squirrel pictures

Still shots of birds and squirrels

/ Roadtirementvintage / 23 Comments
On a cold but sunny day we had quite a bit of wildlife activity in the backyard.

Dove and squirrel

A variety of birds

Two squirrels munching away

Blackbirds congregating

Puffed up staying warm

Watching the wildlife in our backyard is one of those special activities we enjoy when we’re not out on the road. With the temperatures in the teens and snow on the ground, it is a tad bit uncomfortable to sit outside. Our backdoor has provided a decent enough window to both observe and allow for some camera work. Hope you enjoyed the images.

A shade of red in that squirrel’s tail

/ Roadtirementvintage / 46 Comments

The gray squirrels we always see

We see lots of gray squirrels in our area of Indiana. Within the past week we have seen several squirrels that have a noticeable reddish color to their tails and along the center of their backs. Their coats are not red like the red squirrels we saw at our son’s house in Austin when we visited a couple of weeks ago.

Note the red color of the tail

These are not red squirrels. Reds and grays are two different species, and are incompatible for cross breeding. Reds have much more red coloring all over their bodies. These grays have gotten some reddish tints in their tails and their backs. Anybody seen these kinds of colorations in your area’s populations?

Some folks like squirrels. Others think they are just “tree rats”. I’ve heard it said that squirrels are nothing more than rats with a good Public Relations Department…

Suet yourself

/ Roadtirementvintage / 17 Comments

Hanging on an empty corn cob on a large nail is our new backyard suet cage. Soon after the debut of this wildlife feeding device a resident squirrel showed up. He really wasn’t thrilled with this “not corn” thing.


He finally moved on, leaving the suet to the birds.

Peeking around the tree

/ Roadtirementvintage / 18 Comments

Sher and I were enjoying our new yard swing, which is sitting about 25 feet away from the tree where we have the bird feeder hanging. She spotted this young squirrel peeking out from behind the tree. This squirrel was not used to having two humans swinging in a weird contraption so close to where it likes to find ears of corn and sunflower seeds.

Hunting for and finding some tasty morsels

/ Roadtirementvintage / 25 Comments

We have been putting ears of field corn out on a couple of trees in the backyard. It has been fun watching the squirrels working the corn. They of course knock kernels off the cob, and some are consumed right away. However, most of the kernels were buried, most within about a 30′ radius around the trees.

This little guy was digging up corn kernels today. There has been over an inch and a half of rain in the last 24 hours. Digging up the kernels resulted in very muddy snacks for sure. It was fun watching him dig a kernel up, wipe the mud off and eat. We have enjoyed seeing squirrels burying corn, today we saw this one returning to and excavating a treat or two.

Backyard visitor

/ Roadtirementvintage / 10 Comments

I was enjoying sitting outside with a cup of coffee in the backyard this morning. Beautiful sunny day, temps approaching 80, and a lot of birds to watch at the feeder.

Then this young squirrel decided to join the birds in the yard. He hopped around for quite a while, and was still there when I went in. In the foreground is the Black Cherry sapling that we got from the DNR giveaway trees program. We are fortunate to have a nice yard where we can watch the wildlife and have space for gardening.

Remember to keep doing the things that keep you safe!