Meet Cyril. He is eating one of the many grapes we brought to the park to feed him and his mates. Needless to say, Cyril had the lion's share, the fat bastard.
I know from childhood experience that squirrels go mad for grapes. I am guessing that Cyril and his chums had never seen a grape before, but when I rolled one to the first squirrel to turn up, he - at first - didn't know what to do with it. Then he gave it another sniff, picked it up and actually peeled it!
Cyril spotted us from afar and came bounding up, leapt onto the bench then straight onto my lap with his paws outstretched. He grabbed my fingers with his little sharp feet and took the grape in his mouth, scoffing the lot in short order. This was repeated about 8 times I think. I lost count.
When the last grape had gone he grabbed my fingers a few times to make sure I wasn't hiding one, then ran off in search of more tourists to mug.
When lockdown ends he might lose a bit of weight.
I don't think we would be so fond of squirrels if they didn't use their hands to eat, like us.
ReplyDeleteThey are fascinating and intelligent.
ReplyDeletePity that we seem to be losing our reds locally, not to squirrel pox from the greys, but from a different disease gradually spreading northwards.
Oh, I didn't know about that.
DeletePeacocks love grapes, too. They roamed about the local zoo when the children were small and one of the joys was to feed the peacocks to bursting point every Sunday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteA blackbird took a grape from me that day.
DeleteWe used to have a visiting squirrel called Kevin. He would steal the birds' nuts.
ReplyDeleteKevin? Was he born Kevin or did he change his name?
DeleteYou could write and illustrate the Tales of Cyril the Squirrel for children.
ReplyDeleteI've got the Rat one to do first.
DeleteWe have lots of squirrels ..... they Bury hazelnuts in our lawn and make holes digging them out and leave the shells for us to clear up 🤨
ReplyDeleteI’m a bit worried about you sitting on a bench ..... someone might shop you !!! XXXX
So far, so good.
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ReplyDeleteI rescued an orphaned baby squirrel once and released her as soon as she was old enough, although with supplemental food left outside for a while. That little squirrel LOVED bananas. Absolutely loved them. I'm afraid she might have spent the rest of her life looking for a banana tree!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Next time I will try banana.
DeleteI could do with a few less squirrels here, they have become real pests here. I had just finished filling large pots with annuals and the little stinkers dug plants out looking nuts.
ReplyDeleteArborialists are not too keen on them either.
DeleteThere used to be a squirrel that lived on the campus of the University of Oregon, near the front door to an administrative building. Just inside the door was a coin operated vending machine, which offered various types of chocolate bars, chewing gum, and packets of salted peanuts. When someone approached the machine to make a purchase, the squirrel would dash inside and tap on the machine just under the slot for the peanuts. (The man who refilled the vending machine told me once that he had tried changing the order in which things were placed, but the squirrel ALWAYS knew exactly where they were) if you didn’t buy peanuts for the squirrel, open the bag, and place them outside the door, it would follow you down the hall chattering angrily. I soon learned to have enough change to buy for myself AND the squirrel or to bypass the machine altogether! We worried that all the salt on the nuts would harm him, but he was so cute and so belligerent. I worked there for over a year and he was still at it when I left.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing.
DeleteGood thing there are no gulls resident at the park. Are there?
ReplyDeleteNo. They prefer the streets.
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