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naturelady1
12-07-2010, 08:31 PM
Hi everyone!
Thanks to all who share time, effort and energy on behalf of these wonderful critters. I must confess though, that my viewpoint until my first up close and personal experience with these animals, was vastly different than it is now. I've gone from predator to prey, having taught and handled raptors for a facility in an educational setting. Then,umm....squirrels were food, now... I make "scarecrows" (to scare hawks away):dono and move them from chair to chair outside my house in a crazy attempt to give my one late release squirrel some extra breathing room. I'm an environmental educator, currently out of work due to the economy, and had time this past year to have one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

It started like this. A friend who is an arborist, brought me a jacket stuffed with leaves one cold night in early April. He had taken down a tree for someone, and discovered a nest inside a hollow. He put the nest in a quiet place, but Mom never came back...too much commotion I suppose. It was below freezing, and he knew they wouldn't make it, so he brought them to me. When we opened the jacket, we found five Eastern Grey squirrel babies, eyes still unopened (they opened in the next few days) My first thought was to get them warm, and keep them quiet...luckily CVS was still opened, so I ran and got a syringe to give them fluids. After stabilizing them I reached for the computer, and found TSB...reading everything I could find...and...with your help:thankyou I successfully raised and released five healthy kids. One from that litter still comes back and helps herself to nuts from time to time. (why she is alone is a whole other story) The other four were released together in the box they were raised in, and fed for a time until I knew they were finding food on thier own. (I would go back and holler..."squirrely girls!!!, SNACKS!!!", and would then watch as they came through the treetops to the feeder box...it was so cool. They moved from the box, built nests in the woods, and last I knew were alive and well. I remember sitting there crying when I released them, I never suspected that it would be that emotionally difficult...but wow..it was!:shakehead

This past August, my friend showed up with two more. He was working with another company,and rescued two squirrels from the chipper. ( I think the other @#$% were just going to feed the branches thru but he stopped them.)
One was fine, the other had obvious head trauma. I live in a state where she would have been euthanized if taken to a rehabber, so I decided to give her a chance. And so begins the story of Sunshine, also called Boo-boo. (which is told in some posts here). I now share my bathroom with a NR brain injured squirrel who has taken over my heart :Love_Icon with her courage and her will to survive.
She is relearning new things each day and it's a joy to watch her experience each accomplishment. I have a small house, the bathroom the only space that is safe...and more importantly, for the most part, is hers. The saga will continue, hopefully we will have more good times than bad, as she continues to heal. Thanks again to Tomo and BHO for thier incredible support and help!:thankyou

Her sister has been released outside, she is basically atm a "patio" squirrel. She made a cozy nest in the cedars next to the house, has a beautiful winter coat with fuzzy white fur behind her ears. She comes everyday for nuts and veggies, after working like crazy to bury many over the past months. She still runs up on occasion to grab a nut from my hand, altho this is happening less and less. I have made the committment to feed her as long as she's around. She runs up the tree and freezes if anyone else happens to be here, and chatters at my cats who watch her through the windows. (They are indoor cats, I could get up on a soap box about cats that run outside, but I won't)

Well, that's our story so far...thanks again to the caring hearts here, backed up by years of experience and knowledge!!:thumbsup

Lady Squirrelly
12-07-2010, 08:38 PM
Glad to read your story. They grab your heart don't they???


We call that OWNED :D

Glad to have you here.

:Welcome :Welcome :Welcome :Welcome :Welcome :Welcome

naturelady1
12-07-2010, 09:25 PM
Thanks!!
I love being owned :Love_Icon lol

Knowing how we love to see pics, I'm going to try and post some of my first group...
I'll post more pics if I see I made these small enough

naturelady1
12-07-2010, 09:27 PM
Good!! It worked!!:flash3

Rhapsody
12-07-2010, 09:28 PM
Adorable PICS - Thanks for Sharing.... :Love_Icon

lilidukes
12-07-2010, 09:33 PM
I'm so glad you found the help you needed here. Great pictures. And since you really understand about the hawks how about how do you do your scarecrows and what is some of the best ways to scare the hawks off.

naturelady1
12-07-2010, 09:55 PM
I honestly don't know if this will work or not.:dono Raptor eyesight is so keen, and they zero in on prey so incredibly well, that it probably is all in "my head". It started when I came out and spotted an immy red-tail sitting in my tree...after shouting like a wild woman, as it flew away, I realized I had to try something. My thought was to cause some kind of distraction at the last minute and maybe give my kid an extra half second to scramble to cover.
I move the scarecrows every other day. They wear my old outdoor clothing and have hats on. ( like big stuffed dolls) I made a crosspiece for the shoulders and put a long sleeved turtled neck on it, which I stuffed with straw, then pants that I made suspenders for to tie them up over the coss piece. A flannel shirtover top completes the outfit. ANd of course whats a scarecrow w/o accessories?? Gloves, hat and old boots. The head is made of flesh colored grocery bags, stuffed with...more plastic grocery bags...then the hat on top. I'll get a pic and post. When I first made them, the "kid" chattered at them, until I convinced her they were ok...now she stashes nuts in thier clothing . Since the leaves have dropped off the trees, I went out in my field and chopped a few small cedar trees to make a brush pile to give her...and the birds some extra winter cover. That's something I normally do in the winter so that the birds can dash off the feeders into something. I don't have alot of evergreen shrubs close to the house. My property is adjacent to field acreage that the raptors enjoy hunting..
I want them to stay there...

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-07-2010, 10:03 PM
Great story and great photos. I'm new here but like the rest of TSB I can't get enough of the the photos and stories. Its so nice to be among animal loving humans. All animals. I really like the scare crow idea. I have a 'bald eagle' issue in winter along with the other raptors (that I dearly love and respect) my pet duck comes running if I'm out and about and the bald eagles come to visit. I want to try the scare crow idea - at least it will amuse my husband. thanks again for sharing.

naturelady1
12-07-2010, 10:28 PM
What a wonderful website!! and an amazing calling...thanks for taking care of all those wonderful critters. I bookmarked it so I can go back and visit. I loved Tray's Poem...I have a 16 year old cat, and treasure each day he's still on the planet. And the scarecrows just add to the "ambiance" of a squirrely household, if nothing more!!

SquirrelsinSingapore
12-08-2010, 12:16 AM
ohh.. your story left me in tears ;)

naturelady1
12-08-2010, 11:22 AM
New pics of Sunshine my Boo-boo girl. If you look closely, you can see her head is not quite right, more elongated than most. At the back of her head, where her spinal column comes in there is a raised area..I suspect she had some kind of neck injury that healed. (The hair actually fell out and regrew there) Doesn't bother her now as she rolls around and whoops on stuffies, or me without any sign of constriction or pain. When she sits, she uses her whole body for balance..there was a time when she could not sit up and hold a piece of food like she is doing in the picture. She now can hang by her back feet, which she couldn't do either. The bathroom is her domain, these shots are right after breakfast, so its a little messy, keeping it clean is a full time job. I keep a small towel right inside the door to clear "puddles" when I walk in.

Also included one of the scare(hawk)crow shots I had from a little earlier in the fall.

RockyRocko
12-08-2010, 11:36 AM
What a great story!!! I love the scare crows too!! Welcome:Welcome

Best Life
12-08-2010, 01:45 PM
Leaps and Bounds for little Sunshine! :sunshine So much work, but so much MORE reward!! Well done!

Linda :tilt

lilidukes
12-08-2010, 01:47 PM
Love the pictures. Last spring I had a hawk trying to get one of my wilds and in desperation I ran in the house and got a string of firecrackers my son had. I lit them and it worked, hawk left but I didn't see my wilds for a couple of days either.

naturelady1
12-08-2010, 02:51 PM
Laughing about the firecrackers...I used set off small bottle rockets when the starlings used to try and get into the chicken coop to steal food. I can well imagine that the furbutts scattered and headed for the nearest trees! I've noticed now that my outside girl comes early to eat, snags everything I put out, then disappears back up into her nest tree for the rest of the day...hopefully for awhile the hawks will be out hunting while she is sleeping. The raptors I took care of were NR Birds of prey, that had issues in some way, shape, or form as many of our furred friends do. I am not a falconer,the birds were well taken care of, and used as teachers, along with a human educator.

Thanks all for the welcomes and kind words of support!:)

Fireweed
12-08-2010, 04:01 PM
:jump Great story and pics. :thumbsup Love the shots of your squirrels up in the trees. :alright.gif

Sunshine :Love_Icon

Kat762
12-23-2010, 01:07 PM
Nature Lady, what a cool story !

Boo-Boo is so sweet:Love_Icon

and so glad you have left the dark side and come to the light !:crazy

I have red-tailed hawks where I live and I also have the neighborhood squirrels hanging out at my house, so I put out ears of squirrel corn and lots of peanuts for the crows, the crows LOVE those ( the squirrels get the " good " nuts lol, don't want them eating too many p-nuts ) but it attracts the crows and they chase the hawks away.

( I may have read about it on here a few years ago, don't really remember ) but the first time I saw it I couldn't believe it.They gang up and dive bomb the hawk and chase it away.I've seen it many many times since the first.I can even recognize their screams now when they are chasing one, what a screeching racket,I'll run outside and sure enough they are on the attack.

The other afternoon I was napping and had the most vivd dream about a red-tail silently gliding in and landing in one of trees out back, there was a squirrel in one of the other branches.I woke up and ran outside, of course nothing was there:shakehead I told my husband and he just shook his head and said " you're too obsessed with squirrels :dono LOL.

Nice scarecrow, or maybe you should call it a scarehawk:crazy

Kat, owned by 7 1/2 year old Andi

naturelady1
12-26-2010, 05:38 PM
Thank you Kat!!!

I too now like the fact that crows mob Red-tailed hawks and other raptors. There is a family of crows living nearby, when I hear both them and the jays, I know something is "in the air" so to speak. Good idea making friends!!! The blue jays, altho noisy,are also a fantastic predator alert. Last year I would grab my binoculars and check out whatever raptor was visiting, this year I do it for an entirely different reason.

Last week, in honor of the season,I bought a red plush Santa hat at the thrift shop and changed the hat on one of the scarehawks. I had moved it to a different outside lounge chair. The next day, I looked out the window and watched my outside late season furbutt run over to the scarehawk, climb up, and feel the hat with her front paws. Then she sniffed it, felt it again,then grabbed the white pom-pom end and pulled and tugged, and tugged and pulled, until she got the hat off its head. She gathered it up in her mouth and tried to drag it, getting as far as the scarehawks lap. There, she settled to sit and chew on it instead. I do believe that her nest is probably now lined for the winter with nice soft, red pieces of plush from the "Santa scarehawk" It was soooo funny to watch, I was so into it I didn't even think about trying to film it!

Gotta Love those Squirrelykids :Love_Icon

island rehabber
12-26-2010, 06:27 PM
A belated :Welcome:Welcome to you, naturelady1 and Sunshine! Love your thread...love the scarecrows too! You are SO one of us :D :highfive

astra
12-26-2010, 07:07 PM
A belated :Welcome:Welcome to you, naturelady1 and Sunshine! Love your thread...love the scarecrows too! You are SO one of us :D :highfive
:Welcome :Welcome :Welcome :flash3

naturelady1
12-26-2010, 07:50 PM
Thank you Island Rehabber and astra, the onliest thing is,,,well I'm sure you haven't noticed (giggle) but this forum is addicting!!!! I find myself on here reading at night, and somehow the minutes slip by and become hours...lol...kinda like when I'm playing with my mjs It's good to find a home here with the rest of you!:flash3

island rehabber
12-27-2010, 08:06 AM
well I'm sure you haven't noticed (giggle) but this forum is addicting!!!! I find myself on here reading at night, and somehow the minutes slip by and become hours...lol...:flash3

you don't even want to KNOW about the things I've "forgotten" to do because of this place.......laundry...food shopping....bill paying....TAXES.......:osnap

but I never forget to take care of my squirrels or check TSB every few minutes :rotfl

Milo's Mom
12-27-2010, 08:12 AM
you don't even want to KNOW about the things I've "forgotten" to do because of this place.......laundry...food shopping....bill paying....TAXES.......:osnap

but I never forget to take care of my squirrels or check TSB every few minutes :rotfl



TELL ME ABOUT IT!!! I've found myself reading/researching and laughing/crying, at 3am when I quick jumped on at 8pm to check new posts...:shakehead
The BF as well as everyone else in the house (1 dog, 2 cats, & 1 squirrel (Princess Ellie)) have been asleep for hours...:thinking

mugzeezma
12-27-2010, 09:07 AM
:Welcome
Always good to see another squirrel person.

I happen to love my raptors but you won't see me throwing squirrels to them!
We have a resident Cooper's Hawk that has tried his hand at my Foxers in the cedars right by my release cage. It's Nature's way but I still can't watch it.

It doesn't have to be a conflict of interest does it?

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-27-2010, 09:35 AM
TELL ME ABOUT IT!!! I've found myself reading/researching and laughing/crying, at 3am when I quick jumped on at 8pm to check new posts...:shakehead
The BF as well as everyone else in the house (1 dog, 2 cats, & 1 squirrel (Princess Ellie)) have been asleep for hours...:thinking

I am with you guys! Meeting new squirrel folks, hearing stories like funny ScareHawks, great photos - its so nice to know I'm not alone in my kookiness and love of squirrels! There's nothing like sitting at a desk with fellow squirrel lovers online and having your faithful squirrel chasing your hands around the computer board (or stealing a key) or raiding your pen jar for just the right shiney pen for the nest and know there are oodles of us all enjoying the same silliness!

mugzeezma
12-27-2010, 10:12 AM
I am with you guys! Meeting new squirrel folks, hearing stories like funny ScareHawks, great photos - its so nice to know I'm not alone in my kookiness and love of squirrels! There's nothing like sitting at a desk with fellow squirrel lovers online and having your faithful squirrel chasing your hands around the computer board (or stealing a key) or raiding your pen jar for just the right shiney pen for the nest and know there are oodles of us all enjoying the same silliness!

OK I have a challenge for ya'll
NO MORE EDITING because of squirrels dancing with keyboards...

you wanna see what I'm typing with now?:rotfl My laptop is far far worse

all Mugzi damage some Chucky...Finnagin is more into erasers than electronics.
:shakehead I knew there was something wrong with that boy!

note the coffee stains on the desk calendar:shakehead

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-27-2010, 11:14 AM
:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl
I've replaced my laptop key board 3 times now - Toshiba folks are so funny - they say it happens ALL the time with parrots but they love the squirrel stories - you would think I would learn - 3 keyboards..... Love the photo - I am not alone!!!

mugzeezma
12-27-2010, 11:39 AM
:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl
I've replaced my laptop key board 3 times now - Toshiba folks are so funny - they say it happens ALL the time with parrots but they love the squirrel stories - you would think I would learn - 3 keyboards..... Love the photo - I am not alone!!!

The little boogers are FAST!!!

we are at their MERCY

Yeah Toshiba laptop
2 Apple and one Dell keyboard
3 cellphones
2 printers one destroyed by a NUT!!!
the other was peed in :shakehead

Verizon knows me by my first name

I put a towel over the printer and key boards but that gets yanked off

SquirrelsinSingapore
12-27-2010, 12:36 PM
The little boogers are FAST!!!

we are at their MERCY

Yeah Toshiba laptop
2 Apple and one Dell keyboard
3 cellphones
2 printers one destroyed by a NUT!!!
the other was peed in :shakehead

Verizon knows me by my first name

I put a towel over the printer and key boards but that gets yanked off
Seems like they dont like electronics.., hah!
Maybe its squirrel way to demand more 'squirrel time' =D:jump

naturelady1
12-27-2010, 01:23 PM
Don't have the electronics problem, cause my girl has the run of the room where she really can't hurt too much (bathroom),altho she has done in a section of flooring in her zeal to bury food. I now have small towels in all the corners, and she stashes things there, it seems to help. I do however find ppl look at me a tad oddly when pieces of stashed nuts fall from my neck scarves or hoods. :dono lol

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-27-2010, 01:41 PM
Don't have the electronics problem, cause my girl has the run of the room where she really can't hurt too much (bathroom),altho she has done in a section of flooring in her zeal to bury food. I now have small towels in all the corners, and she stashes things there, it seems to help. I do however find ppl look at me a tad oddly when pieces of stashed nuts fall from my neck scarves or hoods. :dono lol

LOL
Yes, my friends are now used to finding a nut or 2 every time they visit. There's something about purses and boots Ginger loves. Or maybe there are secret messages INSIDE the nuts she's trying to get out LOL. I love it when I go on a business trip and when I unpack at the hotel - out rolls a nut or 2!!!

naturelady1
12-27-2010, 01:43 PM
giggle...and WE think THEY are just "playing"

mugzeezma
12-27-2010, 01:46 PM
LOL
Yes, my friends are now used to finding a nut or 2 every time they visit. There's something about purses and boots Ginger loves. Or maybe there are secret messages INSIDE the nuts she's trying to get out LOL. I love it when I go on a business trip and when I unpack at the hotel - out rolls a nut or 2!!!

Awwww, She's packing little snacks for you so you don't get hungry on your trip! :Love_Icon :Love_Icon :Love_Icon

Fireweed
12-27-2010, 01:55 PM
I'm sure you haven't noticed (giggle) but this forum is addicting!!!! I find myself on here reading at night, and somehow the minutes slip by and become hours...lol...
:jump
Another Addict! Woot! :alright.gif What can you do but give in? :tilt

naturelady1
12-27-2010, 02:01 PM
:jump
Another Addict! Woot! :alright.gif What can you do but give in? :tilt


Shhhh...don't tell my friends and family...They think I'm playing Farmville...rofl
:jump

mugzeezma
12-27-2010, 02:13 PM
Shhhh...don't tell my friends and family...They think I'm playing Farmville...rofl
:jump

Wait until baby season hits...:wahoo

Kat762
12-27-2010, 10:22 PM
Andi doesn't chew anything up anymore, several years back she lost most of her teeth, but she peed on our digital high-def cable box and blew it up :sanp3

My practice run was when I had to tell my husband the cable box mysteriously stopped working :dono , then I had to go into the cable company and give it to them, standing there red-faced thinking any minute they would say " HEY this smells like squirrel pee ! " :shakehead LOL !

Scooterzmom
12-27-2010, 10:59 PM
Well how come I'm so late casting my welcome mat for you Naturelady?

:wahoo Great to see another squirrel nut joining the club! :Welcome :crazy Just think... only 6 weeks ago I thought I was the only one left of my breed - the squirrel-lovers breed. Isn't this place great??? :D :multi :flash3

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-28-2010, 09:37 AM
Andi doesn't chew anything up anymore, several years back she lost most of her teeth, but she peed on our digital high-def cable box and blew it up :sanp3

My practice run was when I had to tell my husband the cable box mysteriously stopped working :dono , then I had to go into the cable company and give it to them, standing there red-faced thinking any minute they would say " HEY this smells like squirrel pee ! " :shakehead LOL !
Oh yes, the dangers of Squirrel Pee. I do Arc/GIS (mapping) for the USForest Service and had this awesome Gateway Laptop. Ooops left the top up - looked like a piddle pad for Flash. Took to Geek Squad to pull my harddrive - the tech noted a "bad smell" uuuuuhhhhh Dunno. I now have a USFS Dell that stays very protected. Hmmmm Its a mystery why that computer just stopped working...... LOL That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

mugzeezma
12-28-2010, 10:15 AM
Oh yes, the dangers of Squirrel Pee. I do Arc/GIS (mapping) for the USForest Service and had this awesome Gateway Laptop. Ooops left the top up - looked like a piddle pad for Flash. Took to Geek Squad to pull my harddrive - the tech noted a "bad smell" uuuuuhhhhh Dunno. I now have a USFS Dell that stays very protected. Hmmmm Its a mystery why that computer just stopped working...... LOL That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

I think special warranties should be supplied to rehabbers of wildlife.

accidental urine spill
nut jams
key pops
resurfacing repairs due to tooth interface
and of course
repairs due to gravity issues

2ndHandRanchRescue
12-28-2010, 10:17 AM
I think special warranties should be supplied to rehabbers of wildlife.

accidental urine spill
nut jams
key pops
resurfacing repairs due to tooth interface
and of course
repairs due to gravity issues

:jump