Squirrely Squirrel!

This is one of the pictures I took for Nature Photography Day yesterday. If you want to see the one I added to the link, check my Facebook page. It rained a little yesterday and I didn't spend much time outside, so I only got a handful of pictures to consider. Most were of the squirrel, but I also got ones of a red-breasted nuthatch and evening grosbeak. Right now this little squirrel is running back and forth. He runs up to the feeder, chases all the birds away, eats a few seeds, and then runs back with a few to bury up on the hill. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He's been driving Denny nuts. One thing that's interesting about red squirrels is that the females are only in heat for one day, but can mate with up to 4-16 males. Sheesh -- that's a lot of little squirrely cigarettes to light! The female gestation period is only about a month long and they can have 1-5 each litter. Most litters have 3-4 offspring, which is what I've seen at my house. There was a squirrel I named Nips because she was nursing and well ... you know. I don't think she's around anymore, but her 3 babies are and they're crazy things. I'm pretty sure the squirrel in this picture is one of her babies. Here he comes again -- back and forth, back and forth ...