Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

In Search Of Squirrels

by admin - 16:59 on 22 October 2012

Monday: the first day of the working week unless one is lucky enough to be self-unemployed, so instead of getting down to the next edition of Chatterbox, or preparing the greetings cards with which Squirrel James and I plan to make our fortune, I took advantage of the good weather.

A light coating of ice had to be scraped off Son of Seat first thing this morning, before The Fearless Ones were taken to Dr Death's for their final vaccination booster, and snow may fall by the end of the week, but by midday sun and lack of wind had combined to push me beyond The Rural Retreat in pursuit of snappery.

My destination was Squirrel James's secret squirrel hide, but since he announced his forthcoming workshops it's become so secret that I was unable to find its new location.

I chose my own at random, put out bait and waited: coal tits and crested tits aplenty but no squirrels.

A move to another spot was more productive. A hungry red arrived before I'd finished distributing peanuts, peanut butter and hazelnuts around a picturesque fallen pine. Fortunately he was either very laid back or one of James's stunt squirrels because for the next ninety minutes he scampered and posed, sometimes within touching distance, whilst harvesting an unexpected bounty.

This doesn't mean I collected a bonanza of award-winning snaps. A fast-moving animal, fast-changing light and inadequate skill meant that only two of several dozen pictures were worth keeping, neither of which compete with James's expanding portfolio. I blame dive-bombing coal tits.

I also missed the big money shot, of squirrel and crested tit in the same snap – I had only one chance and fluffed it. Such is life. But it was an entertaining afternoon, even if I did end up with wet knees.

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