A most unusual squirrel

It's a dog...
It's a cat...
It's a SQUIRREL!!!

Was I seeing things? I was looking at a small black creature with four tiny white paws, and a cute little white nose. It looked like a cat but had the shape of a squirrel -- and that was definitely a squirrel's tail. I threw out some peanuts in an attempt to get closer to examine it. But it was very young, still at the stage where it dodged peanuts like bullets,
preferring to wrap itself around a branch and nibble on the tender buds of spring. I was very excited because I had never seen anything like this before. It felt like a gift. I had taken care of the squirrels all winter long, expecting no reward beyond seeing them survive, but if I was going to get a reward, this would be it  -- in the form of a squirrel, no less! My only wish was to share this special sight with others, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me. So I went back day after day, armed with camera and high hopes. looking for that squirrel. But I didn't see him again. I had pretty much given up on ever seeing him again and then suddenly, there he was!

four white paws

And he was much more approachable this time. It had only been a week or so, but he already seemed much more confident in his surroundings, and acted like an old hand with the peanuts. He recognized them as something he definitely wanted to be around, which enabled me to get up close and personal!

playing peek-a-boo

hey you!

oh, my!

And of course that soon drew the usual crowds, who can apparently smell a peanut from a mile away.  I noticed that the other squirrels where not treating him very kindly, and chased him away mercilessly. Not sure whether this was due to his unusual coloration or because he was so young. Do squirrels discriminate against the Other? But he was able to hold his own with a little help from his friend (me) and an admittedly great incentive for sticking around (peanuts).

eating a peanut

all mine -- my precious!!!

my beautiful tail

After I recovered from my initial surprise, I realized that most of his unusual characteristics -- white paws, a white belly, even a white nose -- were normal characteristics of a gray squirrel, and only seemed  unusual on a black squirrel. I guess this is just more evidence that there really is no difference between the gray and black squirrels in our neck of the woods.


the magical squirrel

It was the worst of times, it was the best of times

I'm guessing that's how the squirrels look at it, because as cold as it is, and as wretched as their lives are right now, they have never been so well-fed. Some of us have been out there day after day, making sure they get enough food to generate enough energy, to generate enough heat, to stay alive.

Mom is alive and well and beautiful as ever

So the squirrels have been having smorgasbord in the middle of winter, which surely must violate the laws of nature. I try varying their diet by offering them an assortment of nuts as sides to the main entrée which is, of course, peanuts. I'll sometimes give them walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, cashews (roasted only, as raw are said to be poisonous), and even dehydrated corn (organic only, thanks to Dr. Seralini's GMO study on rats). I even give them an occasional peanut butter cracker which they seem to enjoy.

squirrely wants a cracker

Peanut Addicts

But of course, nothing compares to the mighty peanut (which is technically not even a nut) when it comes to capturing a squirrel's interest. You'd think was top sirloin the way they devour them!.

digging in

They're not just used to peanuts, they're totally addicted to them! Yes, I believe it's an addiction, but one you'd never be able to break. 



my sustenance



how can anything be this good?

The Short End of the Stick

There's no doubt that squirrels get the short end of the stick. And New York City squirrels live, not in a friendly forest full of food, but in parks where the food supply can be scarce. Enter people. I was approached the other day by a mocking guy who was berating me for feeding the squirrels. Why? Because they're nasty creatures who bite little children! Because I can't possibly make a difference in their lives! He asks: do you think you can save every squirrel in the city? He says this as he's standing there holding a plump, perfectly groomed little pooch,who is obviously well cared for. What gets me is that people who obviously love and care for their pets or their children, just can't make the connection. But that's just the way I see it.

Squirrels of Winter

Squirrels are forced to live in a hole in a tree, forced to contend with the elements. When it storms, when it rains, when it snows, they're out there taking it. There are no cozy jackets and booties for them!

On top of all that, there are predators out there waiting to kill them, and the squirrels know it. I went out yesterday and threw some nuts on the ground, and as squirrels scurried to get the nuts, there was a flash of wing: a large red-tailed hawk swooped down, not for a nut, but for a squirrel! I threw some peanuts at him and he took off as if they were bullets! Then he went back to his perch on a tree to play the long game, the waiting game. He looked pretty scrawny, like he needed a good meal. I wish we could teach them to eat nuts.

The Hunger Games

Dog Friendly?

I promise you, this is no dog friendly area! This is where the squirrels congregate and get fed. And it only means that the squirrels get indigestion and we squirrel feeders get to step in it -- all squishy and smelly -- every so often. So why put the sign there? It seems like someone has a slightly sadistic sense of humor. After months of wondering if someone was poisoning the squirrels, all of a sudden there are squirrels galore, squirrels, squirrels everywhere, and you know it's eatin' season. They seemed to pull a disappearing act during the long, hot summer and well into the fall, but once the November winds began to blow they began coming out of the woodwork. They need those calories to generate heat, so they just gotta eat!


The Squirrels and the Honey Locust
This fall saw the glory days of the Honey Locust. There's never been a season quite like this  -- their long brown pods were all over the streets of Manhattan.

And this was a good thing for the squirrels because it turns out that they eat them! Who knew? Whether done out of desperation or because they taste good, the pod seeds make a nice supplement to the occasional acorns that fall from the few oak trees around here.

Tangled Up in Brown

The Squirrel and the Hawk
Okay, hawks have to eat too. And this particular red-tailed hawk was playing a waiting game with a local squirrel who was giving it a loud challenge.  Some squirrels do this for some strange reason, while the rest either freeze or run away. I never fail to be impressed when I see that combination of foolhardiness and courage on display. It does deter the hawks for a while. Normally when a hawk call goes out, the squirrels go into what I call "tableau mode" -- frozen in place -- then most recover and run for cover, But there are always a few that stand their ground and challenge a creature that is twice their size with deadly talons.

It was already getting late when I came upon this standoff going on between a squirrel and a hungry hawk.



Big Red-tailed Hawk

I knew it could be a long game, so I rushed home to get my camera. By the time I got back it was dark enough to cause my automatic flash to fire, and that was enough to send the hawk flying! So I only got a couple of pics of the big bird as it made its exit.

Squirrel won this round!

 You can see that the brave squirrel is totally intact.


Remains of the Day

And the hunger games continue: another was not so lucky.

Life of a Squirrel
Winter is a sad season for squirrels. They don't have much of a life, and the cold weather is very hard on them. You see open red wounds on the backs and legs of some of them. We haven't had much snow this year, but we did  have some very cold days when the polar vortex got stuck here for a while. I can only imagine what it would be like with day after day, week after week, months of relentless, bone chilling cold, with barely a reprieve.


What's a squirrel worth? Nothing.

The other day I heard a baby crying, This was not a mating cry,  it was a baby's cry. He was sitting up in a tree all alone, cold and hungry, bemoaning his fate. A baby squirrel in distress, and not just any baby, but a very beautiful one -- one of the brownies with the gorgeous red-gold tails.

I threw some peanuts on the ground and he finally came down from his solitary perch. It just about broke my heart to hear him cry as if inconsolable, even while he was eating. I tossed him some special nuts -- walnuts, cashews and pecans. I left lots of food, it was all I could do to try to soothe the little guy. 


At this age he's still not resigned to the life of a squirrel, and he's making a fuss about it. I wanted to scoop him up and bring him home with me to get warm and comfy -- like all those little pooches you see walking around in their warm little jackets and booties. 


But he's a wild thing, and would never have let me do that.

Orange And the New Black

Last week the beautiful Orange Queen returned.

This week I'm overjoyed to have Black back!

That is, a somewhat modified Black -- a new Black if you will.  That characteristic "V" on her back, by which I knew her, has disappeared.  But just as squirrel tails are always changing colors, their fur can change too. Squirrel "looks" go in and out of fashion, being as changeable as the weather and the seasons.

But there's so much that's the same -- her familiarity with me for one thing, and the way she races over when I enter the park, and then follows me around until I leave, and the way she gets so excited that she practically dances around me. That's how I know her.

Do you really have to go now?

Her boundless energy, her intense personality, her antics -- all these characteristics are still there in the new Black.


Black Being Black


I smell peanuts.

Casing the joint.

In goes the squirrel...

Out come the goods...



All that hard work... for peanuts!

So they've come back, but where have they been? Squirrels don't hibernate in winter, but I'm wondering if they've been going into some sort of semi-hibernation state during the hot days of summer? Maybe those "summer vacations" will become one of the ways that squirrels adapt to climate change. I actually think they deal with the cold better than with the hot weather. They put on those heavy winter coats and the little ear muffs and mittens when the cold arrives, but they have no similar defenses against the heat, and are stuck in their fur coats, which, while not as heavy as their winter coats, still have to feel pretty hot.


She's back!!!

I'm back...




The beautiful Orange Queen has returned!

After being gone for over a week, she sauntered over as if just back from summer vacation. But where had she been? And why was she gone for so long? Oh, the never-ending mystery of squirrels! She seems a bit worse for the wear, maybe a little disoriented. Like, how did I get back in THIS world?

I've had several people tell me that the squirrels in Peter Cooper and Stuyvesant Town seem confused and disoriented. I'm wondering if it could be due to the heat and possibly dehydration.  While most birds and carnivorous animals get their water from food, vegan squirrels don't get it from peanuts, so I've been giving them grapes and small chunks of fresh coconut, which they seem to like.



Coconut treat



Coconut - ice cream for squirrels?

summer flowers

daisies