Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Mammals - Squirrel Page 29

Image Taken on 05 Sep 2014 at 18:58 Image of day on 17 Nov 2014

Most Grey squirrels have fairly uniform fur on their tails - mostly grey with streaks & areas of black and brown. But this individual has a lovely white brown and black mottled tail that from some angles gives the impression of rings down the length.

Ref: 20141117_e64_20140905_1858_034_fb2 grey squirrel with multi-ringed & mottled tail (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Nov 2019 at 13:32 Image of day on 31 Dec 2019

Ever since we started cutting up the banana skins, instead of making a horrid mess all over the place, or just needing to be composted, it all now gets eaten, mainly by Grey Squirrels!

Ref: 20191231_e63_20191126_1332_087_fb1 grey squirrel with piece of banana skin(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 May 2021 at 17:32 Image of day on 23 Jun 2021

Definitely a MALE Grey Squirrel - his 'personal equipment' raring to go.
We understand that many similar species' gonads vary in size annually.

Ref: 20210623_e64_20210528_1732_112_fb2 grey squirrel with prominent gonads attacking another(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 12 Sep 2021 at 12:26 Image of day on 23 Oct 2021

Who has been painting the sides of our Grey squirrels orange?
Most of the Squirrels have soft edge brown patches on their flanks, just one is unusually orange all over (NOT a 'Red' squirrel), but this one has an atypically sharp line along the body and down the rear leg with quite intense colour.

Ref: 20211023_e63_20210912_1226_250_fb1 grey squirrel with pronounced orange markings (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Jan 2011 at 15:54 Image of day on 01 Mar 2011

4 days later (in a new year but we are sure the squirrel doesn't know or care) it is more ambitious and has a quarter of an apple in it's mouth!

Ref: 20110301_d35_20110102_1554_023_fb4 grey squirrel with quarter of an apple in mouth (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Apr 2022 at 18:57 Image of day on 07 Jun 2022

For years we have been putting dead mice on this tree-stump, only to see Squirrels completely ignoring them, and Magpies (previously Jackdaws) taking them away.
Not having recently caught anything other than live mice (released elsewhere) we suddenly get this single image of a Squirrel apparently swallowing some sort of rodent we are sure we didn't leave there.
A WWW search indicates that Squirrels prefer nuts and seeds but will eat a rodent if they can catch one. But our experience suggests that it will not eat them as carrion.

Ref: 20220607_d36_20220429_1857_053_fb4 grey squirrel with rodent in mouth (crop 2 with 2x insert)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Oct 2017 at 17:14 Image of day on 16 Nov 2017

A silly montage of most likely the same Squirrel in action (right image came first) and a quarter of an our later nibbling what is left of the food. We like the latest 'layering effect' of the fur.

Ref: 20171116_e64_20171009_1714_039+1657_036_fb2 grey squirrel with ruffled fur & landing after leap (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Oct 2019 at 09:30 Image of day on 27 Nov 2019

The un-withered leaves on this 'bunch of Sloe berries' suggests that the Grey Squirrel has broken this off itself.

Ref: 20191127_e63_20191008_0930_085_fb1 grey squirrel with sprig of sloe berries in mouth(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Sep 2019 at 12:00 Image of day on 15 Nov 2019

We don't remember seeing a Grey Squirrel collecting sticks before. This stick was gone from the site in the next frame.
Their Dreys are made of twigs interwoven with soft materials, so they must collect twigs. Its just we have never caught it on camera before.

Ref: 20191115_e63_20190922_1200_181_fb1 grey squirrel with stick in mouth & carried away(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Feb 2022 at 09:19 Image of day on 26 Mar 2022

Strawberries for the Squirrels?
It's us that must be nuts!

Ref: 20220326_d36_20220226_0919_034_fb4 grey squirrel with strawberry top in mouth(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Jan 2018 at 14:51 Image of day on 08 Mar 2018

A Carrot top now at the mercy of a Grey squirrel.

Ref: 20180308_d36_20180127_1451_059_fb4 grey squirrel with top of carrot in mouth(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Nov 2017 at 07:21 Image of day on 08 Dec 2017

Surely there can't be many more corn cobs for the Grey squirrels to find from the harvested and re-sown field.

Ref: 20171208_e64_20171101_0721_112_fb2 grey squirrel with uneaten segment of corn cob(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Oct 2014 at 17:40 Image of day on 17 Dec 2014

We have suddenly clued in to Grey squirrels having a partly developed 'thumb' on their fore-paws. They have 5 claws on the hind paws (feet) and 4 claws plus 'thumb' on the front paws (hands). We don't find the 'thumb' at all well represented in ID book drawings, and some even get the digit counts the wrong way round for front and rear paws.

Ref: 20141217_d36_20141002_1740_019_fb4 grey squirrel with view of paws with poorly developed thumb(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Aug 2014 at 10:25 Image of day on 05 Nov 2014

This Grey Squirrel sports the 'punk' fur look in the rain. Looks really uncomfortable but the lure of the freshly filled peanut feeder is irresistible!

Ref: 20141105_d5c_20140826_1025_011 grey squirrel with wet fur in spikes in the rain(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Sep 2013 at 16:22 Image of day on 22 Nov 2013

This carrot must be bigger than the entire alimentary canal of the grey squirrel!

Ref: 20131122_d36_20130917_1622_041_fb4 grey squirrel with whole carrot in mouth (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Sep 2011 at 08:29 Image of day on 15 Nov 2011

A great crop of pine cones this year (in fact getting more every year so far as the trees mature) and such opportunities are not lost on the squirrels, probably taking them off to bury in their winter cache.

Ref: 20111115_d35_20110929_0829_082_fb4 grey squirrel with whole pine cone in mouth(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Oct 2021 at 17:36 Image of day on 01 Dec 2021

The Saga of the ill-fastened peanut feeder lid continues. We try to jam the top on - then Squirrels spend ages trying to wheedle their way in. This time one succeeded - on the right the Squirrel is holding two of the nuts won from displacing the lid.

Ref: 20211201_e60_20211016_1736_036+20211017_1026_045_fb3 grey squirrel works top off peanut feeder next day eating 2 nuts (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Jan 2020 at 09:12 Image of day on 18 Feb 2020

The comfy way to eat peanuts from this feeder - wrap yourself around it and scrape away at the nuts.
For a couple of years we have been unable to use these feeders because all 'wildlife' peanut supplies have been so small that the Squirrels would empty the feeders in a day, simply pulling the nuts out through the holes.

Ref: 20200218_d5c_20200126_0912_082 grey squirrel wrapped around peanut feeder(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Jun 2023 at 17:47 Image of day on 08 Aug 2023

A young Grey Squirrel already practising leaping at some corvid just out of frame.

Ref: 20230808_e63_20230613_1747_188_fb1 grey squirrel youngster chasing off (probably) rook(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Oct 2022 at 16:42 Image of day on 22 Nov 2022

This Grey Squirrel either prefers or put-up-with' cooked potato peel.

Ref: 20221122_e64_20221016_1642_334_fb2 grey squirrel youngster eating strip of potato peel from paws(r+mb id@768).jpg

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