COP 27 - American Red Squirrel - Snow - Birds

 ".....the signs tell us that the dying birds are the canaries in the coal mine; there's poison in the air, and we'll be next."

Graeme Gibson

COP 27 Climate Conference, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt

General tenor of  discussions - Blah, blah, blah.

Deal reached on emissions reduction? - No.

(The inclusion of the powerful lobby of the fossil fuel industry was akin to having invited bank robbers into the vault).

Promises made - many.

Will they be kept? - very unlikely.

The clock continues to tick and we now have eight billion people to place demands on the earth's resources. 

We are doomed!

American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

     Truly, a very appealing little squirrel. Its generic name is interesting, meaning "the steward who sits in the shadow of his tail", the specific epithet is self-explanatory.

     This feisty little creature is about half the size of a grey squirrel, yet never backs down from a quarrel and seems always to come out on top in the event of a conflict. It is an enduring myth that the red squirrel castrates its larger cousin, but in reality actual conflict rarely occurs.

     It scolds everyone and everything that intrudes on its domain and if it has concluded that your backyard is within its territory will hector you noisily and incessantly as soon as you take a seat on the patio.

     With patience you can coax a grey squirrel into eating from your hand, but I have never succeeded with a red squirrel. I am quite sure they would rather starve than make such a concession to humans!

     Clinton Merriam said of the American Red Squirrel, "His inquisitiveness, audacity, inordinate assurance, and exasperating insolence, together with his insatiable love of mischief and shameless disregard of all the ordinary customs and civilities of life, would lead one to believe that he was little entitled to respect."

     Despite this, we are very fond of this little creature and cherish its spunky nature. It's always a pleasure to see it skitter through a patch of autumn leaves; in reality one of the rewards of being a naturalist.

     It is a regular guest in our yard (in fact it probably thinks of us as intruders).

     On the birch.....

     ..... down in the periwinkle

     .....sitting on the back of a chair

     ..... or just going for a stroll.

     American Red Squirrels moult twice a year, wearing two distinct coats, the only constants being the prominent white eye ring and tawny tail.

     Their diet is comprised almost exclusively of seeds and nuts. They are incredibly efficient at gathering and storing food, and much of their time is devoted to this activity.

     In areas where the two co-exist the principal enemy of the red squirrel is the Pine Marten (Martes americana) whose agility enables it to pursue the squirrel through the tree tops. A range of hawks capture their share of squirrels. Owls will not pass up the opportunity to add a squirrel to their diet, but since most owls are nocturnal they are not a serious threat.

     We are fortunate to share our world with this little rodent whose endearing personality is undeniable, like a grumpy old uncle - you know he's grumpy but you love him anyway.

Snow

     Our whole region has had considerable snow recently, although nowhere near the levels endured in the Buffalo, NY, USA area, a mere hour and a half's drive from here. There, parts of the city and its suburbs have been virtually entombed.

     It's hard to believe that just over a week ago we were sitting outside having afternoon tea on the deck. Mea culpa, I neglected to bring the chairs in, or even fold them up, but it does serve to show you how much snow we received. 

     I could tell Miriam that I left them out for this very purpose, but her eyes would roll so far back in her head she might be permanently disabled. 

Our Backyard, Waterloo, ON

    We did attempt a foray out into the countryside but the snow was drifting in areas where trees failed to form a windbreak, so we abandoned our quest and returned home.

     The following pictures are from the backyard, with not much commentary needed from me.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) - from the file

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) - from the file

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) - from the file

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

     The main impact of the snowstorm is over and we drove to New Hamburg to meet friends for lunch today without any driving difficulties, so we'll be out and about tomorrow to see what we can bring you next time.