Squirrel On The Road

Another rainy day, but the squirrels came out to play. I saw this squirrel out on the road right after another big rainstorm. It was just sitting there eating a nut. I'm sure many of you have seen all sorts of creatures in the middle of the road before. Not a good place to be. But this one was odd for some reason.

It was partially because of the squirrel's behavior. It was just so casual as it sat there as I came barreling down the road. It didn't seem to care at all that I was coming. Of course I stopped to watch it in plenty of time. But the fact that I was able to do this before it even bothered to look up was odd.

Now this next picture is the other odd thing about this squirrel that I found interesting. The light on this very cloudy and stormy day was just right so the squirrel cast no shadow in the picture. Take a closer look by either clicking on the picture with your mouse wheel or by holding down Ctrl and then clicking. That will open it up full size for you.

The lighting effect makes the picture look fake. It looks strangely like I added the squirrel later. But that is not what happened at all. The squirrel is really on the road. This odd effect is the reason I noticed these pictures. I thought this one looked fake, but I was really there, waiting patiently while this squirrel finished its snack.

After what seemed like forever, the squirrel finally looked up and saw me. Maybe it could have been deaf, but I'm sure it would have felt the rumble on the road. It was a strange day, so I'm sure it's not normal behavior for this little guy.

Now take a closer look at this photo. This time you can see the squirrel's shadow because he's standing up. I just wanted to point this out because I emphasized so much before that the other picture looked fake. I may like to say, "Never trust a rat." But I always tell you later if I was trying to trick you. That's what makes it fun.

So the squirrel made it safely to the side of the road and ran into the forest. I drove slowly by just in case. And it was all over. Later I saw a flock of the biggest blue jays I had ever seen, but the darkness of the afternoon sky, and their shyness about the camera gave me no good pictures. Another day, another adventure.


Nature Center Magazine - Crows and ravens. Some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. But do you know how intelligent? Maybe they're almost as intelligent as us. Who knows? They could be the next rulers of the world! Come take a look at a video that demonstrates it.