FIRST RED SQUIRREL

This was a day of firsts! I spotted this red squirrel sitting on the suet feeder just as the already-poor daylight was dimming into evening. It’s the first time I’ve spotted a red squirrel around here. The feeder is just five inches square so that gives you an idea of this little one’s size. You can see touches of red on his head and tail, so I’ve put a back view of Mr. Red on Flickr to show where he gets the name. Those are suet crumbs flying every which way past his tail. (Wish the lighting had been better.)

Earlier in the day I saw a mourning dove in the yard for the first time. It was eating the spill-over seeds on the ground. (That’s also on Flickr) I also saw the red-bellied woodpecker at a different feeder for the first time. He’s a regular at the suet but not at this seed feeder.

Just before I noticed this tiny red squirrel, the regular-sized brown squirrel was enjoying a feast ON the bird feeder! This was the first time he’d figured out a way to leap to it from the flimsy twigs of the closest bush. Those twigs never quite held him before, so we thought the feeder was safe. I don’t know how he worked it out, but the bush has now been trimmed back. It was an interesting day!