Band of Squirrels

/ J. F. Riordan

We live in the woods, and partly because our property is contiguous with other large wooded areas, we have diverse wildlife. It is endlessly fascinating. I spend more time looking out at the activities beyond our windows than I do watching television.

But I’ve never really paid much attention to squirrels. We have approximately eleven million gray squirrels, and a rapidly increasing population of red squirrels, whose aggressive habits chase other mammals from the territory, and cause destruction to human property. You can hear them scold if you dare to walk beneath any of their trees. They are smaller than gray squirrels, but they box above their weight. All together, squirrels are the most common animals on our property, and I take them for granted. They are not mysterious and fascinating like raccoons or possums; or innocently beautiful, like deer; or showy and cantankerous like turkeys. They’re just squirrels. Always there. Always busy. Almost always solitary except during mating season. Not particularly interesting.

And yet, I recently learned that squirrel intelligence is superior to that of dogs, and this has given me a lot to think about. It certainly explains how in the dog vs. squirrel chase category, squirrels are definitely winning.

Anyway, this is not meant to be a treatise about squirrel species. It is the observation of—if not friendship—camaraderie—and, perhaps, of something more important.

I first saw a pair of gray squirrels running together in the summer months. At the time—and without paying close attention—I marveled over How. Many. Squirrels we had this year. It was like a squirrel invasion. (A circumstance due, probably, to the sudden diminution of the coyote population.) Every morning, they were running together, one after the other: racing across the lawn, spiraling up trees, and looking, to my wandering and inattentive gaze, as if they were either rivals or a mating pair. I didn’t think about them, or pay particular attention. But they were always there.

Only recently did it suddenly occur to me that they were still always there, and it wasn’t just a pair. It was a group of four. And it had always been—I realized—a group of four. There were lots of other squirrels around, but here was this…clan…running together in the clearing down the hill, foraging together, and racing across the grass to a particular tree, where they would run up the trunk and disappear.

Their relationship is as constant as that of the turkeys, and as I look back I realize how much their antics have been a fixture of my mornings, if only in the background of my awareness. The other squirrels nearby did not interact with them, unless it was to run off a competitor. But I think it was the other squirrels who must have been run off most often in the face of this four-squirrel brigade.

I can only guess that they are siblings, but who knows. They seem to have broken the usual squirrel pattern of solitary nut-gathering, but maybe these behaviors have been happening all along and I wasn’t paying attention. Or maybe it is an adaptation, a move to provide a common defense against the aggression of the red squirrels. Not being an authority on squirrels means I have the fun of speculation. Do they feel affection for one another? Do they feel a blood connection? Or is this merely a business/military relationship?

I have one clue—based on pure observation without anthropomorphizing. Last year, I passed a newly-dead squirrel by the side of the road, and beside it, I could see a living squirrel, frantically patting the dead body as if attempting to revive it. I wanted to stop, but there was nothing to be done. Was I going to comfort the living squirrel? Help it bury its dead? I watched for a second or two in the rearview mirror and went on in a somber mood.

It is pouring rain in the precursor to a winter storm, and the rain is just now—finally—changing to heavy, wet flakes. As I sit in my cozy library, fire crackling, coffee nearby, I see the four friends, utterly indifferent to the weather, running together up the tree, down the tree, to another tree, and jumping from branch to branch, tree to tree overhead. They don’t seem to be working, but playing. Maybe to keep warm, or maybe because the hard work of food gathering is seasonal. Or maybe because it’s good squirrel fun. I’d certainly do it if I could. Although maybe not in this weather.

I wish them safety in the coming storm.

***

Gratuitous Dog Photo

Eli doesn’t want to be out in the damp, but he watches Dad and Auggie closely from my office window.

24 thoughts on “Band of Squirrels”

  1. A wonderful short story. The little gray furry mammals are so entertaining. A couple of years ago before Covid, I was able to befriend a gray squirrel I named Rocky. He or she would come to our feeder and would patiently wait for me to put some corn and other seeds in it. I was able to get close enough (less than a foot) that he/she was able to trust I would not hurt them. Somewhere in the coming months, Rocky and his cohorts all disappeared. I asked a local wildlife biologist about it and he indicated that most likely an owl or fox was the reason for disappearance. At least one or two have reappeared, but I miss my little buddy. I do see more red squirrels which unfortunately may also have resulted in their absence in our neighborhood.

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  2. Thanks for the story this morning. Squirrels are endlessly entertaining, as well as talented. Walking the electric wires overhead, and remembering where the acorns are buried before they sprout as a small tree. And they always outrun, on the top of the fence, the dog that is always sure he can catch it. They start up the power pole in the corner of the yard, and scold, as well as mock, him every time.

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  3. What a lovely bit of writing on what I always thought of as pesky squirrels. In my former neighborhood in New York, squirrels seems to dominate our yards. They were not intimidated by our labs and they would sit on our front steps until the post arrived. Four years ago I started to notice black squirrels in the area. Peaceful coexistence seemed to the order of the day. We had a few hollowed out trees in the back yard and we never took them down since they were home to the squirrels. But you have provided us with some amazing observations. Thank you.

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  4. In Toronto’s central park, the squirrels are brave and well fed. I’ve sat on a bench and fed them almonds just by putting one in my hand and holding it out flat. They live there with lots of food
    (I am not the only one who feeds them) and virtually no predators. The trees are groomed to give them ideal living conditions. In such splendid conditions, a squirrel could live to be 20yrs old. (They’ve been known to in captivity)

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  5. I enjoy my rare sighting of a red squirrel, which I and my youngest brother call “Ninja squirrels” for their speed and fighting ability. I once watched a single red squirrel fend off two gray squirrels and a couple of grackles below a bird feeder. Impressive.

    I don’t have much love for gray squirrels, I’m afraid. There are too many, despite how amusing they are to watch (there was one in my backyard this morning, thoughtfully burying his nuts in the snow.) They also routinely trash my front porch containers, tossing dirt and new plants across the stones. Very rude!

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  6. I love watching the squirrels. I lost my best friend in the world a couple of years ago, and she would stop her car, no matter where in traffic she was, if a squirrel was trying to cross the street. For some reason, this always amused me. But that was the kind of sweet person she was. I bought her a bumper sticker that said, “I Brake for Squirrels”. She loved it and, at least drivers behind her were more understanding.

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  8. Squirrels have recently begun to impinge on our consciousnesses, too. Notably, the appearance last year in the middle of our “squittel” horde one (or possibly two) black brothers. Small, enthusiastic, pretty oblivious to everything but the need to consume all of the birdseed I scatter onto the porch roof below my garret window. I do follow some super-intelligent squirrels on IG, but the carefree, self-absorbed fellows out my window are the real treat.

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  9. After reading your observations on squirrels, I was wondering if you had read the book, Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper. He’s the guy who a lady called the police on in Central Park. It’s about his life, and he gives tips on birdwatching. You might enjoy it. Also I just finished the Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams. Both of these books made me think of you, a writer and animal enthusiast. I look forward to your next book. Thank you for working so hard for all your readers. The boys look marvelous!

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  10. I’ve been through a similar evolution of appreciation for the little guys. We’re hip-deep in the grey variety up here in Toronto, and I never used to pay them any mind, but the windows in our third floor study are eye level with some of their favourite routes through the branches, affording an opportunity to study them up close. I’ve grown fascinated with their agility, their ceaseless motion, the way they really do seem to play games of chase, and the utter confidence with which they make risky leaps across yawning gaps to land upon thin twigs, three storeys up. Only they aren’t risky: I learned that squirrels, even of the non-flying variety, can fall safely from any height by spreading themselves out to form a sort of parachute. They’re adorable, too. I love how their big fluffy tails make them look twice as big as they are.

    They use our roof as part of their transit system, and you can hear them scampering around. It sounds like horses are running around up there! I was surprised to find that no, it was just these wee little things.

    Sometimes they sit atop the skylight, looking in, mildly interested, before zoom, they’re off for the nearest tree.

    If you want a demonstration of how smart they really are, type “Mark Rober squirrel” into the YouTube search window. A set of really charming videos will come back.

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  11. We have a very small enclosed backyard with a large lilac tree and some large shrubs around the inside of the 7 foot wooden privacy fence. We live in a neighborhood of large homes, the mansion district of Kenwood in Chicago and many of the big houses around us have large trees. Our townhomes have a shared larger yard in back with a very large old tree in one corner. So we have a lot of squirrels who like to visit our bird feeder and clean up the bird seed the hordes of messy sparrows drop. Most are gray squirrels, with the occasional reddish one. There is one who is partly gray, partly red. The gray squirrels try to run it off. I’ve often seen the young ones chase each other up and around the big trees and I assume they are siblings. They mostly seem to coexist peacefully in our yard when they come to eat the seed. But they don’t like that part gray, part red one. I feel sorry for it.

    There was also one last year that had an injured leg that caused it to limp, holding the leg up. It looked like the squirrel might have broken the leg and it healed badly. It would always come with another squirrel that seemed to look out for it and protect it. We haven’t seen it this year, so I fear some animal got it as it was slower than the other squirrels at running.

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  12. It’s not a band, group or pair of squirrels, it’s a gang! Like a posse of 13 year old boys full of piss and vinegar who, when together, morph into a multi-tentacled, semi-brained creature intent on torturing any adult within shouting distance. Cackling with glee when the target of their attacks rolls their eyes and sighs. And we love them.

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  14. Squirrels can be very entertaining. We have Brownie. He stakes out our house everyday until we set out a couple of peanuts on our garden bench. Sometimes he eats them., other times he buries them in the flowers. Also in Washington DC there are Canadian black squirrels. They immigrated down from Ontario. Rumor says they caught a ride with Teddy Roosevelt. 😆 They are actually quite beautiful.

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