Although called eastern grey squirrels, these mammals come in a few colour phases. The typical phases are black, grey and brindle…brindle? A brownish or tawny color of animal fur, with streaks of other color if you didn’t know:) I call her Brey, brownish grey! This rather ample mama squirrel is not shy. She has figured out the mewberries think she might be a bit large to take on and it looks like she has lots of sharp pointy teeth! She is a ham, shaped like one anyway!
The rest of these large rodents in the yard are all black! The average lifespan of eastern grey squirrels is around 6 years of age, less when there are owls involved 0_0! They can bury hundreds of nuts and seeds. Although great at burying food, they aren’t so great at remembering where they buried it! When cached food is not found, it will germinate. That explains the bunches of sunflower sprouts coming up in my vegetable garden!
The other small rodent we have running about is the adorable Eastern Chipmunk-did you know the name “chipmunk” probably comes from the Ojibwe word ᐊᒋᑕᒨ ajidamoo (or possibly ajidamoonh, the same word in the Ottawa dialect of Ojibwe), which translates literally as “one who descends trees headlong.” It should have been, “small one, not very bright that gets chased by cats”…we try to keep the Mewberries away from them but some of them are just not, very, smart. Do not descend the tree straight into the waiting jaws of a large orange cat…Chipmunk with a death wish.
The eastern chipmunk can climb trees well, but constructs underground nests with extensive tunnel systems, often with several entrances. Chipmunks are quite vocal. When walking in the woods people do not always realize that they are hearing chipmunks, for some of the cries that chipmunks make are like birds chirping! The vocal repertoire of the chipmunk consists of five more or less stereotyped sounds: the chip, the chuck, the trills, the whistle or squeal, and chatter! That’s more than some people I know;)
They seem to eat, bathe and chirp…;)
Emphasis on eating, those cheeks! Wow!
The cheeky red squirrels have all run off into the forest for the summer they will have to wait until Fall! Now, speaking of furry creatures, we had a wonderful outing to the barn with the Lanark County Photo Club to visit the miniature donkeys, price of admission, one bag of carrots. I didn’t realize they were Sicilian…”Bring the carrots…or else!” Jennifer was kind enough to let us visit and pamper them in the field. I think a few folks there wanted to take one home! Yes Linda, you do have room! Ha!
They are a treat to visit, something so gentle about them, they nudge you, but don’t get aggressive! More pets please! Sicilian donkeys arrived in Sicily via their native North Africa. Throughout the world, these hardy little equids carry people and goods and pull carts. Remains of domestic donkeys have been found dating to around 4000 BCE in Egypt. The ancestors of the Sicilian donkey originated in North Africa, eventually shipped to the Italian island. Once in Sicily, they carried water from local wells to homes and were used as pack animals. Sicilian peasants also used them for turning grinding stones for grain. Now, they just get to be pampered pets here! Lucky little carrot stuffed donkeys!
Stay tuned next for a fabulous sunrise, I’ll leave you with a peak, and the rain and heat have brought out the mushrooms! Fungi galore, sounds like a James Bond girl name;)Ha! Saludos amigos! Summer is here!
