Friday, July 17, 2009

More Black Squirrels

On my most recent hiking trip I didn't see many animals, but Idid have a nice time on the trails. It has been a lot of help in relieving stress for me. I can honestly say now more than ever that a nice quiet walk in the forest can really help a person with a lot of things on their mind.

As you can see by the pictures, I did see a few animals out there. There is a section of this nature preserve that is just full of squirrels. More specifically, black squirrels! As you get towards the back of the park, you'll begin to see little dark shapes darting from tree to tree.

As you focus your eyes in this dark forest, you'll see that these dark shapes are the black squirrels. These critters seem to be everywhere in this section of the forest. There are other types of squirrels here too, but this area is black squirrel territory.

All the way in the back, there are a few houses that are very close to the park. This is where you'll find the highest population of black squirrels. I think someone in one of these houses has been laying food out for them, because when I got there I saw at least six of these black squirrels having a snack.

If you look in the picture above you'll even see a little chipmunk in there with one of the squirrels. There were several other squirrels hiding in this picture too. There's actually a squirrel hiding behind that tree in the middle of the picture. There's even a gray squirrel hiding out somewhere close by.

I have pictures of all of these squirrels but it was difficult to see them all together with all of the trees around. I took a few of the best to show you here. These squirrels were concentrating so much on their meal that they didn't see me until I got very close. That's when they scattered and ran off into the forest.

This last picture is of the last squirrel I could see out there. I followed it toward the ravine, but it disappeared down there very quickly. That was the last I saw of these black squirrels. Here's a link to another post I wrote with a little information about these black squirrels. - Black Squirrel

Now I'd like to give you all a small update on a few things. Ever since I got this last internet outage fixed a few days ago, I haven't had any more problems with that. A few other unrelated distractions are still happening for me though. Right now I'm hoping I can begin to work around them and get everything here on this blog back to normal.

Some of the things I haven't been able to do here recently are things I took pride in before. I like to personally answer each and every comment here to acknowledge that you are all important to me. I want to let you know that I've still been reading every comment.
So I'd like to thank all of you for your great comments from the past several days. I also like to comment on all of your blogs too, and I've been doing that as much as I can. Even without this blog, I like reading your blogs.

I haven't been able to really do any of these things very much recently. Right now it's been difficult to even write this blog every day. I know I'm not giving much detail, but saying this much about myself is difficult for me. Besides, these nature stories are more important. I still think and hope that everything will begin to return to normal and I'll be able to do all of these things again very soon. Until then, I hope you all like the stories and pictures I've been bringing you.

25 comments:

  1. I'd love to see one. I find them extraordinary, very interesting and odd.

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  2. I never knew black squirrels existed until I read about it on your last post. I'd like to see one close up.

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  3. You have written in an undisturbed and cool manner. Seems like out in the nature do help to get rid the stress from all the disruptions.

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  4. Nothing like a good walk in the woods to clear the mind. Love the little squirrels.

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  5. Interesting, I have never seen black squirrels before - thanks for sharing a neat post.

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  6. Black squirrels took over my garden, and ate most of my vegetables! Are those yours, Ratty?

    Take care, and I hope you can sort things out soon!

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  7. We don't have black squirrels where I am. They are exotic looking.

    I hope you get to sort things out soon. Here's to a peaceful weekend.

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  8. i could sense that something is troubling you my friend, and i wish the best for you. maybe you should take some time off this blog as i'm sure it is a lot of work. maybe you could just post pictures for awhile. i don't know your situation, i'm just throwing some thoughts out there. the important thing is YOU, bottom line, so take care of yourself...xoxox

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  9. helo my friends.....introduce me, i'm harry
    is my first time to visiting here, wow ur blog is very nice with good articles, i'm glad to be here and read it....at least i found something in here to be learn

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  10. i pay attention now to the color of squirrels because of what i learned from your posts :)

    please do not worry so much about leaving us comments in our sites, i hope things get better for you. hope you have a good weekend and have a good and relaxing escape with nature again.

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  11. Ratty, first I have never seen black squirrels so this is a treat and great photos as always.

    Second, don't worry about the blog or leaving comments. Take care of you and whatever you need to do. We are all still here for you no matter what.

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  12. Ratty- we've come to care about you, in addition to enjoying your posts. Don't worry about answering our comments for now... just do what you need to do to sort out your situation. We'll (most likely- "Good Lord willin' and the crik don't rise") still be here!

    The black squirrels always seem to be very local. There is one small town here that only has black ones, and no where else here does.

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  13. Ratty. Don't worry about leaving comments. It has to be very difficult trying to stay up on us all. I find it hard just to keep up with a few.. I have never seen a black squirrel. They are more to the North of me. Great post Ratty!! Love the photos!

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  14. Not to worry about comments! Just don't fret it.

    Now on to the squirrels. I've never seen black squirrels. We have gray squirrels here. Me and Ella saw two today on our hike and a banana slug. If we found a chipmunk we would have gotten our wildlife trifecta! But no little guys to speak of. Next time.

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  15. Great story as alway and the photos of the black squirrels are really good.

    Ratty, don't worry about the comments or keeping up. Take care of yourself.

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  16. Great squirrel pictures! I grew up in Mass. and there were black squirrels around, but I haven't thought about them in a while. This brought me back! ~Ashley

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  17. I LOVE black squirrels! We don't have them here in Chicago, but they are indigenous to where my husband grew up. It is a treat to go back to his hometown and see them--they are beautiful!

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  18. Thanks everybody for all the comments of the last several days. I always read them. I'm going to try to catch up on all of the comments I haven't responded to recently. Also, thanks to you all for your concern. It is much appreciated.

    Guidebooks - They are very mysterious indeed. The black squirrels around here don't like to come close to humans.
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    John - These black squirrels don't travel much outside their little areas, unlike their gray brothers. I never knew they existed before either, and I lived only a few miles away.
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    Rainfield - Being out in nature has been the best way for me to get rid of stress. Until I found places like these, I felt completely miserable. I'm not good at being in the city all the time.
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    Glynis - Walking in the woods is one of my favorite things for this, and seeing the little creatures of the forest is a good bonus.
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    Mike - Most people have never seen them. Others who have wonder what the big deal is. These squirrels are a complete oddity to me though.
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    Icy BC - Your greedy black squirrels might be some that have run away from me. You obviously live in a different part of the city than where I grew up. We had no black squirrels at all.
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    JStantonChandler - They look exotic to me too. I love seeing them when I get to.
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    PJ - Thanks for the advice. I'm glad to say that I've almost worked things out. The blog has actually been helpful, but everything just cut into my time here.
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    NyeGik - Hello Harry. I'm glad you like it here. I hope I can entertain you very much with my pictures and stories.
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    Betchai - I pay attention to the color of the squirrels now too. I never did before, because I only knew about fox squirrels.
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    Poetic Shutterbug - I'm glad to be able to show you these black squirrels, even if the pictures aren't always the best. To me it's almost like seeing a bigfoot when I see these little guys.
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    Sharkbytes - That's exactly what I have noticed about black squirrels. They seem to gather in a few small locations, but only a few miles away they're nonexistent. It seems a little strange but very interesting.
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    Ginnymo - Some of it is just time management for me, but sometimes a few problems get in the way. After a short time, I hope to have everything back to normal.
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    Julia - I remember being surprised to find out that gray squirrels existed, but it seems that they are what most people have.
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    SquirrelQueen - Thanks. These black squirrels are always a good inspiration for a story or two.
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    Ashley - You seem to be the exception. Most people never get to see black squirrels. Growing up seeing them must not feel too different, but to some of us it is.
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    Lin - For those of us that never had them, these squirrels are great. It's always a fun event when we see one.

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  19. I have been out of town for the weekend, so once again I am playing catch up in reading everyone's blogs, too.
    So sorry Ratty for your stress right now. I know you are very private and will never share what is going wrong for you..but I hope it all works out soon.
    Don't worry about not being able to answer comments, you have a life.
    I will always read your blog, as it brings enjoyment to me....

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  20. Nice post! I had a funny story about black squirrels I blogged a week ago, sadly I have no pics of them, just chipmunks :(

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  21. I like traveling, but sometimes I'm having a hard time, since most people speak English, and I don't handle this vocabulary so well.

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  22. The Retired One - Sorry for answering your comment almost a month late. I'm still catching up on everything from back then. Thanks for the kind words. They helped a lot back then.
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    Steve - Just catching up from last month with this. I don't get many black squirrel pictures either. I think of them as the ghosts of the forest. When you realize you see them, they are already gone.
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  23. Vocabulary - Traveling and listening to other people speak English often will probably help you learn quickly. :)

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  24. This is a thing I would include in a travel guide book about this area. I think it would attract more visitors, and therefore, be helpful for tourism.

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  25. Guidebooks - I hope my blog might become a sort of travel guide for this area someday.

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