Not needed today. The longer it stays warm the happier this guy will be. Red squirrels and grays tend to sleep in cold weather but fox squirrels are out most of the winter, benefiting from more fur and body fat. The red squirrels we see at feeders are taking advantage of a free meal and in the process giving us a few hours of entertainment.
I love this pose. Squirrels frequently stopped for a picture on their in and out of this log. Shots coming out are much more appealing than those going in. I thing these are the second most colorful animals in the woods with the red fox being number one. I have yet to capture one of those in a camera trap here. That seeks to their scarcity in the habitat or extreme shyness. My guess is the former.
Technical: It could be argued the squirrel is centered but I think the composition works because of the depth provided by the distant trees.
What a difference a little snow makes! I was in the woods when the first snow came on Thanksgiving and watched the animals while staying warm but getting a little wet.
Getting two animals interacting in a single frame is always exciting. Their communication is left to the imagination and creativity of each viewer. How would you title this image? If you are interested in creative squirrel photography follow this link: The Secret Life of Squirrels
I was in the woods as it started snowing yesterday and recorded some good fall to winter transition footage as the ground turned white. this guy was busy stocking up but could not figure out who else would be moving around in this kind of weather.
Technical: My last post had some footage uploaded directly to the blog instead of going through YouTube. Apparently it is not visible on all platforms so I'll go back to the intermediate step unless someone knows how to get footage visible to all using a direct upload.
This guy was busy burying acorns when he looked up and suddenly realized I was not a tree. Working in such close quarters I had a hard time maintaining focus and keeping him in the frame.
Technical: cropped vertical from C100 video frame
Fox squirrels are busy storing acorns for the winter. An interesting article about how their stored nuts are found and how they choose to put certain acorns in the ground can be found at: How do squirrels find their nuts?
Technical: Frame capture from C100 video, cropped to 35 mm format
After this fox squirrel had foraged for acorns to within 4 feet of me he discovered I was not part of the normal landscape. He then climbed a nearby tree and watched me for a few minutes while trying to make up his mind. Finally he moved on.
Technical: still image taken with Canon C100
