Blogs by Patricia Hilliard
A Realistic Rodent
3/28/2019 2:40:15 PM
Squirrels, they shall always be with us.
I can see why some people believe in reincarnation. They've spent some time with Squirrels.
As I look out my kitchen window, I see a squirrel trying to figure out how to get to the bird seed in my bird feeder. Every winter it's the same. A squirrel tries and succeeds to get to the bird seed. Word gets out and soon every squirrel in the neighborhood knows how to get the seed. And after a few weeks, I give in to a compromise. If I put out peanuts, the squirrels will leave the bird seed alone. This is a less expensive way to feed birds.
Squirrels all look the same. From one year to the next I can't see any difference. They multiply quickly, so there is never a shortage, no matter how many times the Red-tailed Hawk and the Cooper's Hawk visit my backyard and devour a few squirrels. They return.
That's how they reincarnate. The eternal life of the clever squirrel. A realistic rodent that makes the best of every situation. They figure everything out and find new ways to survive. One of their survival strategies is their reproductive capabilities. They enjoy quick sex and they have at least two litters of kits a year.
You have to admire the little critters. They have big eyes and hands, almost human, but a little bit smarter. Squirrels will be around regardless of how long the human species lasts. My belief is, I'll even see squirrels in the afterlife. It doesn't get any better than that.
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More Blogs by Patricia Hilliard
• Snowy Weekend - Monday, January 26, 2026
• Water Everywhere and Not A Drop to Drink - Friday, November 15, 2024
• The Writing Life - Sunday, August 18, 2024
• The Sad History of Nature in Our Town - Tuesday, July 16, 2024
• After 200 years, Bald Eagles appear. - Thursday, April 6, 2023
• Bird Seedy - Wednesday, March 9, 2022
• Dehumanized Humans and Wildlife - Sunday, June 20, 2021
• Discrimination in the World of Bird Watching - Friday, June 11, 2021
• Big Day Bird Count 2021 - Monday, May 10, 2021
• Plant a Pollinator Garden - Sunday, February 28, 2021
• Bird Watching during the Covid-19 Pandemic. - Friday, February 5, 2021
• Clapping for Clapper Rails - Saturday, July 11, 2020
• Beginners and Enders - Monday, November 18, 2019
• Change is the only Constant - Saturday, July 6, 2019
• Sports and Global Warming - Thursday, May 9, 2019
• A Realistic Rodent - Thursday, March 28, 2019
• Bald Eagles Again - Monday, February 18, 2019
• Birds and Words - Thursday, December 20, 2018
• Big Day Bird Walks - Saturday, October 6, 2018
• Nature Therapy--It Works! - Sunday, May 27, 2018
• 2017 A Better Year than Expected - Monday, December 11, 2017
• What the Warbler Migration has Taught Me - Monday, November 27, 2017
• Irony: How a loss of habitat occurs and why. - Tuesday, July 11, 2017
• Bald Eagles Return - Monday, May 8, 2017
• King Rail in Bayonne NJ - Thursday, August 21, 2014
• Snowy Owl Olympics in New Jersey, USA - Saturday, February 15, 2014
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