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I have been in the newspaper and website business for over 40 years. I am a fan of NASCAR and saltwater fishing. I graduated from Westminster High School and attended Frederick Communty College. I was a member of National Press Photographers Association, Eastern Motorsports Press Association, Carroll County Oldtimes Baseball Association and AP Photo Managers. I am retired now. I would appreciate any comments or just to let me know you stopped by, thanks!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Squirrels











Squirrels have been called rodents with bushy tails, a name they have worked hard to earn, but they are fun to watch. The squirrels at our house must have an alarm in the bird feeder. They seem to arrive within minutes when the feeders are filled.
Last year I picked up a bucket of walnuts. I put them next to the house to dry for a couple of days in the sun. Yeah, right. I went back three days and two-thirds of the nuts were gone.
The bucket was surrounded by pieces of shells. I never got a thank you card for collecting the nuts.
The squirrels have damaged bird houses hanging around the house. They have eaten at the hole so they can get in. There is an image of a squirrel at work and another of the damage. I will replace the front of the houses next month before the birds arrive.
We watch them jump from tree to tree to arrive at the bird feeder or the front porch. They love the cat food on the porch and the cat watches them eat the food. She chases chipmunks from the food, but squirrels are another matter.
The squirrels can be seen trying to find new ways to get into the bird feeders. They like to dump out the sunflower seed feeder. I now have the top wired shut which has stopped the dumping, but they still try and I am sure they will figure it out.
They were fun to watch after the big snow. They were no where to be found while the flakes were falling.
When the snow stopped, they went to work. They dug a tunnel from the base of a tree to the bird feeder. The first time I saw one pop-up, I wasn't quite sure what I saw.
I had never saw squirrels dig a tunnel before. You can see the tunnel in a few of the images. I guess they have a little Steve McQueen in them.