Monday, December 7, 2009

Backyard Cafe

Hungry Squirrel - Nikon D40 with telephoto lens

I'm sitting at my desk, the windows open because the weather is gorgeous, and I hear a sound like someone is tossing pebbles. Now, our yard is covered with fallen pine needles because we are surrounded by eighty-foot pine trees and we've had three days of storms to blow everything across the lawn. So, there's a nice carpet of pine needles onto which something is tossing pinecone shards. I look up to see one of the two squirrels who live in our trees sitting about forty feet up the tree, working on a pinecone like it's corn on the cob. Click on that picture and take a look at that little dude.

Leftovers, Nikon D40 with telephoto lens

And this is what's littered on the ground underneath the pine tree. He peeled every petal, or whatever, off those pinecones, ate the seed, and tossed it on the ground. Then he chucked the remnants of the pinecones, picked clean, right after them.

But do you think he'd come down and clean up after himself? Of course not. If I didn't know better, I'd think the little rascal actually pointed at me and laughed.

5 comments:

Luthien Thye said...

oh ... how lovely!! these must be some of the last days they'll be seen in the cafe :) aren't they supposed to be gathering nuts and hiding them and going to sleep already?? that's what the cartoons always tell us ... ;P

Chris said...

luthien - ha! I wish! These little monsters wreak havoc 365 days a year. It never gets cold enough down here to send them in to hibernation. They especially love to run and up down the screening of our pool cage, tearing holes in it.

Anonymous said...

OMG!! This is too adorable!! I love how you captured the little guy and his leftover crime scene! ;-)

Chris said...

Sharon - it's actually pretty funny to watch them kamikaze-jump from tree to tree, branches springing back and forth, catapulting them into the woods. Wild Kingdom around here some days.

Anonymous said...

I'll bet it is! We have this one squirrel who constantly goes after the bird feeder but he swings upside down like a trapeze artist to do it - too funny and totally entertaining!!