Gimpy Squirrel Update

Hola! I'm pleased to report that the little fella has survived the weekend. The right rear leg seems to be totally useless (broken?) and it also looks like he lost about half of his tail, which doesn't help with his balance issues with the useless leg. However, he's plucky! He's been showing up very early in the morning to feed before the other (bigger) squirrels are around to knock him out of the way. He was out there early Saturday, yesterday and this morning. He's digging around where I throw the bird seed every morning, maybe eating whatever sunflower seeds he can find. I've thrown almonds (in the shell) down there but he doesn't seem to have connected them with "food" yet, and the other squirrels come in and take the almonds as the morning goes on. It doesn't take long! Mr. Gimpy Squirrel also found a hidey-hole amidst the piled-up logs that are laid against the north fence down below the retaining wall by the big tree. I've seen him tuck into an opening between the logs whenever he feels threatened, and then some minutes later if I watch long enough I see his nose peek out! After seeing him do this Saturday morning, I thought he might have taken up residence and I was worried all day - what if it rained (the area can flood if we get a lot of rain). What if a predator comes along? And I was out there with my very noisy and scary gas lawnmower, cutting the grass, and then later on I was down in the area trimming the black berry tree/bush! I was relieved when I saw him out there again, Sunday morning. At first I thought he might be living in that log hidey-hole, but this morning, when it seems he'd had enough to eat (or the competition from the other squirrels was getting to be too much for him), I watched him laboriously climb all the way up one of the tree trunks on the Big Tree to a limb way off the ground, where an old squirrels nest rests (used last season and now abandoned). I saw him go in and not come back out, so I figure he's living there now. It's good to know he's off the ground where he would be easy prey to predators because he can't move very well or quickly. This photo of that limb was taken from my second floor bedroom window, which is below the level of the nest Mr. Gimpy has moved into! The nest is in the high "V" formed by two branches on the right. It is barely visible - it looks like a sort of "hairy lump" in the "V." I hope he makes it. Since losing Mr. Tipsy Squirrel, who made it through a nasty winter only to disappear in April, my heart has been aching. Oh I know it's foolish to get so attached to wild animals - and to squirrels in particular, since many people consider them vermin and/or food! But to see him, so tiny and helpless, and yet he's fighting to survive as hard as he can because he doesn't know how to do anything else, just touches my heart.

Albino Squirrel Sighting!

From Buckinghamshire Free Press.UK

Ghostly white creature makes rare appearance
By James Nadal
6:26pm Wednesday 4th June 2008

A GHOSTLY furry white figure surprised a family when they looked into their back garden.

The Skipp family from Clearbrook Close, Loudwater, were amazed to discover an unusual visitor had crept into their garden for a snack-an albino squirrel.

It was first seen on Monday by Melanie Skipp, 27, and has been spotted every day since. She said: "I was at home on my lunch break and spotted something white and furry in my back garden.

"At first I thought it was a little kitten then realised to my amazement that it was a pure white squirrel with red eyes. I managed to quickly find a camera and take this picture of it.

"It ate some nuts from the bird feeder and then had a quick drink from the bird bath. I was so excited. I think Bill Oddie would be proud."

Although Miss Skipp's photo was blurred, the squirrel can clearly be distinguished.

Albino squirrels are extremely rare - only one in 100,000 are born with the condition which is caused by a gene inherited from the parents. The striking all white red-eyed nut eaters can have grey siblings because the gene is not dominant.

There was a sighting in a village near Ashford, Kent in March this year and there have been reports of others in Hampshire and Berkshire over the last 18 months.

Mother Nora Skipp said: " It turns up around lunch time - it's a late riser. It's certainly smaller than the other squirrels but it held its own against the two grey ones and it was fighting for peanuts. Our next door neighbour has sighted it as well.

"I think he's here to stay. He's found our bird food table and I'm expecting to see him daily. The squirrels all live across the road in Magpie woods and come across from there. It's cute that's for sure."

The unusual animal has a fan club in Texas - the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society - dedicated "to the protection of all squirrels, especially those that are albino."

A Water Skiing Squirrel

I'm not kidding, darlings! Oh, such smart little beings are those squirrels.

USA. Twiggy, the water skiing squirrel, to send safety message at Savannah Boat Show
Thursday, 14 February 2008

As seen in popular movies Anchorman and Dodgeball as well as on David Letterman, Twiggy, the famous water skiing squirrel will appear at the Savannah International Boat Show, February 29-March 2, 2008 at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

Twiggy's owner and trainer, Lou Ann Best, explains that her husband's tragic drowning accident years ago is what prompted her to include the message of water safety in Twiggy's performances. Twiggy now wears a safety jacket when water-skiing and encourages audiences to do the same, in hopes that this message will save the lives others. Recently, Twiggy signed on with Progressive Insurance Company as their official spokesperson on water safety. Lou Ann states, "If we're able to save one life, it's worth it!"

Twiggy will make special appearances throughout the Show. The schedule is as follows:

Friday: 2pm & 5pmSaturday: 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, 5pmSunday: Noon, 2pm & 4pm

Show Information:

What: The Savannah International Boat ShowWhen: February 29-March 2, 2008
Where: Savannah International Trade & Convention CenterWhat Time: Fri: 12-7 p.m. Sat: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sun: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Hey - Twiggy the Water Skiing Squirrel has his (her?) own website!

Squirrels Being Evicted!

Formally on my lunch hour now, my posts here wouldn't be complete without a squirrel story. Slovakia's main airport starts moving out squirrels Sep 11, 2007 BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AFP) — Slovakia's biggest airport Tuesday began relocating ground squirrels near the complex as they were endangering flights by attracting large birds. "We started moving the first animals today," Bratislava airport spokeswoman Zora Kalouskova told AFP, adding that around half of the estimated 1,000-strong ground squirrels could be relocated from fields bordering the airport. The squirrels attracted large birds of prey. This often led to bird hits or caused them to be sucked into the engines of planes either landing and taking off. The ground squirrels will are being relocated to an area about 40 kilometres (25 miles) away where holes have already been dug to house them.