Release question

[Wonkawillie]

It has been a few weeks now since I have no longer had routine daily visits by my released girl. I saw a LOT of hawk activity around here and even saw a big one swoop down to the peanut pile and nearly grab a wild mamma squirrel. I am used to seeing my girl twice per day for two full months after her release. Then her visits were more like 2 days appart. At first i was worried about the two day absense, but when she finally showed up, she was fine. She clearly missed me as she played like crazy!. But she was also very nervous with this last visit. Freezing up and listening, and totally refusing to stay on my shoulder to come in the house. She would dive back to the tree.
She had nests all over my yard, as I have seen her putting peanuts in them. Now two weeks have gone by and I have not seen her. There has been no activity near her nests either. This girl would come right to my window and sit and wait for peanuts. have not seen her. I was thinking the worse, but now I notice that I have not seen this wild momma squirrel that used to come each day also. Either they have both been eaten by hawks, or they packed up and left due to the hawks atempts on thier lives.
I know squirrels are very territorial, but would these two squirrels abandon territory if there were such threatening hawks around? Wouldnt they return out of temptation for the peanuts?
My girl had built some nests in one section of my yard that were closer to the street. If she traveled another 100 yards and crossed the street ( not a super busy street), she would have found lots of trees and many of them oaks ( which I do not have in my yard ). Possibly she stayed there due to better safety of the trees ( from the hawks ), and a good food supply?
I miss her like crazy, and worry like we all do about our released ones, but I try to tell myself that I did my very best with a baby found near dead and stone cold. What do you folks think about her diappearance? PS, she was only 6 months old. I dont think she would have stayed away due to her being a momma. Too young?

[Jackie in Tampa]

she is busy mom...she'll be back...:grouphug

yikes , I dislike hawks in my neighborhood...they have a purpose and are beautiful...
and I understand the rules...preditor and prey...
I want the hawk to have his lunch...but not here...so I hoop and holler...throw stuff at him...clap my hands...
sqs barking can be heard for blocks...warning all others
Monster in the Sky!
not a damn thing we can do...

Fortunately it is instinct...they freak out when you turn on the ceiling fan if they have never seen one...it's the overhead thing...they know!
They do alert each other...
keeping a sq in the release cage where they are going to be free'd at is the best thing ever...gives them a grace period to learn "the hood' and watch the locals re-act...
It's the best we can do!
I think she is just busy being a sq...:grouphug

[Wonkawillie]

Well, I hope you are right.
When she was young I would play with her on my bed. Then cieling fan weather came. I noticed she was worried about it, but not totally freaking out. I new right away that she was thinking "hawk". I shut it off of course.
I think i did her release as soft as possible. I put her out in release cage for a few hours per day with bringing her into her bed in the house at night. extended the cage time outside, til she slept out there in the cage. Then began to let her out for a short bit, but i returned her to her cage. Gradually increasing the time until I left her out and went to work all day. I called her for a bit and she came running! Still put her in the cage at night for about a week of all day release. She was NOT happy to go in the cage, but when it got dark, she went in her bed to sleep.
Then when I saw that she was very busy building nests, I knew I had to be brave and let her sleep outside. I did this on a night of good weather. At 6 AM and went out to the base of the tree where her nest was, and she poked her head out and yawned. I just smiled and knew I had done a good job of releasing her. Then for two months I would see her daily, but lord knows where she was off to during the day.
Now I dont see her at all. Kind of sick about it. I know she has serious fear of the big birds in the sky. It is funny as the barn swallows will dive bomb her and she could care less, but catch a glimps of a big bird and she freaks, starts yelling and runs up a tree.
I HOPE she is just staying clear of this hawk infested place of mine for a while. I trimmed the end of her tail so I can identify her, even from a distance. I miss her so much.

[Jackie in Tampa]

I just smiled and knew I had done a good job of releasing her.
:Love_Icon

[Wonkawillie]

The peanuts are under cover. I have an overhead trellis, that is completely covered in thick trumpet vine. It totally covers and shades my brick patio. This is where I was putting the nuts, as you simply can not see through the vines overhead. I had one hawk swoop down under the trellis and land on the bricks with my wild squirrels diving out of the way!

[Kelly Brady]

Dearest Wonka Willie,

I hate it when that happens. I know you are worried but I had to share a similar experience of mine. My little release also in the beginning was here like clockwork every day. We, (like everyone) have the darn hawks, all though I feed a massive amount of blue birds and they now alert my squirrels. I have seen the blue birds attack the hawks that are invading my tree space. I knew something nice would come out of feeding them as well.:D Back to my story and I will try to keep it short. I thought all the thoughts you are having that my Little Piper was just too young and maybe she had been eaten as one day she just did not return. This went on for nearly three months.
She came back. :D Just as Jackie says. I knew it was her from her markings.
I went outside to feed my wilds then I saw a squirrel running from way down a electrical wire. A direction that not many of my wilds run to come eat. She came right to me and sat next to me. She took some of her favorite foods and I sat there and cried with happiness. She is all grown up and does still come for a visit from time to time.
Always, Always keep the faith and trust in their very good instincts. Take care.:wave123

[pappy1264]

I am going through this very thing right now (check out my 'Pinkie and Fonzi' post in nursery if you want to read it). Fonzi and Pinki were released one month ago. I have not seen Fonzi in 5 days now, and today, I chased a hawk out of my yard (it was a Coopers, two days ago, we had a redtail out there with her two babies) three times (it was even hiding in the bushes right next to the bird feeders, sneaky beast!) I am praying with everything I have Fonzi is ok (Pinkie wasn't here today, but was yesterday and the day before). Fonzi was not 'street smart' like Pinkie and I have from day one been very worried for him. I pray both our babies are just off enjoying life as the wild squirrels they are (I keep telling myself that, anyway.) I will keep you and your baby in my prayers.