Thursday, January 21, 2016

January 21 Is Squirrel Appreciation Day

I Have Enjoyed Tree Squirrels Since I Was Young

I first met squirrels when I was about six years old with my mother at the Capitol Park in Sacramento. They were so tame they would come and eat out of my hand. They were tree squirrels. I thought they were cute and always enjoyed seeing them.

Squirrel Appreciation Day


I still always look for them when I'm around trees. I've seen many of them in the oak trees behind Peachy Canyon's Tasting Room On Highway 46 West and Bethel Road in Paso Robles. (Or is it Templeton? It's one of those in between places.) I was unable to  get a photo because the squirrels were moving to the next tree before I could get them in focus. They are very nimble and very quick. They are fun to watch. I support  Squirrel Appreciation Day for tree squirrels most of the time.  The squirrel in the photo above was found in a tree on Oak Lane in Paso Robles.

I Have Mixed Feelings about Ground Squirrels

I continued to enjoy and appreciate squirrels until one summer they destroyed most of my garden, plant by plant, very systematically, until there were no tomato or cucumber plants left. I never saw the culprits, but my husband finally saw the tail of one whisking away one day. Before that we had no idea of what had hit us. These culprits were ground squirrels, and they are very active in our area. I can appreciate how cute they are at Moonstone Beach, where I photographed this one, or almost anywhere but in my garden. Those who venture into my garden, however,  I declare war on.


Squirrel Appreciation Day


This photo is of another ground squirrel who lives inside or under this tree stump at San Miguel Mission. I had fun playing hide and seek with it during a visit to the mission last year. Click the link above to see the rest of the photos. I spent quite a while watching it.


Squirrel Appreciation Day


I loved this photo of two ground squirrels I saw checking each other out at Moonstone Beach in Cambria.

Squirrel Appreciation Day


In case you ever see a tiny ground squirrel that appears to be orphaned and you want to help, my friend Rex Truelove has written this article on Caring for Orphaned Ground Squirrels. I have never run into this problem on my property because the neighbor's cats would have found them before I would have.


Products to Help Fight Squirrels, Learn More About Them, or Express Squirrel Appreciation

Squirrel Traps

If you have a destructive squirrel, you might want to look into one of these traps.  I've been told the Squirrelinator works very well.  Whichever solution you  try, you can expect a tough battle. Before you buy a catch and release type trap, be sure it's legal to release the squirrels in your area. Many areas forbid releasing the squirrels because they aren't appreciated everywhere. They can carry diseases and destroy crops.

Learn more about squirrels or celebrate them.





How do you feel about squirrels? Are you going to celebrate them today?


12 comments:

  1. Your photos are awesome Barb! I really enjoy watching the squirrels in our area too. Most our ours have real attitude and will sass a dog. Actually, we have one that seems to enjoy sitting on the top of the fence and taunting our pups. Crazy squirrel! As long as they don't get too close to each other, I don't mind their little dog and squirrel games.

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    1. I haven't seen squirrels getting sassy with each other or other animals yet, but I know it happens because people have written about it. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

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  2. Great fun for me to see your squirrel pictures taken at Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Brings back fond memories of the many weekends we picnicked and played there. It was one of our favorite places to visit when we lived in Los Osos on the Central California Coast!

    When my son & family moved to Iowa, they discovered black squirrels for the first time. They live in their yard! :)

    Happy 'Squirrel Appreciation Day' to you!

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    1. There are a lot of squirrels at Moonstone Beach. I like them because they pose for me much better than the tree squirrels do.

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  3. I absolutely love having squirrels and chipmunks chattering in my neighborhood. Unfortunately I now live in a small city and don't get that blessing too often. I adore your picture of the squirrel peeking out of the tree stump. That is so cute.

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    1. I had a lot of fun watching that squirrel. Sorry you don't get to see much of the furry critters anymore.

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  4. I know they can be pesky because I have several different species of squirrels in my area including ground squirrels. I still appreciate them and find them worth the trouble they can cause because of their entertainment value. They are so much fun to watch and my dogs are kept busy chasing them.

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  5. We have plenty of squirrels and this morning (as usual) I've been seeing one on the porch as it travels by, outside my window. I think it's trying to figure out a way to get into the bird feeder that we have out there hanging on a shepherd's crook type of pole. I haven't seen the little guy try to jump (the feeder is too far from both the porch and the trees) or climb (if the little guy has ever tried, that obviously didn't work), but I do enjoy watching him/her as it scurries about. There's a pair of them that I see frequently running from tree to tree, up and down, "bouncing" off the trunks as they chase each other and they're just so comical to watch. So yes, despite the sunflowers that they destroyed this past summer in the garden and all the other mischief they tend to get into, I do appreciate the squirrels. Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day to the little critters!

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    1. If I had had a larger garden, I would have been willing to share. But sharing was not enough for them. They wanted it all, and I got tired of working just to provide a squirrel buffet. They didn't even eat the tomatoes. They just cut them off at the ground so they would die.

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  6. Good write thank you for sharing

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  7. You always manage to make me smile. Your pictures are great.

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    1. Thank you. My models weren't very cooperative about posing - especially the ones in the trees.

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