Just hangin' around...

Speaking of dogs and cats, a co-worker who grew up in rural Minnesota reported a big tree with an old eagle's nest blew down on the family farm. Inspection of the nest found quite a few dog collars mixed in the debris...
Rick

Interesting story Roy; i'm all for nature taking it's course.
I have to say first, i'm not keen on the Gray Squirrel, a family once tried to set up home,  up in the loft space, it took ages to get them out, and yes, a few had to die for them to get the message.
I regard them as, 'rats with furry tails'

I can understand that Brack, but I do put out some critter food for the these little guys as I've pretty much squirrel proofed my bird feeders. Actually, at our previous home which was located in the woods, I had a baby squirrel walk up to me without fear, he obviously had fallen out of a nest. So I took him to the humane society in a pail and the lady there lifted him right out with her bare hands. I was surprised and asked her if she ever worries about rabies and she said gray squirrels are not known carriers of the disease.

Last year a female squirrel built a nest in my Purple Martin house which normally just houses common Sparrows. Well, she had it stuffed so full with grass and leaves that the compartment covers had burst open. I lowered the bird house as it's high on a pole and then got on a short ladder to clean it out for the spring birds. I reached in and out tumbled 4 baby squirrels with some hair on them but eyes still closed. I caught them pretty much on my chest and then they rolled to the ground. They were moaning like little children...boy did I feel bad. Mom had jumped into a nearby tree when I first started lowering the house however, she never made a sound at the scene of me going into her home. I quickly put the babies back in the house, put what old grass and leaves had fallen out back and raised the house back up. She obviously came back and raised the young ones. Several weeks later I went to clean it out again and everyone was gone. For a while I would see smaller scale squirrels in my yard and one for sure stayed. Many times he'd be in the yard eating and wouldn't run when I was out grilling. I'm hoping the one that was hanging in the tree wasn't my little buddy.

Roy

Squirrels don't last long enough around here for hawks to get them. I have a Jack Russel that dispatches them when they are careless enough to touch the ground. Opossums and rabbits too. 13 pounds of Tasmanian like devilry with a no quit attitude and patience to wait them out.

My sister in law lives a bit more out in the country and a Red Tails Hawk and large Owls routinely take kittens, and puppies. You can't leave them outside and expect them to make it to adult hood. That's nature.

fried up in bacon drippings with some country style gravy! That's what some southerners here still do, and I hear it's pretty good but have never eaten one of the little fellers. I'll put it on the bucket list.

http://www.backwoodsbound.com/zsquir11.html

Tres