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no trace of a dead squirrel nearby. After a while, the squirrel’s tail grows back, although it remains stumpy aft-
erwards.
Gray squirrels are digging up nuts they’ve hidden over the winter, but couldn’t find & forgot about. (By the way, this is how many trees are planted.) Now that the snow has melted, they are easier to find, & the squirrels are in a frenzy flinging dirt all around to get to them. Squirrels prefer very high-energy foods. Peanuts are one of their favorites; so are sunflower seeds & corn. (Squirrels appear to prefer corn to many other foods, probably because it is very high in energy.) Squirrels will eat about anything though, such as suet, dried fruit, & pumpkins. They will eat bird’s eggs occasionally, but only as a last resort, if there is no other food to be found. They will even eat certain pieces of garbage, & as I have personally observed, they will eat electrical lights. They often will feed in small groups of several squirrels; when there is a lot of food in one place, it doesn’t stay secret very long. When squirrels are startled, frightened, or in a fight with another squirrel, their tail is out very straight, & the fur is flattened down so the tale looks very long & skinny. When they are relaxed, their tale is up over their back & all fluffed out.