I have always generally enjoyed squirrels. Even while marauding birdfeeders, their antics are amusing and often comical. I grew up with the Grey Squirrel which can be jet black. Since eighteen the larger Fox Squirrel has been a common and mostly pleasant neighbor. However, our current home has a less friendly member of this rodent family watching over it incessantly. This American Red Squirrel (tamiasciurus hudsonsonicus) clucks at us furiously with a somewhat rude stare. It also chases away the Fox Squirrels, makes a racket whenever it sees a cat, tears leaves off trees, eats baby birds and sometimes drops parts of nuts a little too close for comfort. Seemingly indignant at our presence, I have now made it clear that it's habitat is supposed to be forests of spruce, pine or fir and not our backyard. We are currently in the midst of an uneasy truce, but the rocking bench (pine!) on the front porch continues to experience an increase in chew marks. A judge in Georgia in 1954 ruled that squirrels are not "vermin", so I am trying to stay respectful.
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