Thursday, March 19, 2009

Squirrel War 1

I've been talking about my squirrel hunt for a little while now. I've been stalking these little squirrels ever since. They try to escape, but I've been getting closer and closer. I've been joking a little bit about chasing these squirrels, but it's only partly a joke. I've really been after them.

On my last hike yesterday I went out just to get pictures of squirrels. I wasn't sure if I'd find any, but I knew where to look. There is a certain area of the nature preserve where I've seen black squirrels several times now. I've even gotten a few blurry photos of them.

As I got to that area again, I began to slow down so I could see any squirrel that was there. I started looking around very carefully, and saw some movement off to my right. I turned to get a better look, and sure enough, there was another black squirrel!

It saw me at the same time, and was moving away from me. I was being careful, so the squirrel didn't move very fast. As soon as I had the chance to get a good shot there was the sound of people coming up behind me loudly. The squirrel heard it and quickly scurried away.

I had to wait for the people to walk past, and I waited quietly near the place I last saw the squirrel. After a few minutes it came creeping out of it's hiding place. The trees blocked any chance of a good picture, but before the squirrel got away I got this one shot of it climbing down a tree.

A little later on I saw this little brown squirrel, called fox squirrels from what I've been reading. I used to think they were the only kind of squirrel that existed. It was the only kind I ever saw while I was growing up. Now I know there are all different kinds all over the world.

Anyway, I saw this squirrel rummaging around on the ground. It appeared to have found a little snack. It was busy eating it's tasty treat, so it didn't see me taking pictures of it. These are some of the best pictures of this kind of squirrel I've gotten so far.

After the squirrel was done eating, it looked up and saw me there, so it ran off into the forest. That was the last time I saw a squirrel while I was out there. I never got very close to it, but I got close enough to get the photos.

I'm quickly getting better at stalking these squirrels. I've been getting very close to them now. I'm also seeing more of them. That's either because of the warmer weather, or they are letting me see them. Maybe they are stalking me. This seems to be a squirrel hunt, but it might be the beginning of Squirrel War 1.


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12 comments:

  1. Do you consider you have won the first war? Funnily, the squirrel changed its colour from black into brown after came down from the tree. Ha Ha!!

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  2. You will officially win the war when you get a close up of a still black squirrel....so keep trying! ha

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  3. I'm hoping you get a great shot of the black squirrel next time. While I've heard reports of them around here I have yet to see one.

    We have plenty of Gray and Red and as you say - they're tough to get to pose long enough for a good shot :)

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  4. Be careful! Those squirrels are tricky.

    By the way, I was fascinated the first time I saw a fox squirrel -- they're all gray in my neck of the woods.

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  5. This was just a battle and it seems that that squirrel won. Never mind, there are more to come...I hope

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  6. Hi friend.. Interesting post.. Nice blog work.. keep it up..
    will drop by your site often.. Do find time to visit my blog and post your comments..
    Have a great day.. Cheers!!!

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  7. Well done, Mr. Rat! I'm surprised both squirrels were there. The fox squirrels are aggressive and will often chase the gray/black ones out of an area.

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  8. You have won another award...see my blog!!

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  9. chasing the squirrels :) sounded like you have fun watching and photographing them. i don't think i ever saw a black squirrel, i'll pay attention next time.

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  10. Rainfield - I only won a small battle. I still have to get a good picture of a black squirrel. Maybe the squirrel put on a disguise so I wouldn't bother it. :)
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    The Retired One - Those little black squirrels are the hardest to get close to so far, but I'm not finished.
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    WiseAcre - These black squirrels seem to be almost everywhere unless I have my camera. I'd like to get a good shot too. A good closeup with the camera would help me see them better than my own eyes.
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    The Hawg! - I've already had some pretty strange adventures with squirrels.

    The brown fox squirrels are maybe the most common kind around here.
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    Kruel - I hope there are more too. These squirrels seem to be watching me now as much as I'm watching them.
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    Goldensparks - I'll stop by when you post a relevant comment that isn't a carbon copy of the same one you've been posting on several other blogs. Come back and give me a good one.
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    Sharkbytes - Thanks. I never knew that about the fox squirrels. I did know that they seem to be the most confident around humans. They are sometimes friendly, but not afraid to show anger.
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    The Retired One - Thanks. I'll be there shortly to check it out.
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    Betchai - I've had a great time with the squirrels. They're a fun challenge. The black squirrels aren't native to this area. They were brought in here by somebody. Maybe there aren't any out west either.

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  11. I first met the fox squirrels the years I lived in Ann Arbor. They have run most of the other kinds out of town (except the hyper and cheeky little red squirrels!)

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  12. Sharkbytes - The fox squirrels are the only kind I've ever kknew about in Detroit.

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