NASA aims
Monday March 17th 2014, 10:46 pm
Filed under: Wildlife

(That title is a pun for the locals. And the peaches, they are growing by the day–click on the photo for a closer look if you want.)

A very loud aircraft was suddenly somewhere very near this afternoon and the birds, who usually ignore such things, took flight.

The big, aggressive fox squirrels have tiny ears set way back. And so the big forward ears on the small gray squirrel under the feeder conveyed to me that she was as much the shy retiring type as such things ever are.

And when that loud penetrating rumble started up she turned right around and faced the clear source of that angry sound: me.

She held her paws together tightly in front as if clutching a handbag. Frozen in place.

The birds flitted back and started heedlessly flinging little pings of safflower seeds and hulls down around the little squirrel; they bounced around her on this side and that, just missing (boing!) again and again.

Finally one made a direct hit on her tail.

There was no response, no startle or sudden distraction of tail-cleaning, just a continued steadfast staring at me.

And then I stood up to go do something a moment and she leaped high with a twisting sideways bounce in a way they only do when a predator is right on them–but then in the rest of the run to the tree there was this slowing-down of oh, right…it’s Feederfiller. I remember her… All stomp no chomp.

And I went back to my sweater project, clutching my purls myself.


2 Comments so far
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those peaches are coming right along! Spring is finally coming here — looks like I’ll have a few daffodils and the iris are showing signs of life!!

Comment by Bev 03.18.14 @ 9:14 am

Feederfiller. Cute. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your wild kingdom.

Comment by Channon 03.18.14 @ 6:32 pm



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