MORE ON THE SQUIRRELS:

Molly continually feeds both the rabbit and the squirrels who visit her back yard, but the continued disappearance of nuts in the squirrel feeder leads to a few questions in her tiny feline mind. Be aware that Molly did her Masters on the Richardson's Ground Squirrel- the gopher- so she is fully aware of the normal behavior of that species. So... I have observed my ordinary red squirrels out at temperatures below 30 degrees below zero. I have also observed the nuts that I provide for them disappearing at temperatures like today of a wind chill of 37 below. I have yet to get an answer as to whether squirrels "hiberate" or "estruate" in a clear fashion. Obviously they estruate. What Molly finds amazing is that they could be out at a wind chill of 35 below to gather nuts. Jesus H. Christ are these animals so stupid that they haven't stored up the nuts I've been providing for them all year ? Well... I must admit that I have TWO squirrel feeders in the back yard, and that I observed a "foreign squirrel" at the feeder today (from the west) while the "regular squirrels" are from the north or south. Perhaps that silly bugger went in on the nuts when my (possessive pronoun) squirrels were well asleep in their affluence.

Molly the squirrel feeder