Two new, crying squirrel babies.

The familiar noise led me straight to them.
039.JPG

We were so glad to see them early this morning, as it explains why we only saw the mom around.

The one in the first two photos, sat in the trunk of a low-level palm tree, and as I approached, it scattered into the dense and leafy crown of the tree. But as you can see below, the second squirrel was much more exposed, and I got it on my zoom.
Since the early days of summer, we could only on rare occasions see the mother when she collects acorns and the odd sunbaked granadilla in our front garden stash, that my wife gathers for them. She was very worried as it was only the one and we didn't realize that it was in fact the mother collecting food to feed her babies.
Today, the babies decided to put on a show, and we were delighted.

040.JPG

Here's a challenge. Have a look below, at the high palm in the middle and tell me if you can see the second young squirrel?
047.JPG

There he was on the trunk near the top of the high palm, and the open little mouth means that he joined the first one in calling for their mother.
042.JPG

Now the danger is that his calling was so loud, that the entire neighborhood could hear him, and I was worried that a predator bird might also hear him. A bird like the harrier hawk can easily pluck the squirrel off from the trunk of that high palm tree.
045.JPG

So I walked toward the tree and he decided to vamoose.
048.JPG

Up and over he went.
049.JPG

I was scared that he was going to jump, but thankfully he didn't.
051.JPG

So, he scattered down the tree, then he turned to the left behind the trunk so that I could not see him coming down.
052.JPG

But I knew where he was going, as he dashed across the road to climb up and disappear in the thorny acacia trees. A much safer place.
021.JPG

So here soon, they will also come and join their mother here at the front garden stash, and thankfully there is a lot of natural food for them. Picky little buggers, as they are very selective, but we know what they like and soon we will have a lot of squirrels again. These are only the first two, and we are sure that there are very many others around, that is if the predator birds didn't raid too many of their nests. Remember that I placed a post before of an adult Harrier Hawk with a little squirrel baby in its claws.

This reminds me about our human lives, as just like the squirrels and the other small animals we also have to face many pitfalls in our travels through life. Tears are plenty and crying comes naturally, but then again just like these little squirrels some of us grow into wonderful adults. Not all of us make it, and neither do all of the squirrels make it. But that is just the way of life. It is the decisions that we make that govern our lives, either for the better or for the worse. The good thing is that we can learn from them.
Such is life.

I hope you have enjoyed the story and the pictures.

Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

Thank you kindly for supporting this post.



0
0
0.000
16 comments
avatar

A squirrel on a palm tree? Unexpectedly!

0
0
0.000
avatar

Gosh, I did not know they could climb so high and on a palm tree! They are too gorgeous though.
Yep, it's a good analogy, such is life! We fall and get up, time and time again!
I hope you're having a good Thursday Zac.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thank you for the reply Lady Lizzie, and yes, they worry us by climbing the high palms, as we have a pair of Harrier Hawks patrolling here almost every day.
Glad that you liked the analogy and both you and I know very well by now how to get up after every fall.
Our Thursday was filled with fast moving rainstorms, one moment sun, and the next moment wet, but it is typical Cape weather !LOLZ

I hope that your Thursday was also good, and all of the very best for your Friday.

!PIZZA and all our !LUV.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Our area's been without electricity since 17:40, a power box blew, then another one 2 hours later. The contracts of the experienced contractors weren't renewed a couple of years ago already, and since then some areas continuously have problems! The new contractors do shoddy work!
I should be in dreamland already, feeling much better🤗

0
0
0.000
avatar

This happens all over the country, as experience is dumped and replaced by incompetents. Just have a look at the sorry state of all of the SOEs and you will cry at how they have been destroyed. The once proud railway system, with beautiful old station buildings have all been destroyed and are now a shadow of its former grandeur. So, I can go on and on, but you know what I am talking about, as it is not a secret.
I am sorry to see your power situation Lady Lizzie, but we can just hope and pray that things will improve.
Hope that you had a good sleep and so glad that you are feeling better.
!PIZZZA and all of our !LUV

0
0
0.000
avatar

Cutie! Squirrel and the palm's trunk with all its holes and secret hideous spots - she might feel it is her Big Nuts Safe, I can imagine.
!PIZZA

0
0
0.000
avatar

Just goes to show how clever the mother is, as she made her nest deep in between the branches of the lower palm tree. - so that the predator birds could not grab her babies. Now her babies come to fetch acorns here in our front garden that my wife put out for them. I think that she sees it as he Baby Safe !LOL
!PIZZA

0
0
0.000
avatar

baby safe, ummm! thats touchy. good mom.
acorns are good, no question.... but I prefer !PIZZA :P

0
0
0.000