This morning, when filling up the nut-bar for my little friends in the garden and replaced water as well, a new squirrel crossed my way, and fled, but since I have learned to distinguisch my gang by now, made of three so far, I can say with certainty that it was number FOUR that now is finding the way to my nut bar. Which delights me very much. The anmes so far are Kira, Sari and Taro. I need a new one. I thought of Mona. Sounds nice.
For Americans it may not be special, since American grey squirrels are very social and form family groups, but our European red squirrels are loners, when they meet fellows, they usually flee or attack and chase the other away. Only in captivity or huge excess of food or when getting fed by hand they tolerate others in close vicinity.
I have become the squirrel warden in our street and the whole block. Until last year, we have had no quirrels at all for severla years, construction sites, the noise from these, and plenty of trees cut, drove them away. Now that they are back, and seem to be all yearlings (possible they all are from one family), I do my best to support them and get them over the winter, there are severla boxes with nuts, fresh water, natural wool (Decembre starts mating season). The dry summers of the past three years caused havoc on tree nuts and food for them.
I plan to hang up several dreys as well, but there are not many good places anymore. Firs with very dense trees giving protection from wind and storm would be best, also spruces, due to their cones being in high demand by squirrels. But firs are rare in my place, and spources are dying all over the place: hot summers, and bugs. the german forest will dramatically change over the coming years, but before new planted trees form fruits and nuts, 30-890 years pass. For the squirrels, this is desastrous news. I fear for them, its possible that they dissapear form most of Germany even without the grey squirrels and their damn squirrel pox virus (cruelly killing red ones, but not grey ones).