Fireweed
05-03-2010, 01:00 PM
Today it snowed! And while looking out my window at the gloomy day, I saw a Magpie and a squirrel fighting over 'something'. I ran out to where they had been and couldn't find them until I heard the Magpie squawking. They had moved over by the woodpile and were still jumping at each other. It turns out there was a baby squirrel crouching under the woodpile! But when the adult squirrel tried to grab the baby the little one resisted and tried to fight the adult off. This made me think the adult was a male who had grabbed the baby or something like that. So I snatched up the baby (who was shivering in fear) and warmed her up while I tried to figure out what exactly was going on.
I couldn't recognize the adult. But I showed the adult squirrel the baby in my hands and she immediately took off running down our road right to Sundog's nest! Sundog's nest was pretty far from the spot where I found the baby, so I knew this adult had to be Sundog. She ran up the tree and stood on the Private Property sign which is nailed right behind the hole she calls her nest. The hole is only about 5.5" off the ground and I could easily see the two other babies peaking out of the hole.
It seemed as though Sundog was trying to tell me to put the baby back. And since the baby was now calm(er) and warm, I put her near Sundog and Sundog proceeded to grab her leg and the baby started panicking. This made me fear that Sundog wasn't really this one's mother (this baby was found closer to Quami's nest than Sundog's--but that could be because the Magpie took her that far..??) Anyway, I snatched up the baby again in order to think a bit more (I know, it's probably so obvious to most of you what was going on--but I've never found myself in this situation before so I was confoozled! :D )
While I was thinking with my goo for brains, Sundog went away and I stood there wondering what to do. I tried to put the little one in the hole but the other babies barked at her and didn't seem like they wanted her in. With her in my hands and snuggled close to my body, I went back to the area where I had found her and Sundog was there looking for her again (maybe there was two? Ugh.) So I showed the baby to Sundog again...and she did the same thing as before! She ran down the road to her nest hole and stood on the sign and waited for me to catch up. So instead of trying to give the baby directly to Sundog, this time I put the baby on the lip of the hole and as the baby started to crawl into the hole, Sundog came and nudged her in...Yay!!
But I have a couple of questions: Do you think the Magpie grabbed the baby right out of the hole?
Do you think the baby fell out and then the Magpie grabbed her?
Do you think Sundog was trying to move the babies? (they are fully furred, eyes open, but still tiny)
Do you think Sundog threw that baby out because she was sick or a runt?
Do you think I did the right thing? Should I pay special attention to that nest? It is far enough away that I can not see it from my house or yard...
I'm just so confused as to why/how the baby would've ended up so far from the nest and was fighting Sundog (was she just that scared?)
Help me to understand or at least to calm down! :tilt
Edit: I checked the baby over and she didn't seem to have any injuries...she was a little wet on one spot of her side but that could've been from crouching on the snowy ground...I didn't see cuts, blood, scruffy hair or anything... :dono
I couldn't recognize the adult. But I showed the adult squirrel the baby in my hands and she immediately took off running down our road right to Sundog's nest! Sundog's nest was pretty far from the spot where I found the baby, so I knew this adult had to be Sundog. She ran up the tree and stood on the Private Property sign which is nailed right behind the hole she calls her nest. The hole is only about 5.5" off the ground and I could easily see the two other babies peaking out of the hole.
It seemed as though Sundog was trying to tell me to put the baby back. And since the baby was now calm(er) and warm, I put her near Sundog and Sundog proceeded to grab her leg and the baby started panicking. This made me fear that Sundog wasn't really this one's mother (this baby was found closer to Quami's nest than Sundog's--but that could be because the Magpie took her that far..??) Anyway, I snatched up the baby again in order to think a bit more (I know, it's probably so obvious to most of you what was going on--but I've never found myself in this situation before so I was confoozled! :D )
While I was thinking with my goo for brains, Sundog went away and I stood there wondering what to do. I tried to put the little one in the hole but the other babies barked at her and didn't seem like they wanted her in. With her in my hands and snuggled close to my body, I went back to the area where I had found her and Sundog was there looking for her again (maybe there was two? Ugh.) So I showed the baby to Sundog again...and she did the same thing as before! She ran down the road to her nest hole and stood on the sign and waited for me to catch up. So instead of trying to give the baby directly to Sundog, this time I put the baby on the lip of the hole and as the baby started to crawl into the hole, Sundog came and nudged her in...Yay!!
But I have a couple of questions: Do you think the Magpie grabbed the baby right out of the hole?
Do you think the baby fell out and then the Magpie grabbed her?
Do you think Sundog was trying to move the babies? (they are fully furred, eyes open, but still tiny)
Do you think Sundog threw that baby out because she was sick or a runt?
Do you think I did the right thing? Should I pay special attention to that nest? It is far enough away that I can not see it from my house or yard...
I'm just so confused as to why/how the baby would've ended up so far from the nest and was fighting Sundog (was she just that scared?)
Help me to understand or at least to calm down! :tilt
Edit: I checked the baby over and she didn't seem to have any injuries...she was a little wet on one spot of her side but that could've been from crouching on the snowy ground...I didn't see cuts, blood, scruffy hair or anything... :dono