Weeding Helpers!

It was going to be a beautiful day!

Decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and get some weeding done.  It had been extremely hot and humid here in the Southeast and I had been procrastinating.

Mornings begin early usually around 4 or 4:30 am as there are feeders to prepare for the wildlife visitors and fresh water in all the bird baths.  So there was a spring in my step this morning and a list of things I wished to accomplish.  We waited till about 10 am to begin work outside to give the wildlife a chance to eat as most do not hang out when humans are around.

As I surveyed the backyard and all the weeds, it seemed so overwhelming.  It was long overdue as I had made the decision not to use chemicals this year since there had been several species of birds with babies and of course the squirrels.  Rehabilitating wildlife is very rewarding.  This year, several of the female squirrels that had been rehabilitated and released had babies.

The birds were chirping and I noticed a few squirrels out while I was weeding.  Mama Squirrel aka Tammy shown above, Chippy and a few others in the distance.  Mama Squirrel (below) is still protective of her territory and wastes no time in reminding the others who is boss.  Although I still refer to her as Mama Squirrel, her daughter has been independent and on her own for quite a while now.

Chippy took a little extra time and multiple releases before she finally decided that she could handle the big wide world!  Although I am able to toss nuts to most of the squirrels, they are not tame nor able to be handled in any way.  They are wild and tolerate sharing the outdoors with us.  As wild creatures, they are always on alert and listen intently to the call of others warning of predators such as the numerous hawks that fly overhead.

However Chippy has taken some freedoms while I am outside such as helping herself to the bowl of nuts!  So while I am weeding a good ways away, she is busy helping herself to the nuts, choosing which ones she will eat and busy burying the others.  Occasionally I notice that she has pulled a mushroom out of the ground or chosen to nibble on some dirt. 

The heat is exhausting for all of us and I notice that she and the other squirrels will be spread eagle on the cool dirt. (Below is Saban – released November 2014)

Wildlife are creatures of habit and do not like weeds that are thick and tall as they could hide a predator.  They also are very aware of changes in their environment as shown below.  There was an active mole digging and Chippy was on alert.

One of the things I learned today is to always have the camera ready.  I missed so many opportunities, catching the squirrel chase, Chippy spread eagle trying to cool off, the baby squirrel that is now a juvenile playing with a sunflower plant, etc.  (That was really funny as she was jumping on it and it was bouncing her around and then she would do it again!)

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