January 16 – My Nature Journal

Eastern Gray Squirrel

The woods were very quiet this evening.

Except for a few American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) preparing to roost for the night, the only creature that stirred was this Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).

Gray squirrels are very common in a lot of areas, so some people consider them simply part of the landscape.

But I really enjoy watching them and can never resist photographing them when they remain close by.

Although many mammals species live in my area, most are nocturnal and require an infrared camera to photograph. Since I don’t have one, my photography is limited to the daylight hours. And I can almost always find at least one squirrel darting around the landscape to photograph.

Additionally, Eastern Gray Squirrels are fast, agile, and display interesting behavior, especially during mating season when individual squirrels become really territorial.

So, basically, I’m a fan of Eastern Gray Squirrels. And I’m glad this one decided to eat his nut just a few feet away tonight.