.  



Red Momma gets her first taste of corn

Oooh, she likes it!

2-9 Apres le storm

I survived Nemo

Sweet Cinnamon

I found these pictures of Cinnamon that were taken less than 2 weeks before he died from the cold. Such a lovely squirrel. As you can see, he was very young and was a little ball of fluff with soft, feathery "baby fur".

January 19

But she's not there

There's another rescue attempt that I feel the need to document. I had become friendly with this lovely large gray squirrel since the beginning of February. She has a skin condition and may be pregnant.


2-6

I had seen her around in January. She was always the first one to run over to greet me whenever I arrived, rain or shine. She was always there.

Squirrel Trappers

We found three little black squirrels who were in trouble after Nemo. They all appear to live together in the same tree:

In this hole we call the Infirmary:

Have Trap will Travel
Today Bernie brings his trap and his net and we set out to rescue some squirrels! We start by looking for the three injured black ones. As if by magic, they show up one after another.

If a tree falls

"if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?" Apparently not when it comes to a tree in PCV.  No fuss was being made over the loss of a beautiful tree.

This is the tree with the terrace that provided a lookout for squirrels. Whenever you walked by there, if you looked up you would invariably see little squirrel heads peeking down. They loved that spot!

lookout tree

The "terrace"

Snow Squirrels

 

Well historic blizzard Nemo came and went and dumped a bunch of snow all over the city. We went out the next day to check on the damage.

Peter Cooper Village

Iceland Saga: Before Nemo

Nemo is coming tomorrow but today things are fine. 

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

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