Prior to the raccoon
invasion, we were besieged by a scury of squirrels. No, I didn’t invent the term. Another resource of such trivia and arcane lists
“dray” as the appropriate name for gathered squirrels. Given the option, I prefer scury.
Since the
gaze invasion, we have not seen the resident squirrels. We don’t know if they surrendered the area to
the larger animals or if they were pushed into higher branches and picked off
by raptors. The one thing we are certain
of is that the local scury is not at risk of starvation. Gloria’s bird feeders also provided daily
sustenance for the squirrels.
Raptor
predation may be a viable reason. I
heard an Eastern Screech Owl pair last night around 2200. The local hawk counts remain high enough to
validate raptor predation.
Prior to the
noticed decline in squirrels, Loki would watch the back deck and feeders in a
game of her devising. When a squirrel or
two would dare to set foot on the platform feeder, she would demand to be let
out to chase them. She’s never caught
one, yet. But the possibility is high
enough that it keeps her happy watching the back yard for squirrels. It’s quiet here today and even with my diminished
hearing, I’ve heard two hawks calling today.
Time to reset
the raccoon trap. I caught number four
last night. This morning I painted him
green – only his fur, and sent him to find new habitat.
Cue Kingston Trio!
“gone to acorns, everyone.”
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