Squirrels and the birds are just fascinating.

Spending time home this weekend brought several reminders that summer is almost over and the seasons are quickly changing once again. The days are growing shorter now as we head back into the darker months as we are losing over five minutes of light each day bringing with it real darkness once again. That thirty minutes of less light each week is noticeable now as there are signs within nature calling out to you if one pays attention.

The birds are once again hitting the bird feeders all day long eating much to bulk up before they fly south to warmer climates for their migratory trek each year. The local birds which remain during the winter months are starting to hoard the food making many trips back and forth between their nest and the feeders. The finch type birds are everywhere preparing for warmer weather and will be missed once they start making the exodus.

Blue Jays are getting bolder now wanting more peanuts for the winter as they fly up first thing in the morning as I take Gus (the dog) outside. The will dive down to get my attention and make squawking noises so I will go inside and put more peanuts in the feeder. If the French doors are left open to the deck they will fly into the dining room and land on the floor or chair and call out they want me to fill nuts for them. It is amazing to see how they react. If the doors are closed they will land on the deck tables or window seal to get someone’s attention to bring out more peanuts.

The squirrels are hard at work taking feed and peanuts into the several caches that are scattered around the property. By the time winter sets in and the snow covers the ground the will have probably about 10 to 15 pounds of peanuts stashed away. I am going through a five pound bag of peanuts and a 10 pound bag of mixed Nuts & Berry Blend of bird food every two weeks. This will last about two months as summer comes to an end.

Did you know squirrels eat French fries and Butterfinger candy bars? No lie! Last week, I saw a squirrel eating a Butterfinger right out of the wrapper. She was dainty about it, too. Chewed right through the paper and started nibbling on the chocolate. Someone left the candy bar on the table at one of the eating places with out door seating.

The week before that as I was on the run, I stopped at Wendy’s for a burger and fries. I parked in their lot to eat and a squirrel came up to my rig and he begged on his hind legs . . . like a dog. I rolled down my window and dropped one of my fries down to him. He picked it up and crossed to the front of my rig with it and stopped to eat.

We munched together.

Ya gotta love ‘em.

Ice