I'm introducing my good buddy Junior in these videos. I met him in late June this summer and we got to know each other pretty well over the next 3 months. He's attracted to our side yard by bird feeders stocked with sunflower seeds and he happily stays for an hour or more when I scatter extra seeds on the ground in his favorite places, the ones where he can scamper up a nearby tree if he feels threatened. He doesn't move well on the ground and he's uncoordinated when foraging there but he's very agile and fast climbing up and clambering down trees.

After showing up 4 out of 5 days all summer long for a breakfast or lunch of sunflower seeds and the occasional mushroom, Junior's gone missing for nearly 2 weeks. You'll easily see from the videos how vulnerable he is to avian predators with his white underbelly exposed so often and so long while he's handling seeds. I fear a hawk may have grabbed him away forever but haven't given up hope that he's off somewhere with his siblings foraging and caching for the winter.

I welcome any comments about Junior at all ~ thanks in advance for your interest. We believe he's a youngster, born nearby in the spring of 2020. We don't know his sex. We don't understand his condition. We've grown very fond of this brave, plucky little guy and wish him safe speed and hearty meals wherever he's hanging out right now.

https://youtu.be/kJvYx4F3dLc
https://youtu.be/WNmM0DAZS28