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My father was the sixth of seven children growing up on a farm in Montgomery County. Evening meals were free-for-alls with a flurry of fast hands, long arms and sharp elbows determining who got every morsel up to the last biscuit.
As next to the youngest, my dad was at a distinct disadvantage. He eventually learned to hold his own, but he was a skinny child who really didn't begin to put on much weight until he joined the Navy.
Somehow the appearance of this little red squirrel last spring reminded me of those old stories about life on the farm. Last April, the little guy began to hang out around the bird feeder with the neighborhood fox squirrels that gather to look for fallen sunflower seeds.
Fox squirrels are about twice the size of red squirrels, and they typically run the tinier rodents out of town. The big guys were pretty successful for awhile, biting the little guy on the rump and furiously chasing him around the yard.
The red squirrel was pretty quick, though. And he was pretty clever, too, eventually figuring out a way to scrounge for birdseed along with the others.
The tubular raccoon baffle attached to the birdfeeder provided the little red guy just what he needed to compete. He would run up the post time and again to seek sanctuary in the baffle, which provided just enough room for him to hide from the larger squirrels. When the coast was clear, he would return for another bite.
The story conjures up a variety of morals and a joke or two, but I like it most simply because watching wildlife is fun --- whether it is from a trail deep in the woods or just in your own backyard.
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Stephen Sellers, editor
