I walked into the forest today with the intention of trying out some new camera equipment I recently received. I was mostly trying to get the settings correct so that I could get some decent pictures. I got mixed results from the camera this time. I'll give you more details about that in a later post. Needless to say, my experimenting will continue.
One of the first things that greeted me, if you want to be polite about it, was this little squirrel in my pictures. It began as just another little squirrel that was running around near the walking path. But then this little monster ran up a small tree, stopped about ten feet up, and started chittering away at me!
It began bobbing and moving forward as if it were getting ready to jump right at me! I think it was actually considering an attack! I was only maybe twenty feet away, and I know a squirrel can easily jump that distance. Even so, I can usually judge what an animal is about to do, so I decided to hold my ground for the moment.
I was well prepared to try to quickly move out of the way if this evil little monster made it's flying leap in my direction. I was beginning to suspect it might just try! As with any animal though, turning to get away when you just aren't fast enough isn't necessarily a good idea. I think if I would have made a move, this furious squirrel would have been on me in a flash! So what did I do?
You'll be glad to know that this story did not after all turn into tragedy. Knowing how to react in a situation like this is half the battle. You just have to know when to run and when to hold your ground. In this case I held my ground and it paid off. The squirrel finally realized I wasn't going to bother it, so it angrily stalked back down the tree and ran back into the forest. I wonder what will happen next in my adventure through the forest...
(On a side note. I'm behind on comments and things like that again. I'll have to catch up on everything tomorrow, because tonight I'm going to see KISS in concert! I've seen them more than any other, and I hope this isn't the last. I'll try to be very active here on my blog and yours tomorrow!)
He/she's a cutie, nice shots Ratty. They may get angry but never mean. It sounds like you got too close to something (?) or it felt threatened.
ReplyDeleteEnough of that, I want to hear about the KISS concert.
SQ
Ha! That squirrel does look a bit angry. I wonder if one ever really would jump at you? I hope not. They could sure do a job on you with those sharp claws and teeth!. I think the foxes have gotten quite a few of the squirrels that were around here. Don't see many any more. I'm happy about that though. They were getting to be too much. Over 20 of them at a time and jumping on my windows all the time. That always concerned me. So I'm happy that maybe the foxes have weeded some out. I tried not to get attached to any squirrels this year. Just that little one that had the Pox Virus. She made it through okay but now I think the foxes got her. haven't seen her in over a week now. That's nature. Love all your posts Ratty and thank you for always leaving comments on mine!
ReplyDeleteHe looks furious, indeed! Great shots, Ratty..
ReplyDeleteHave fun at the concert!
i like your goofy story and the furious squirrel still looks cute to me. ;)
ReplyDeleteenjoy the concert and be careful not to threaten the squirrels with your new toy in your next adventure in the forest.
Good thing you didn't disturb the balance of "The Force" Ratty. That squirrel pose reminded me of Spiderman.. Nice! :D
ReplyDeleteYour photos are getting better all the time. Great shot of Spider Squirrel :)
ReplyDeleteI like the way you've got his full attention! He doesn't look very happy with you.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about your new camera equipment, looking forward to hearing about it. I recently got a kite camera but I haven't managed to get any decent photos yet.
How was the concert?
I would like to borrow the comment from Gallicissa: "I usually turn more vociferous and charge it back to overpower it, to show that I am a more dominant form".
ReplyDeleteHA, that's great. He does look mad. Growing up we'd let our cat out front supervised on a leash. My dad went in to get something and when he returned the cat was frantically trying to get inside while a swirl was yelling at him from above and hurling nuts at him. So yea, they can be mean.
ReplyDeleteloved the squirrel on the head comment...made me lol...hope you enjoyed the concert!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so brave Ratty. And to do it all for us. Glad the squirrel didn't decide to jump at you. Lucky you a kiss concert. Hope we get to hear about that too.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! And wow, he really does look very aggressive. Do you ever worry, when an animal is a bit too aggressive, that there's a possibility of rabies?? I guess it's quite rare but still....
ReplyDeleteRatty, this one was a little monster. I could see it in his eyes and stance. You are brave, I would have run away, quickly. Great shots. I also did not know they can jump 20 feet. It's good to know as I trek around the gardens.
ReplyDeleteNice shots and I am right there with you! I thought of you and SquirrelQueen last weekend when, laying outside on the chaise, a rock squirrel came right up. Long story short, rabies crossed my mind and I had a small sweat.
ReplyDeleteDo you watch Gene Simmon's Family Jewels? It is one of my favorite shows. Have a great time at the concert!
OMG, he is adorable! And feisty, too! What a character! ;)
ReplyDeletelook at his facial expression, and eyes! furious indeed!
ReplyDeletegreat shots by the way, wow, you are so lucky to capture those emotions.
From your description I suspect the rodent of carrying rabies, which would explain the unusually aggressive behavior. Either that or you were near its babies...
ReplyDeleteRemind me of movie 'G-Force' where James Bond hamsters rule!!!
ReplyDeleteWow!!! That squirrel must be on testosterone or something to be so aggressive. Good that you held his ground and were the ALPHA male with this one.
ReplyDeleteA KISS concert??!! Good for you. When he asks if there are any squirrel or bird whisperers in the audience, make sure you raise your hand so you can go on stage. :-}
I'm back from the KISS concert, and ready for comments again! I'll give some info on the concert soon to all of you who are interested, and also some information about these mean squirrels.
ReplyDelete-
SquirrelQueen - This was an odd one. It ran out of the forest and up that tree so it could do that. I think it wanted to cross the path and I was in the way. I'll talk a little about the concert tomorrow.
-
Ginnymo - One of our fellow bloggers, JStantonChandler, says she has been attacked many times by squirrels. I think with the wrong reaction it might very well have jumped at me. Squirrels can be nice, but they have awful little tempers. Like you, I've had them at my windows too.
-
Icy BC - Thanks, about the pictures, and I did have fun at the concert. :)
-
Cher - That squirrel looked pretty cute to me too, and the goofy stories will keep on coming because I like writing them and because I'm glad that you enjoy them.
-
VanillaSeven - That squirrel looked like Spiderman, and he thought I was the Green Goblin.
-
WiseAcre - This time it was an improved camera that was responsible, and a very up close squirrel.
-
John - I'll do a post revealing all about my new camera equipment very soon, as soon as I get a feel for it all.
And the concert was great. I always have fun at a KISS concert.
-
Rainfield - Showing dominance was what this was all about. The same with some of my confrontations with deer. It's sometimes the only way to handle these situations.
-
DK Miller - You and your cat understand exactly how squirrels can be. :)
-
Allotments4you.com - I'm glad that little comment of mine worked. And the concert was great. Thanks!
-
Ann - Yup, I'm the great squirrel fighter! :)
I'll definitely tell something about the KISS concert.
-
WillOaks Studio - I do worry about a lot of things when I meet an aggressive animal, rabies among them. This is actually normal behavior for squirrels though. They can be ill-tempered little animals.
-
Poetic Shutterbug - I don't think it would have been wise for me to run this time. I was well within its 20ft jump range, and the right choice was to stare it down. This was a tricky encounter.
-
Desertnutmeg - I've never heard of a rock squirrel. That gives me something fun to learn about. Most squirrels are confident and sometimes angry around humans, so rabies isn't usually the problem.
I watch Gene Simmons Family Jewels all the time. It's one of my favorites too. He's more than a little arrogant(I actually like that), but he has the right idea with his family life.
-
The Fitness Diva - That's exactly right! I kind of like these mean little squirrels. :)
-
Betchai - I feel even more lucky that the mean little guy finally backed down. :)
-
Adam Lee - This was actually very normal behavior for squirrels, especially forest squirrels like this one. They can be very territorial. :)
-
Kruel - I've never seen that movie. I'll look for that one. There have been many movies I've watched because you mentioned them. Very good ones.
-
The Retired One - Being the alpha in the forest or the jungle is always the best way, unless the animal is much bigger than you. :)
I see KISS every time they come here. The guitar player in my favorite band, Queen, is actually a nature lover too, and he has a blog, with nature photos, that we would all like.
Hi ratty, that is a great post. I had a furious squirrel in my garden. I posted some pictures a while back- they were quite close up- she was flicking her tail at me and giving me this awfully scary stare. Then my boyfriend said to me 'it's going to go for you, you best move back' so I did- because I was scared of being jumped on and bitten! They look cute but I have seen them turn....
ReplyDelete