# Brave squirrel!!



## koshki (Mar 27, 2011)

I've been feeding black sunflower seeds to the birds in my backyard all winter using squirrel-proof feeders. The squirrels love them too, so I usually leave a handful on the ground for them.

I've also been feeding them stale bread, tossing it out the door from my sunroom. Lately, I've noticed that the squirrels don't leave when I open the door, but wait until I toss out some goodies.

Anyway, today I went out to refill the bird feeder. I left the bag of seeds in one of my tomato containers as I tooled around the yard, looking for signs of life popping up. When I came back around to the bag, there was a squirrel eating out of the bag! He let me get very close (within arms' reach) before he moved away a bit. So I tried to see if I could coax him back with some seed in my hand.

Well, here is what happened!







In between handfuls, I managed to call my hubby, who grabbed my camera. It had the macro lens on it, so he wasn't able to zoom in any closer, but I think he did a fine job!


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## SlipperKing (Mar 27, 2011)

Very cute!


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## Shiva (Mar 27, 2011)

I've got some squirrels under my bathtub. I think they stashed walnuts in there and every week or so, they come out for lunch. Noisy little critters.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 27, 2011)

We have black squirrels here, also. They are quite cute, and not the nuisance or pests that fox and red squirrels are. Thanks for sharing a cute moment. You probably have a friend for life now, and had better not leave your door open!


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## koshki (Mar 27, 2011)

Dot, while I was feeding him (lol, I have no idea if it was male or female), I was noticing that he had a brown undercoat, unlike others that were mostly black. I think some of the black squirrels must have bred with some of the gray squirrels we also have around here, and this little guy is a hybrid, lol!

And you're right about leaving the door open...just now I tossed out some stale bagels, and had a gray squirrel practically running in to take it!

Shiva, at first I thought you said IN your bathtub!! :rollhappy:


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## W. Beetus (Mar 27, 2011)

Great pictures! I like black squirrels better than grey squirrels too.


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## NYEric (Mar 27, 2011)

Black and Red squirrels are almost non-existant in the NYC area!


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## JeanLux (Mar 28, 2011)

Too cool!!! Jean


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## Marc (Mar 28, 2011)

Might be a tame squirrel that has been released in the wild?


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## Ernie (Mar 28, 2011)

I'm pretty sure black squirrels are just dark gray squirrels. A color sport or something? 

Oddly, I've seen them most in the northeast US and mid-Atlantic states. There were tons in DC. Seems weird since jet black stands out against snow very well. Maybe the black color helps them suck up the sun's heat in winter though? 

I like them. They are super cute.


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## Shiva (Mar 28, 2011)

Ernie said:


> Seems weird since jet black stands out against snow very well. Maybe the black color helps them suck up the sun's heat in winter though?
> 
> There's not a great many wolves and coyotes in DC, at least not the four legs kind.


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## NYEric (Mar 28, 2011)

Ernie said:


> I'm pretty sure black squirrels are just dark gray squirrels. A color sport or something?
> 
> I like them. They are super cute.


No, I think they're a separate line. 
Their tails are less bushy than the greys. 
BTW, Fortune favors the Brave; but also punishes the Foolish!


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## Ernie (Mar 28, 2011)

Shiva said:


> There's not a great many wolves and coyotes in DC, at least not the four legs kind.



Plenty of birds of prey though! DC has lots of trees in the city and is surrounded by forests and water. You'll even find plenty of hawks nesting on the buildings. Hawks and eagles abound in Northern Virginia (just across the river).


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## NYEric (Mar 28, 2011)

Funny, we have coyotes, opossum, racoon & deer within 5 miles of NYC!


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## Ernie (Mar 28, 2011)

NYEric said:


> No, I think they're a separate line.
> Their tails are less bushy than the greys.
> BTW, Fortune favors the Brave; but also punishes the Foolish!



Hmmm, I dunno??? Let's ask our friend wiki...

"...As a melanistic variety of the eastern grey squirrel, individual black squirrels can exist wherever grey squirrels live. Grey mating pairs may produce black offspring, and in areas with high concentrations of black squirrels, mixed litters are common..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel

BTW, I remember seeing lots of them in Guelph too.


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## NYEric (Mar 28, 2011)

OK, you may be right!  I love squirrels but the people who feed them tend to do it in the limited space where I have native orchids growing!


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## koshki (Mar 28, 2011)

I grew up in a suburb on the west side of Detroit, then school in Ann Arbor (more west), and never saw a black squirrel until I moved 25 miles to the east side. We do have gray squirrels here too, but they are in the minority.

Oh, and the occasional coyote!


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## SlipperFan (Mar 28, 2011)

We do not have gray squirrels here. Black squirrels are slightly smaller than fox squirrels. Red squirrels are just a little bigger than chipmunks, and are jet-propelled!


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## Yoyo_Jo (Mar 29, 2011)

Lots of people here in Calgary in older neighborhoods don't like black squirrels. They're invaders that apparently were accidentally released from the Calgary Zoo years ago. They've slowly spread from the center of the city out to the subburbs. They are the bane of gardeners as they love to dig up stuff like bulbs and even planted annuals.

I like 'em. They're fun to watch as they scamper across overhead wires; they're amazing dare devils. I'm in a newer community at the edge of the city, so we rarely see them here. Yet.


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