Happy Eating, Mama Squirrel!

   Today, I watched as a very pregnant gray squirrel ate from the seeds that I put out for the birds.  Two thoughts went through my head.  The first was more about a ridiculous statement from the owner of the feed store where Mark bought the sunflower seeds.  The lady told him that "Squirrels won't eat shelled sunflower seeds!"   Either she is delusional or has weird squirrels.  I don't know about her squirrels but Bayou Squirrels eat just about anything they can find and shelled sunflower seeds makes them happier than a mouse in a cheese factory.  In fact, the squirrel left behind the table scraps of fruit and nuts and went straight for the sunflower seeds.  Methinks the feed store owner just wanted to make a sale for the more expensive type of seeds.

  Second thought was geared to the squirrel herself.  Since squirrels usually have their first litter of the season in February or March, this one was close to delivering.  My heart went out to the poor little lady.  Since we are in the midst of some pretty winter-like weather, she has to be fretful about her little ones being born in the midst of an ice storm.  While the female squirrel can make a pretty snug nest, it does leak at times.  Water gets between the twigs and freezes making the whole thing like one big ice cube!  Mama Squirrel will will often go days without eating or leaving the nest just to protect her babes.  The whole load of rearing the young falls upon her.  Nest-building, birthing, feeding and protecting, the mother squirrel does everything.  All the while, the jerk of a male does nothing but go around eating up her stashed food supply and will actually kill the young of competitor males.  Sad to say, I always cheer for the red-tailed hawk when it decides to go after a male squirrel.  Today, my heart went out to Little Mama so I literally made the offer for her to eat as much as she wanted and I would continue to put out more seeds for her.  

The Thatching

  Desperate times call for desperate measures...as the old saying goes.  I never really thought how this might hold true in the critter world until this morning.  While out walking the old dog at daybreak, I noticed something in the marsh.  Some small critter was scampering about as if hunting for something it lost.  At first, the thought of a rice rat crossed my mind since this thing was too small to be a nutria or otter.  Then, a clear view made me realize that it was a squirrel.  I literally laughed out loud at the critter and truly asked it what it was doing down in the marsh.  Of course, the squirrel gave no answer but continued its search.  After a few moments, it came out of the marsh, passed between the dog and me and headed up into the nearby oak tree.  In its mouth, the squirrel was carrying a long tuft of marsh grass.  I watched as she (and I now knew this was a female since she was nest-building) carefully tucked the marsh grass into her nest.  That sweet squirrel was lining her nest to make it more secure against the weather.  She was smart.  Even though that Groundhog Day has come and gone, the squirrel knows weather and she was making preparations for what is to come.  I have never seen a squirrel harvesting marsh grass as they usually stick to the more convenient grasses around the hillside. The thatching process was in full swing, however.  

  This afternoon, that same little squirrel was still busy.  This time, however, she was harvesting a different crop.  Clippings from one of the shrubby bay trees was her plant of choice.  The small tree was quite leafy just yesterday but was nigh on devoid of leaves today.  The little squirrel gnawed through four different branches while I was standing not ten feet from her.  These, she nibbled on for a few moments then toted them up to her cozy nest.  I am not sure if these were intended as a food supply or more nesting material but she was intent with her work.  Perhaps the recent cold spell made her realize that her nest needs attention and she is making good use of today's warm temperature. 

  I am thinking this little squirrel is preparing her nest in time for the March birthing season.  Most squirrels have two breeding seasons with the first little ones being born in early spring (March here).  There will still be cold nights then so Little Mama is padding the nest well. She will also have to stay near her little ones for a while so a food supply will come in handy.  Even if it is twigs to nibble, she will be able to survive.   

One Tired Mama

  How much longer?  Little Mama Gray Squirrel looks exhausted.  Even though she was noticeably pregnant when building her nest, she is now huge.  And tired.  If there is one bunch of critters that exasperates me, it would be male squirrels.  They have to be the laziest and greediest things around!  While Little Mama built the entire nest, gathered seeds and nuts to stow away for later use and made haste to secure the nest, the male did nothing.  Well, nothing except go right behind her and eat what she had so diligently stashed.  Now, Little Mama is almost beyond able to search for food and nothing is where she left it.  She is exhausted and hungry.  

  This morning, Little Mama ventured a good ways away from her nest in the tall pine to see if there may be a morsel left in the bird feeder for breakfast.  This bird feeder dangles from a thin shepherd's hook so accessing it is no easy task even for agile squirrels.  Add a big belly in the mix and it is nigh on impossible.  Little Mama climbed the screen door to see if she could make the ten foot leap to the feeder.  Thankfully, she had second thoughts and sat down to rest while thinking of what to do next.  My heart went out to Little Mama.  She needed help.

  All I had readily available was a bag of oatmeal cookies.  Even though the things tasted terrible to me, they may suffice for a hungry squirrel.  With my hands full of cookies, I eased open the doors and stepped out.  Little Mama eyed me cautiously but made no effort to leave her perch.  I held out a cookie and stood silently.  At first, she was fearful and did not move.  After a bit, I guess hunger got the best of her because she snatched the cookie from my hand and started to nibble.  I laid four more near her and backed away to watch her dine and also keep the greedy males at a distance while she ate.

  Little Mama seemed to fully appreciate the handout and ate all of the cookies.  After stopping to drink a bit of water from the cat bowl, she slowly made her way back to the nest.  It would not surprise me if Little Mama has her babies tonight.  Hopefully, my offerings will help her and also let her know that she is welcome to come back for more.  Sweet Little Mama, I will feed you when I can.  Now go get some much needed rest before you give birth.

Gotta Get Those Chores Done!

  It was instilled in me as a child back on the farm to rise early in the morn, jump right into chores and then kick back a bit in the heat of the day.  Even now, my day starts long before the sun rises.  As the coffee is brewing, laundry is done, cat fed, dog fed and breakfast is made.  Then, as the dog takes his hike down the hill, I go to the pier to watch the sun rise above the pines.  Twenty minutes later, it is back to the house to complete the inside chores before heading to the gardens for a few moments and then on to the major task of redoing the Little Bayou House.  Carpentry work is tiring to me but if I want it done, I need to help.  So goes the day.  Then about 1pm, when the heat of the day starts to get so stifling that it is hard to breathe, I grab my lemonade, iced herbed tea or sweet tea and head to the yard.  There, in the shade of the big black gum tree, I can find a bit of respite in the cooling bay breezes. 

  This downtime also gives me time to observe the happenings of the Bayou and surrounding wooded areas.  Critters don't seem to mind the heat as much and keep on their daily tasks.  This afternoon, a small, female gray squirrel was one busy little camper.  She was building a nest where an oak limb wrapped around a pine tree.  The nest was basically complete but obviously needed a bit of interior design work.  She would scamper up the large oak branch, gnaw off a few twigs, stuff them in her mouth then hustle back to her dwelling.  Inside, she meticulously lined the nest with strips of the leaves.  This is only one layer of the abode.  It all started with some rather large branches that were bent to form a dome.  Then, small but long twigs were woven into a thatched roof.  The sides were filled in with yet other branches.  Two doors were left.  One to be used as the main entrance and the other (a hidden door) as an escape route.  Now that the nest was sturdy  and enclosed, she gathered leaves to line the inner walls.  Each single leaf is tucked into place until the entire inner chamber is covered.  This step is much like shingling a roof but she does the entire inside of her nest. The last step is to be completed tomorrow as she will gather soft grasses to make a bed.  Here, she will give birth to her young and nurse them until they are strong enough to venture out of the nest.  For twelve weeks after giving birth, she will take total responsibility for raising her little family.

  The female squirrel does it all.  She builds the nest and cares for the young.  She, also, gathers and stores nuts, seeds and fruits to tide the little family over during the winter months.  The male...does nothing.  He will even go so far as to steal her stash of winter supplies if she is not careful.  As I watched the little pregnant squirrel build her nest, I gained a new appreciation for her.  She is one hard-working little mama unlike that deadbeat dad.  I guess I had better put out an extra helping of sunflower seeds for her enjoyment.  She deserves it.  She was working hard to get her chores done and she has a pretty important deadline looming ahead of her!

Its a Mom Thing

  Every now and again, even the best moms need a break.  A little "Me Time" is in order just so we can get things in perspective.  This does not mean that we do not adore our roles as mothers nor does it mean that we are not coping well.  It just means that occasionally we have to do something for ourselves so we can be on top of things.  A bit of a break makes us all better mothers than before.  After even a few minutes, we can focus more clearly on our duties.

  I was out near the marsh edge by the old, dead pine tree when I noticed a poor mama doing just that.  She obviously was a good mother but had just been ragged about to wit's end.  She needed a break.  A nice outing was in order so she escaped far enough away to be by herself, yet near enough to be available if the need arose.  

  Mama Squirrel eased her way out of the hole in the dead tree and made her way to one of the only limbs left on the tree.  Here she spread out on the limb to soak in a bit of the bright sunshine.  I watched as she actually dosed a bit.  Poor dear, she must be exhausted.  Since the female squirrel is the sole caregiver for her litter of up to eight babies, it has to be tiring.  She not only has to nurse and clean the little ones, she has to be on constant guard against the many predators that could raid the nest.  This mama was smart.  She had her little ones in an old woodpecker hole high up in the dead tree.  At least here, it would be difficult for a snake, fox, bobcat or even a large hawk or owl to get the babies.  

  I smiled as I thought about Mama Squirrel.  She needed this break....as we all do occasionally.  Then....another thought.  Happy Mother's Day, Mama Squirrel.  I hope you can sneak out for another nap in the warm sunshine tomorrow!