A tiny red squirrel enjoys a meal of seed dropped by the bird feeders above.

This was a rare sighting at our house.  We don’t have squirrels around our place.  Our home is surrounded by large farm fields, so any critter making it to our property had to travel quite a way with little cover – except this time of year where the crops are up.  Still, when they get here, there’s no natural food source – no nut trees.

When this little guy showed up, he was the immediate center of attention.  I noticed him when I looked out the window to see what the racket was all about. What I saw amazed me.  This little guy was circling the trunk of a tree as quickly as his nimble legs would allow, with bluebirds in hot pursuit.  The birds were relentless, dive-bombing him at every turn.  Whenever he would venture out of thick brush, the birds would be on him.  He eventually caught a break and was able to grab a quick meal; cleaning up under the bird feeders.

When I spotted him I, naturally, wanted to get a picture. I knew, if I went outside,  he would run and hide. To get this shot, I stayed inside, opened the window, removed the screen and cautiously held my camera out the window.

This was the last time I saw him.  He must have gone on to a friendlier neighborhood. I don’t blame him.

To get a better, larger view, click on the photo.