Squirrel Nests Add Beauty to a Denuded Tree

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Squirrel nests on a maple tree,
just recently denuded by fall of the leaves
Photo (Toronto: December 5, 2009) © Jerome D'Costa

Squirrels are our neighbours. They can be ash-coloured, reddish brown or black. Their presence is felt all over during the Spring and Summer. Their prancing and jumping are a beauty in action. In the Fall, when trees shed their colourful leaves and become naked, squirrel nests become visible to our eyes.

In the Spring and Summer, squirrels run and jump all over eating fruits, nuts, seeds, plant pods, and the like. They gain weight and collect fat in their bodies. They also begin to gather food in the Autumn to use them during the bitter and snowy Winter.

Some squirrels make their nests with twigs, small barks, moss and leaves in tree hollows (natural or woodpecker-made) or branch joints. They make their nests in such a way that their offspring may be safely kept there and bitter winter may not affect them adversely.

One pair of squirrels may build more than one nest to move their offspring from one to the other in case of attack from predators.

In different parks, we can see friendly squirrels coming close to people to get their feeding of nuts and seeds.