I do not have the wide array of birds that I enjoyed when I was in Virginia. I miss the cardinals, the chickadees, the mockingbirds, wrens, and so many others. I am grateful; however, for the limited number of wildlife I have here. Yesterday, I watched as 3 squirrels sat in a semicircle around the bottom of my feeders, munching on the corn, peanuts, and sunflower seed that I had tossed on the ground for them. Today, I marvel at a squirrel and a rabbit sitting within 2 feet of one another, each satiating his hunger. The European ring-necked doves, also ground feeders, joined them while the house finches and sparrows indulged at the hanging feeders above them. The European starlings show up a little later in the morning, in a small whirlwind of their own, have their fill and make a mess bathing in the birdbath. They usually return later in the afternoon for a second helping. The Northern flicker visits the suet feeders periodically throughout the day.
Unbeknownst to me, I recently learned that quite a few people, in colonial times, kept squirrels as pets. They are often referred to as “tree rats” despised by many in our modern times, but they are highly intelligent and just like humans; they are problem solvers. If they can figure out a way to get to a bird feeder, they usually succeed. My own feeding station has a raccoon/squirrel baffle and it is set more than 8 feet from any structure from which they could springboard onto it. I always toss enough extra food onto the ground for them. While many people see squirrels as “nuisances,” I strongly disagree. Their habit of burying seeds and then forgetting where they hid them, helps many trees in the continuity of their own species. A new tree will sprout from the buried seed. In fact, most trees depend on other life forms, along with the wind, to disperse their seeds. We should encourage squirrels because they are our allies in planting more trees, which we all now know will help our struggle against global warming.
We all could learn a lot by observing how well other species are able to coexist.
