Hitting Send

I didn’t mean to watch! haha In fact, I was innocently meditating in my backyard, enjoying one of my favourite times of day: that pre-dawn turned light, when the still, crisp night still twinkling with evening porch lights becomes a glowing bustle of activity. It’s that space when the diurnal and nocturnal can meet in-between, as the first rays of the Sun grace the darkened sky, and if lucky, one can glimpse both the Moon’s departure on one side of the sky, and the Sun’s arrival on the other. I was allowing for the cacophony of chirping around me, which came from not only the many birds, but also the fox squirrels. And, they were restless!!! *giggle*

There are quite a few fox squirrels, Sciurus niger, living in my neighbourhood, and I have found them to be quite entertaining. In general, I mean! hehe None-natives to the Southern California area, these tree squirrels were introduced to the Los Angeles area in about 1904. Civil War and Spanish American War veterans residing at the Sawtelle Veteran’s Home on Sepulveda and Wilshire Boulevards brought fox squirrels from their Mississippi Valley homes. I don’t know why, but I can tell you that they have spread from there into the neighbouring counties of Orange and Ventura, and that there are efforts being made to track them.

These agile rodents have an excellent sense of smell, keen eyesight and fair hearing, but are a tad short on attention span. I like their brown to reddish-brown colouring with its yellowish belly; which sets them apart from the more common Western gray or California gray squirrel, Sciurus griseus. I think they are cute, and don’t mind that they eat plentifully from my property, although… I do have an apricot tree which shortly after bearing fruit was picked clean in a single night! I’m Not kidding you! I went out one morning and the tree was empty of fruit! They were organized, I tell ya!! lol

Apparently fox squirrels can co-habitat where food (acorns, nuts, roots, bulbs, seeds, berries, etc.) is plentiful, sharing nests, and assisting each other. I have found them to be very gregarious and playful; chasing each other across the telephone wires, and swinging from tree to tree, chirping away! It’s adorable!

On this particular morning, they were making more than their usual “ki-ki-ki” type of chirping, but also a barking sound for which they are known. That’s barking like a little dog, and it, along with chatters, and high-pitched whines are all used during mating season. I opened my eyes and watched as two squirrels chased each other in a quick, but elaborate circle, centered around a telephone pole, and sweeping around the outstretched branches of tress, and across the top of tall bushes. Back up the telephone pole, this time stopping half-way, my jaw dropped as I watched him mount her. Ummm! Then the chase was on again, round the circle they went. But, they weren’t alone. Oh, no!

Firstly, I watched curiously as another squirrel followed closely behind the couple, awaiting. I was not the only audience member in attendance either. Quite a few squirrels watched from surrounding tree branches, chirping, dancing about. Did I mention this was a Loud affair? The males have been ready for over a month, maturing at 11 months, dancing around the females and forming a hierarchy of who’s getting whom. Usually a second male follows behind the couple, keeping others at bay, and awaiting his turn. That’s not what I witnessed. Granted, with the fox squirrel there is no sexual dimorphism in size or appearance. However, I watched a second female, awaiting her turn, chase the first female away, take her place half-way up the pole, and ummm, the male quickly complied! Wow! Not so monogamous, are they? Nope. They tend to be polygamous, as I saw. But, it seemed to be out in the open and agreed upon!

The females in my neighbourhood should be giving birth in the next couple of weeks. They’re doing it on their own, as the males will have no part in the child-rearing process. I have been pondering if I would prefer to be one of the Winter-born babies, who arrive to an enclosed den in the hollow of a tree, or a Late Summer baby, born in a cup-shaped leaf nest wedged into the crotch of tree branches, high above the ground. They both sound magickal and Lovely in their own way, don’t you think?