Nature Note #173: Wild Neighbors
Today when I came home from work, I rescued a squirrel from our dumpster. It likely had jumped in through the chewed hole on the double plastic lids that protected our trash until it was ready to be hauled to another patch of earth further away. I wasn't surprised to see the squirrel in there at all. After all, they were the ones that chewed the hole.
It's amazing to think that in a few, short generations, these wild animals have adapted to our ordered way of life. Now, even those of us that live within a small town can find evidence of our wild neighbors daily. Just the other evening, I came upon a sorry sight. There was a dead nestling on the grass next to the house. Even after nudging it with my toe, it didn't budge. It was likely one of the young starlings that jeered for their parents return to the eaves and tressels of the house, mouths stuffed with insects and worms. All except this one. It might have taken a step too far and fallen from its home on high. Or maybe it was pushed by a jealous and hungry sibling, but now I fear I'm anthropomorphising.
The squirrel was an eastern grey (Sciurus carolinensis) and looked sooty and scared as it huddled in the corner while I pulled the first lid back off of the dumpster top. The space was empty except for a fresh maple bough and a few cans. I looked at the squirrel and thought a moment.
"Maybe, I could lower my backpack down and it could jump onto it and out.", I thought to myself.
No. It would be too grimy and it might be repelled by the smell of human scent on there. Instead, I decided to open the second lid door and back off to see what it would do. No sooner had I done so then the little animal jumped up and scaled the five foot walls with little difficulty. It bounded over the lids of the nearby blue recycling bins and launched its furry body onto a pine tree trunk and was gone.
"Tsk, tsk. Silly thing.", I muttered to myself. I looked around. No one had seen my rescue. I had no idea how long that squirrel had been there, but I'm glad to have helped it out. Dying in a dumpster when you only wanted a few scraps is a terrible way to go.
Hopefully, there won't be any more squirrels in the trash, but if there are, they can at least count on me to rescue them. Until then, I will just have to wait and see what my wild neighbors have in store for me next time.
It's amazing to think that in a few, short generations, these wild animals have adapted to our ordered way of life. Now, even those of us that live within a small town can find evidence of our wild neighbors daily. Just the other evening, I came upon a sorry sight. There was a dead nestling on the grass next to the house. Even after nudging it with my toe, it didn't budge. It was likely one of the young starlings that jeered for their parents return to the eaves and tressels of the house, mouths stuffed with insects and worms. All except this one. It might have taken a step too far and fallen from its home on high. Or maybe it was pushed by a jealous and hungry sibling, but now I fear I'm anthropomorphising.
The squirrel was an eastern grey (Sciurus carolinensis) and looked sooty and scared as it huddled in the corner while I pulled the first lid back off of the dumpster top. The space was empty except for a fresh maple bough and a few cans. I looked at the squirrel and thought a moment.
"Maybe, I could lower my backpack down and it could jump onto it and out.", I thought to myself.
No. It would be too grimy and it might be repelled by the smell of human scent on there. Instead, I decided to open the second lid door and back off to see what it would do. No sooner had I done so then the little animal jumped up and scaled the five foot walls with little difficulty. It bounded over the lids of the nearby blue recycling bins and launched its furry body onto a pine tree trunk and was gone.
"Tsk, tsk. Silly thing.", I muttered to myself. I looked around. No one had seen my rescue. I had no idea how long that squirrel had been there, but I'm glad to have helped it out. Dying in a dumpster when you only wanted a few scraps is a terrible way to go.
Hopefully, there won't be any more squirrels in the trash, but if there are, they can at least count on me to rescue them. Until then, I will just have to wait and see what my wild neighbors have in store for me next time.
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