Look familiar?

Does this squirrel remind you of anything????

LOL....Just sayin'............

Apparently the great acorn shortage is not affecting this crew!

The squirrels & the new boy gets a name.

How could I forget to update you on the squirrels! *Sigh*....my aging mind is not as sharp as it used to be! My gang of 12.....including little Acorn and a slew of JoAnn's babies, are romping the woods and loving it! It's going to be a bad year food-wise for rodents, and these guys were a little later getting released than I would like due to so many babies and waiting their turn in a release pen. But fear not! The release pens are remaining open for them to utilize as needed through the winter and unlike the releases before them that eventually ventured off to make their own nests in the woods, these guys do not seem to be in a big hurry to do so! Many are still returning at night to sleep. And as you can see below, they have also figured out where they can find a good meal every day too!

Some of the gang will still grab a nut or two from my hands also. Walnut especially still loves his Momma!

The funny thing is when I'm out by the release pen they won't come up to me to get their nuts....they go run into the release pen and wait for me inside by the door. Why you may ask? Well, when they were being formula fed, I would feed each one then put them into a different cage to wait until everyone was done. With such a large group it was the only way to know who was fed already and who wasn't. Plus as they get older they are a little more jumpy and harder to catch. So when they were all fed in the other cage I needed to make it easier to get them back into the main pen without them all getting loose in the room and impossible to catch! I would then get one nut, and one at a time hand them a nut which they would take then scoot back into the main pen. Now they are sort of trained! They think to get their nut they have to go to the door! So instead of just coming up to me outside....they run inside to the door! LOL! Don't let anyone ever tell you they are not smart and can not be trained!

Pretty soon my gang will start filling out and look like the wild gang out there....big, fat, porkers! Look how round he is! The picture does not do the portliness of this guy justice. Putting it bluntly....I have some fat ass squirrels out there! As you can see the acorn shortage will not be a problem for the squirrels of my acquaintance.

A check this morning of the island release site revealed no coonies....and no food! They're coming back for regular visits to eat but they have apparently found new homes elsewhere. Our babies are all growed' up!

The rest of the overwinters are fine. The new boy the ARL had rescued that was stuck in the notch of a tree is doing well. It is still unsure how well he will recover or if he'll get the use of his leg back. The swelling and nerve damage have caused some sores and sloughing of skin on the top of his foot and on the inside of his knee. He's on antibiotics and although the wounds look pretty bad, they are actually doing well. The tissue is pink and healthy and bleeds occasionally which means it is not necrotic ( or dead), meaning it the tissue is alive and healthy and there is good circulation to it. It is just going to take some time to heal. Then the issue will be the extent of the nerve damage....will he be able to use the leg again. It's going to be a long haul for this guy, but he's eating well, his spirits are good, and he's got a safe place to take as long as he needs to recover! I am hoping for the best...something only time will tell.

I had put off naming him, not knowing his fate. However as it seems he may be around for a while...a friend has taken to calling him Boston for lack of a better name from me....so Boston it is V! :)

Outside my kitchen window....

On those very rare occasions, when I actually have a chance to sit at my kitchen table and check my emails while enjoying a much needed cup of coffee, (after the first round of feedings of course!) I keep my camera close. There is an amazing world going on out there... right outside my kitchen window!

Lots of baby birds following parents around begging to be fed....

As always, the fuzzballs the feeders were intended for....

....and those they were not intended for, but who insist on raiding....

Yup...even some of the girls are getting into the act! The high demand of their kits probably driving them to the high fat and protein bonanza to be found here.

Generally the coonies wait till dark so as not to ruffle the tails of the likes of this guy! The fox may have learned where the squirrels like to hang out, but the squirrels have learned to keep a guard on duty. Usually one of the older, more seasoned adults is standing sentry on the railing and I'm amazed at how sharp they are. One sound from the sentry and all those at the feeder head up to the top of the tree or the railings.....and wait until it is deemed safe. They have learned to head up and wait it out or exit under the thick cover of the bushes along the foundation around to the other side of the house. They know not to just run across the open yard now.

It's not often you see these guys fluttering from tree to tree like a little song bird....but in the spring, Mr. Wood duck is obediently following Mrs. Wood duck around as she searches for the perfect hollow to lay her eggs. He followed her around for about an hour this particular morning! LOL

There is an over abundance of these guys this year! I have never seen so many! I'm practically stepping on them as I walk through the woods.

And as always I am not able to linger and enjoy this relaxing show. Got a new guy in yesterday. He was found at an abandoned train station and an attempt to reunite for a night was unsuccessful. So the little boy named Pinner was brought here. He's in perfect shape...a very healthy, chunky little boy. He's comfortably settled in and sucking down his bottles like a pro. After his 2 week quarantine he'll be a perfect pal for Spencer who is still a loner since he's still a little too young to be in a bigger crate with any of the rest of the groups.

Right now everyone else is doing fine. Bama is eating and happy to be back with Springer and Chester. I'm thinking soon they will join Tumbler, Legend, Rizzoli and Isles as one big group. Just giving it a little more time to make sure no other problems break with any of them.......

Poor Vin Diesel!

It was good to get back to Vin. I was worried about him taking his antibiotics while I was gone. He did fine though. His butt is almost completely closed up....it looks great. We're keeping him on antibiotics though because I discovered what appears to be another large abscess forming across his back. It's pretty sensitive to him when I touch it, but god bless him.... if I go slow and easy he lets me examine him and I can feel the abscess pocket. He's eating fine though and acting normal.....I think he's just using it as an excuse to suck up more attention from me! LOLHe came in this last time missing some toenails too. The toes are healing up great as well....minus the nail for now....and it doesn't seem to phase him anymore. He's also walking normal again! Whew!

So me being the sucker that I am.....he comes out chattering pathetically and I have to go over and "comfort" him. But not such a sucker after all......this gives me the perfect chance to scratch him all over...thereby examining him without him realizing my ulterior motives! Aha!
He gets a good scratching while I'm able pick off all the scabs to keep the wounds open and keep an eye on any new developments that pop up.......without him battling me because he thinks I'm trying to do something to him! Works perfectly and makes caring for him sooooo much easier! It just requires a little patience...not something I'm usually known to have! LOL

All the squirrels have been released now. The last cage was opened up just before heading to NY. Of course they are all still hanging out in there. That's fine. There is no one else to go in there this year so the pens will remain available to them to use over the winter if they need it. Little Monkey the red is still hanging around in the shed. There's a little hole for extension cords to fit in that is just the perfect size to fit a red squirrel! He's got lots of hidey holes to hang out in in there and he's taking full advantage of it....that's also fine by me! Don't mind his company at all....except when I go in there and he scares the crap out of me! LOL

All the squirrels are in release pens!

Well squirrel season is almost officially at an end finally! All the buggers are out in release pens and will be on their way very shortly. There are 3 release pens out there. The "deluxe suite" has a large indoor and outdoor section. That's what we use if there are any overwinters. Qbert, Snarf, Snuff and some of JoAnn's crew were in that one and have been released but are still hanging out in there a little. The middle cage is smaller and is now occupied by 5 of JoAnn's crew. You can see one of them in the background here behind Caramel. Caramel and my crew of 6 are in the third larger cage with 7 more of JoAnn's babies. It's a full house but they are loving the hollow trees and logs in there as they acclimate to the area.

Depending on weather conditions, the 5 in the middle cage will go this weekend and Caramel's crew will get released next weekend.

I'll also have to work it around the wildlife conferences we are going to on both weekends. We have the Wild in Vermont conference to go to this weekend and then up to the Niagra area for the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council conference next weekend! Things are going to be a little crazy for the next week or so. The fun part is getting critter sitters for everyone....and wildlife isn't the only thing I've rescued! I have 3 dogs and 6cats...all but one of the dogs were rescues. My family dreads it when they hear I am going away! LOL

The fungus ferrets!

Qbert, Snarf and Snuffles are big and beautiful and loving life in the outdoor pen with their new friends! In about a week they too will be out in the big world.....

.....making room for this gang once they are old enough! Here we have a group of 6 consisting of Caramel, the largest of them, a sweet boy that was well loved and cared for by the woman that found him. She had him for a couple of weeks but knew he needed to be with other squirrels and wanted to do what was best for him. So as hard as it was to part with the little bugger, she brought him here and he is thrilled to have playmates now! He's also a ham for the camera!

Caramel now has 4 sisters and a brother to play with. The 2 smallest girls came in together then there are the 3 middle sized ones, a brother/sister pair and a single female making it a family of 6 altogether.

All are doing great, eating well and starting to munch solids and even being pretty good at using the litter box (as demonstrated by Caramel....uh, a little privacy please mom! LOL).

So as you can see, the fungus encounter hasn't scared me off of taking in more squirrels!

Poopie update!

Remember Poopie the adorable little possie I had briefly? Well she's doing great at Mary's. She and her step brother are in with the older 6 possies now and she's just as big as them now.

Mary's also got a couple more cute little ground hogs in the mix too...as well as a few skunks that were too camera shy!

Meanwhile back on the home front one of the released squirrels takes a moment to tease the crap out of one of my cats! They are wise guys-they know the cats can't get them through the glass door so it's a great place to lounge!

Good news for the beaver!!

This will be short but sweet because I have to take advantage of the nice weather to clean outdoor den boxes etc......

Just got a text from Laurie.....the beaver is doing great and going to have dental surgery! Don't have the particulars right now, but when I get them I'll pass them on. I'm psyched!

Laurie was the first of us to get new babies.....4 pinkie squirrels last night....ughhhh. No more sleep for Laurie for a while! It has begun, we are all on borrowed time now!

The midnight run.

Laurie got a call last night about a beaver. A woman came across a crowd of people standing around the poor thing on the side of the road. Lucky for our little friend here she had a passion for animals and every intention of making sure this one got the right help. She covered it with a blanket, scooped it up and brought it in to Laurie. When Laurie got out of work around 10pm she swung by and got me and we drove the beaver out to Tuft's in Grafton.

I think we made it home by midnight.....a late night but well worth it!! At least I could sleep in in the morning. Laurie has a full, long day at work......no worries, plenty of IV's there to start a coffee drip if needed! LOL

The Dr. and on-call student did a preliminary exam and all seems well so far. Minor abrasion to tail, nothing appeared broken, and not neurologic. They were going to have to get a better look in the mouth though, and that would have to wait for today when he/she could be sedated. Here's hoping for the best and we'll keep ya posted!


Had a huge gang of squirrels at the feeders yesterday....the cold doesn't keep them down when they're hungry! Of course they are probably all eating for 5 or so now!

And yes.....sometimes the grays and the reds can coexist in peace....at least for a while. Little Red here never once chased, yelled at or harassed any of the grays this time! Shocking!

Jingles, Mojo & during the thaw!

Jingles is resting comfortably as you can see! We've reached a little speed bump though. After getting some advice from Bat World in Maine, I roused him to to get him to take some more fluids and possibly sub q him. Well he got pissed off enough to totally spread his wings and give me a good look and I noticed a couple small tears in one of the wing membranes.

So I will be getting back in touch with Jen and hopefully figure out what is best to do with our little friend!

In the meantime, Mojo and Miracle are doing great. Mojo has finally gotten used to me...so much so he is constantly begging at the door for nuts when he sees me now!

And of course, how could I resist him!

The unusually warm 60+ degree weather has everyone venturing out! With most of the snow melted the gang has been hitting the feeding station again.

Here's Daisy looking great as usual!

The platforms were crowded! You would think they were starving out there! They certainly don't look like they've lost much...they are still porky!!

Mom and her late kits are doing fine also. My only concern for them was having been late babies, I hoped they would have enough fat and volume on their frames to hold them over for a long term sleep. But mother nature gave them a break and some great spring like weather in between storms to allow them to hit the feeders and replenish for the round of snow hitting us now!

Singing coons & teasing the cat!

Ok, their not REALLY singing......but they should be with the weather here today! It's gotta be about 60 degrees! Talk about a total 180!! From a damaging, freezing ice storm, to spring! No complaints here though! The whole gang was enjoying it today!

Button...wud ya bring us today??

Outlaw scarfs down some apple.

And now presenting the coonie chorus! Looks like a karaoke extravaganza going on here.

Oooooooh, Deck the halls with boughs of holly!......

Fa la la la laaaaaaaaaaa.....

La la.....

La.......

Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The coonies weren't the only ones enjoying the weather. All the big fat squirrels were out today too.....totally entertaining one of the cats outside the window.....

And if I'm not mistaken......taunting her a little! Na na na! Ya want a piece of me? Well I'm riiiiight here.....oh so close....here I am....c'mon! What's a matta', you can't open windows?? Hehe, what a shame! Poor, poor, kitty. Here, why don't ya get a look at my good side....let me just fluff my tail a little for ya!

As you can see, the squirrels that get released around here have it made too! What a porker!