GREY SQUIRREL ON THE GARDEN FENCE

I had a lovely surprise this morning when I got up and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee; a beautiful squirrel was making its way along the fence towards the kitchen window.  I grabbed my camera which still had the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens attached and aimed.  Although the photographs were taken through a less than pristine window, I managed to get several decent shots.  The squirrel was, at one point watching me.  I suppose it was trying to figure out what the camera was.  I think it's a female, judging by what appear to be teats in the shot where she is holding onto the wooden fence-post ball.   





Squirrel on my fence - 'here's looking at you, kid.'

I don't know what she's got hold of but she's hanging onto it very tightly. Squirrels are very fond of acorns, the nut of the oak tree.  It's rather odd, you know, because during autumn I often seen oak tree leaves in my garden but I cannot see an oak tree nearby.  I am surrounded by ash trees but oak tree leaves are so distinctive that you would think I would be able to spot an oak tree through them. 

Squirrel on my fence, holding onto something very tightly.

 I will never understand why people dislike squirrels.  I am quite happy to feed them along with the birds and they don't eat half so much as the wood pigeons and collared doves that frequent my garden.  Why would anyone want to make squirrels face starvation during harsh winters?

The squirrel is checking me out through my kitchen window. 

 In profile, it is easy to see why people refer to them as tree rats but I like rodents of all kinds. 





In profile, it is easy to see why squirrels are classified as rodents.

They belong to the Sciuridae family of small rodents.

National Geographic article on squirrels (external link)