I missed it. I didn’t notice it was Squirrel Appreciation Day yesterday until it was too late.
I like squirrels, although they’re not exactly my favourite little rodent. That would honour would probably go to the flying squirrel, although the chipmunk would be a close second. And that’s probably only because you tend not to see flying squirrel very often.
There are a lot of different types of squirrels around. I have heard reports of black and grey squirrels around, but they seem to be few in number. There were stories that they were hitching rides on trucks from Ontario, where they tend to outnumber red squirrels in a lot of areas. Probably just because they are larger and more aggressive. Not that red squirrels can’t tend to be aggressive.
That’s probably why I like chipmunks a bit more than squirrels. While a squirrel will demand to be fed and yell at you to do so, chipmunks tend to be a bit more relaxed. They still want food, they just don’t yell about it quite as much.
And flying squirrels are even better. If you don’t see them, you wouldn’t even know they’re around.
It was only fairly recently that I knew I had them around, when I saw one on a feeder at night. They’re quick and fairly quiet, but really not exactly shy. While they’re not friendly with humans, I have had them run over me a few times on their way to the feeder.
There are two types of flying squirrel in Nova Scotia. The southern flying squirrel is a bit more rare, but I have seen one or two. They don’t wear name tags, so it’s hard to keep track. But on one particular evening I had both a northern and southern flying squirrel sitting side by side on a feeder in front of me, which was a wonderful chance to compare the two.
So here’s to squirrels. Sorry I missed your day. I’ll put out a few extra seeds this weekend to celebrate.
