Walking along the trail winding its way through our woods, I hear a ruffling in the leaves nearby. From the immense noise, I expected it to be one of the deer, but instead it was something quite small. Watching intently, I stood very still, and suddenly a baby squirrel came into view. Not only was it a baby, it was an absolutely adorable one and so small. It didn’t mind me at all, and walked closer, crunching dry leaves underfoot. Every few seconds it stopped, burying its head beneath the leaf cover, before popping up with an acorn in its’ tiny mouth. I was amazed at the speed in which this wee baby could peel the acorn with its razor sharp teeth, and then devour it!
At times it sat on the ground while eating its prized acorn, and at others it quickly scampered up a nearby tree, and ate whilst sitting on an outstretched branch. As it nibbled away, bits of acorn crumbs fell from its mouth to the ground below, reminding me of myself eating chips at times, Ha!
It found, peeled, and ate acorns faster than I could keep count as I watched it carry on with this most impressive munch-fest! Each acorn obviously required a different spot to be ingested, and I imagined what it would be like if I had to move to a new location to enjoy each mouthful of dinner…Ha! Not all acorns were eaten, as many were carried by mouth until the perfect spot was found in which to bury it. Now this in and of itself is a hilarious process to watch, as the little squirrel worked intently to dig a sufficient hole, before tucking the acorn in it. Once satisfied with the placement of the acorn, it commenced the burying process, which required not only the dirt to be put back in place, but it also using its wee front legs and paws to pull leaves from all around, taking great care to put them in just the right place and then pat them down many times over to make sure their hiding spot was secure. This is something I could watch seemingly forever, as it is so precious and totally cracks me up.
I lost track of time, as I stood there watching this busy little squirrel working all around me. Eventually it found a mushroom, which must’ve been a delicacy, as it took it to a lovely spot to enjoy. Having eaten on it for a few minutes, it decided to save the remainder for later, and went to work pushing and shoving the mushroom into an opening atop a rotten snag.
Satisfied that the pieces of mushroom were safely tucked inside, it went over to a nearby brush pile. It climbed about the pile of sticks, as if it were happily playing a solo version of “king of the mountain”.
Suddenly I heard it growling and the sound of limbs cracking, and saw that there were now two baby squirrels, and it was obviously playtime! Now if you have ever had the privilege of being able to watch baby squirrels play together you’ll understand what delightful entertainment I was in for!
They wrestled and tumbled all over the pile, tugging and grabbing onto each other, and at times sending the other squirrel swinging around a branch or knocking each other off. It was hilarious and I laughed out loud, as I stood there mesmerized by their playtime antics.
Amazingly, during the wrestling match taking place in the brush pile above, there was a tiny wren jumping about below, exploring openings in the jostled pile of limbs. Eventually it sat still long enough for me to grab a photo of it, later identifying it as a Winter Wren. I was thrilled to discover we had a pair of these tiny wrens in our woods and have enjoyed hearing them sing their melodious songs several times this past week.
Once the wren hopped out of view, I noticed the baby squirrels had disappeared too, so I continued with my walk. A short distance up the trail, I heard a rustling in the leaves and stopped to have a look around. I spotted nearby, an even smaller baby squirrel! It was so adorable and I had a irresistible urge to scoop it up in my hand and gently press it to my cheek! Of course, I didn’t and would never do this with a wild squirrel, but it was fun to imagine such a thing for a few moments.
It was as interested in me, as I was in it, and walked over a foot or so from where I stood, and for a minute I thought it was going to climb up my leg! I stood very still, while watching it search about for acorns. I named it “Little Bits” and told it how enormously cute it was, and I half think it understood what I was saying, as afterwards it made several different poses, looking more adorable with each one!
It was incredibly tiny and this photo below really shows just how small it is compared to the leaves scattered about. It had certainly tipped the cuteness scales off the chart!
It located, peeled, and ate acorns with the same impressive speed as the other baby had done. And just as was the case with the others, each acorn required a new spot in which to be eaten.
My heart melted multiple times over, as I stood there talking to and watching this precious baby.
Everything it did was incredibly cute because of how teeny it was! Even sitting on a downed limb and scratching, made for a visual delight! Further along the trail, I actually came upon an even smaller baby and named it “Wee Bits”. With well over a dozen baby squirrels in our woods currently, I look forward to each encounter I get to enjoy with them, while walking the trail. Although they have grown over the past week, the smallest ones are still incredibly adorable and yes… I continue to fight the urge to scoop them up in my hand.
See Our Paintings In Person
EXQUISITE MINIATURES is now open at the beautiful Lyman Allyn Art Museum, located in New London, CT
*SPECIAL EVENTS: December 4, 2024, 6:00 PM Zoom Session with Rachelle and Wes Siegrist.
2024 Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibit
Through November 29th at The Preston Arts Center in Henderson, KY
The 64th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists
Through November 30th at The Sioux City Public Museum located in Sioux City, IA
BEYOND MEASURE: the art of scale at the Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
Through January 26, 2025 at The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI
Galleries Currently Displaying Our Work
The Gallery At Historic Rugby, Rugby, TN
Gallery by SEWE, Charleston, SC
Up Against the Wall Gallery, Kingsport, TN
visit ou WEBSITE artofwildlife.com Email us
Until Next Time ~ Rachelle
We saw several birds, including this lovely Little Rock Wren.
Under the Magnifying Glass 