"Western Grey Squirrel. A United States species of concern but are not currently listed as threatened or endangered.
Although Western Gray Squirrels are diurnal, they are secretive by nature and stay away from humans as much as possible. The Western Gray Squirrel has a silvery gray back, a pure white belly, and a beautiful long, bushy blackish gray tail edged with white. These squirrels prefer oak and conifer forests, traveling the arboreal pathways made by interconnecting tree canopies and feeding on pine cones. They also forage on the ground, eating fungi, pine nuts, acorns, bark and some vegetation. Like Eastern Grey Squirrels, they bury acorns in the fall, presumably finding them later by scent. This behavior is called scatter-hoarding . Western Gray Squirrels usually produce only one litter per year. The female builds a nest of sticks for raising her young and the squirrels often sleep in nests in tree cavaties. They are not territorial about their nests. Only one squirrel occupies a nest at a time, except for a mother with her young, but several squirrels may nap in the same nest cavity in the course of the day. " i naturalist .org
the First Time.....near the base of the large Pine by the Buck Feed Shed. Sitting there, holding something. On the ground. The Squirrel. First time so NEAR. ....as in "our space" . Always UP in the branches , or a little lower, but branches still, back by the Curry House...speaking, but never before like this and i kept approaching, same pace and They stayed sitting and holding until i was maybe 6 ft away and out of nowhere Puppy lunged and They hit the tree and escaped upward, but only so far, looking down, was clear that this is a common scenario, no concern. I always only see one squirrel. So i think it is THIS squirrel. The Hill's squirrel. I was honored. That They chose to sit...as i approached. Trusting. 5 years in December. Stuff takes time.
Then... the Spirals. We'll call them that for the time being. Finishing these two today and beginning another, that second...I was sure COULD NOT work...but kept going and ....it DID. They ALL do. Over and Over, they All do. and i smile and continue in Wonder that it can work this way. And continue in such great and deep pleasure of Them.
