Would you stop to watch a squirrel as it nibbled on a branch or would you move on in search of more exciting wildlife? I love trying to capture the beauty in the ordinary and spent quite some time recently observing and photographing this Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) at Huntley Meadows Park.
Although the tree looks kind of dead, I think that the squirrel spotted a fresh bud on the end of the branch and decided to chew on it for a little while. Normally a squirrel has its head down when feeding and it was nice to be able to get this shot with its neck extended. The little reflection in its eye was a bonus.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I just love squirrels – wish we had them here! It’s always a delight when I catch sight of one back in Europe. Gorgeous Mike😊
Thanks, Chris. This is yet another case where a species that is common for me is utterly absent for you.
I stop for squirrels all the time. I stop while walking our dog and she looks at me like I don’t understand the world. They are just too cute.
We’re part of the same club, Dan. Some people look at squirrels as rats with tails, but I too find them to be really cute.
This is my favorite little guy. There are two families of black squirrels in our neighborhood and this one shows up in our yard from time to time. https://flic.kr/p/umnX1N
Wow. We have some black squirrels, but nowhere near as dark as yours.
I suspect the squirrel may be gnawing on that branch.Their teeth grow continually, and they have to gnaw to keep them short. When I had my pet squirrel, he always had a piece of antler to gnaw on, and I’ve watched squirrels in the wild gnawing on everything from clay flower pots to decorative antlers. That’s one reason to offer pecans in the shell, too. Gnawing through to get the nut is as valuable as the nut itself.
Of course, I love squirrels, and never would consider one “ordinary.” This is a delightful photo of an oft-unnoticed aspect of squirrely life.
Wow, a pet squirrel! Thanks for your insights into squirrel behavior–your explanation makes much more sense than what I was thinking about chewing on a bud. I have a rabbit and I think that it has the same problem of ever growing teeth and needing to chew all the time.
I always stop to watch squirrels. They have me convinced that animals do indeed just play for the fun of it.