Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Scratchy The Squirrel

There is something I haven't done in a long time now. I haven't brought you any new pictures of squirrels! Well today that's obviously going to change. As you might have guessed by the squirrel in the pictures, I have a squirrel in these pictures.

The amazing part is that the squirrel didn't try to attack me, get angry, or call me any nasty names. It just stayed up there on that branch and let me get these fine pictures. This hasn't been the case at all lately. It seems that for the last month or two every time I try to get any squirrel pictures, all I get is a brown or black blur.

It seems that the light in the forest is just not right for grabbing the images of these little scurriers. I'll bet you never heard that word before. At other times I've been out, there hasn't been much light at all. Just before dawn is probably the worst time to get a picture of anything, much less a sneaky little squirrel.

I just happened to catch this one at the right time of the day. The sun seemed to come through the trees just right to keep everything looking good. The best part is that this lovable little squirrel played its part to perfection. Who could ask for anything more?

Well, it wouldn't hurt if the squirrel would do something fun, would it? The good news is that he did! Look closely at the picture. The little guy is scratching the back of his head! What a great performance! I just love seeing wild animals do stuff like that. Some time I need to show you the picture I have of a deer doing the same thing.

I have to admit something. For awhile I have been in a bit of a rut. I got into the habit of going mostly to the same park, and as a result I began to become bored. I tried doing a few different things and that helped a lot, but then the animals seemed to disappear. No squirrels, no geese, no ducks, no nothing.

That's when I remembered that I needed to mix it up a bit and go to the other nature parks too. I also had to get back to following my eyes again, and not just the camera. Also, most of my recent hikes have given me no pictures worth posting. So I just concentrated on the enjoyment of being there. That seems to have done the trick.

I'm back to getting good pictures, and getting them from all different places. I just had a great day with some very interesting photos and stories to share. I hope to bring these to you in the upcoming days. I also hope I can catch up with a few things here on the world of blogs too. I consider some of my new pictures the best I ever got. I can't wait to show you!

14 comments:

  1. What a cute squirrel, great photos Ratty.

    I think maybe he wasn't scratching behind his ear. I think he was making sure his fur was looking good for the photo session. He seemed to enjoy posing for your camera.

    I have cast my vote. My choice probably wouldn't surprise you all that much.

    SQ

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  2. It is a cute squirrel. On occasion I've seen some beautiful black squirrels in a local park. The more they are around ppl...it seems the less fearful they are.

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  3. Squirrels do have fun and you have fun capturing them to share with us. Do you have chipmunks? They are a fun little creature to watch and enjoy. Thanks

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  4. Excellent squirrel captures... you managed to get this one under perfect light.

    Also, good to hear I'm not the only one who sometimes loses focus of the reason(s) for hiking in the wilderness. If we can't simply enjoy it at a basic fundamental level beyond photography, whats the point?

    Can't wait to see more photos.

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  5. I have read something saying "there are disappointments once there are anticipation". Take it easy, and Nature will tell you what to do next.

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  6. these photos are amazing! they are so clear and the lighting is perfect. great job ratty!

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  7. Cute squirrel photos, Ratty! I love the green around it..Also, I have cast my vote this time!

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  8. Great photography...I enjoy returning to older entries it is like reviewing an album. Keep it up we all enjoy your work.

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  9. That's a gem Ratty, to be able to shoot your enemy off guard scratching its ear! :)

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  10. These shots are wonderful. We have a squirrel that's always doing something outside our windows...industrious little guys.

    peace,
    mike
    livelife365

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  11. I now know how hard is it to get a squirrel picture when I posted you that picture of just trees with a supposed squirrel. They were there and moved so fast...

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  12. We have a squirrel that visits my yard every morning. It loves to sit under our big bay window and munch on what has fallen from the trees the night before. This infuriates our dog! She barks and jumps at the window. That squirrel just sits and stares at her as if to say "Ha Ha you can't catch me". I can never seem to get a good shot of her, so thanks for the pics! Lighting is great and I love the green background. Very appropriate for a mostly tree dwelling creature!

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  13. Aww.. such a cute squirrel. ^__^ Great pics and story Ratty!

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  14. Good thing he wasn't scratching..ummm..something a little more....embarrassing. ha

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