Saturday, June 5, 2010

Back To The Forest

It's time for me to go back to the forest. It seems as if I've been out of this comfortable home of mine for quite some time. The forest is the place I go to feel at peace. It may be the only place I really feel alive. All of my problems melt away when I'm surrounded by the dark cool cover of so many trees. And my friends are all there waiting for me.

When I got well and good inside this quiet forest I saw an animal shape in front of a fallen log off to my left. It looked like it might be a squirrel of some kind, so I knew I had found my first friend of the day. Upon closer inspection I discovered that this creature was much bigger than any tree squirrel, and after a closer look I discovered that my new friend was a Groundhog. The first one I've ever seen inside the forest.

After walking for at least another mile I happened upon some true tree squirrels this time. Oh sure, a groundhog is actually a type of squirrel too, but as its name suggests, it's a ground squirrel. The tree squirrels are the ones with the attitudes that I like so well. I like all the others, but I have a special feeling for these little devils.

The particular tree squirrels I found here were two Black Squirrels that were chasing each other around a tree. The forest was actually very dark here, but it looked brighter high up in the trees. I like to call black squirrels the ninjas of the forest. A ninja dresses in dark colors to conceal himself and he moves like a ghost. A black squirrel does much the same thing in his forest home. Very hard to see, and even harder to photograph. You might want to click on the photo to get a better look.

And then it took me almost my whole trip through to finally get a picture of this little guy. It was almost as soon as I got in the forest that I heard the scurrying sounds all around me. They almost never ceased as I walked for miles through this place. There might have been thousands of these creatures, but they hid themselves very well.

I caught a few glimpses of these Chipmunks along the way, but they were always too fast for my camera. That is until this little one stopped just long enough for me to get this picture. Chipmunks are actually also a type of squirrel. All three of these creatures that I've shown are members of the Sciuridae family, which is the technical name for squirrels.

There were other creatures out here with me, but the squirrels were the ones I encountered most often. I'm glad they were because they are some of the most sociable animals there are. And for some reason the squirrels of this particular forest seem to have grown a little bigger than I usually see. It must be a good place to call home.

14 comments:

  1. A groundhog may be a type of squirrel but it's not as cute. I can relate to that feeling you get when you're in the forest. It's nice to have a place to go that can make you feel that way.

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  2. My backyard is enough of a forest for me, Ratty! I saw a baby possum this morning, but I have no camera with me! It made my hair stood up. You're brave..

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  3. Going "home" to where we feel the most alive, and perhaps, the most at peace is always worthwhile. Nice traveling along with you the AM. Thanks.

    bill:www.wildramblings.com

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  4. The groundhog has just transformed into a piece of wood. It will come alive once you turn away.

    Count 1,2,3 and turn back immediately. You will be surprised.

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  5. The black squirrels are fun, aren't they only found in a few areas?I saw some in KS.Nice post.

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  6. last saturday was the very first time i was successful in taking picture of a tree squirrel, only that it was not in the forest of the mountain, but in the city forest :( i've never been lucky yet to get a tree squirrel out really in the true wilderness

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  7. Your "Forest" is full of critters Ratty! Maybe you will see baby Groundhogs someday.

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  8. I'm learning so much here Ratty. And, like you I feel most refreshed and at peace while in my gardens with the flowers, trees and critters. The squirrels have become my buddies.

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  9. Quite the squirrely post you've got today! Great photo of the black squirrels - I can only imagine how hard they must be to take photos of. My human needs to get out more in nature. Even though we're in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the US, we are not far from a wonderful desert forest. When she's home too much, she gets on the nerves of us cats.

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  10. You are certainly in your element in the forest, Ratty. The squirrels are so cute. The ground hog looks huge by comparison. I almost thought it was a big rat ( no offense,
    Ratty )....oh, Icy, once we had a possum on the neighbor's fence, with their dog barking away at it...did he ever look scary, hanging there!

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  11. Wow..you had a party out there with the critters today, Ratty! Good for you...!
    We haven't gone out in the woods for a few weeks and I am missing it! I gotta go out there tomorrow! :0}

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  12. I agree Ratty, there is nothing more relaxing than spending time in the forest. It looks like you had a good day for critter sightings. Great shot of the ground hog, he's a good looking fellow.

    I got a giggle from Icy & Carmen's comments. We have a possum who make nightly rounds through our backyard. He doesn't bother anyone and occasionally we see his family members.

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  13. i am from Philippines. one of my hobbies is mountaineering i really admire animals in the wild. i enjoy watching your pictures in your site.

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  14. I actually thought I saw a beaver there in the 1st pic. So this is the groundhog. They sure do look alike. =D Nice to see three species of squirrels with different attitudes. It's my 1st time seeing a black squirrel I think. But the thought of getting stalked by thousands of chipmunks sure sounds scary. =D

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