Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Acrobatic squirrels

As it turns out, there's something of a squirrel highway through the trees outside my office window. This squirrel-road involves a particularly hair-raising leap from the branches (more like twigs, actually) of one tree, through a good several feet of open air, and onto another tree. This doesn't look particularly safe from our point of view, but it must work out well for the squirrels, because they go through this exact routine multiple times a day. (Keep in mind, also, that we live on the second floor of a house.)

This is probably the most exciting thing that happens at our apartment on any given day.


Here's how it usually goes:


I'll see a squirrel scamper up to perch on the small branches of the one tree and start looking expectantly at the other tree, where it clearly desperately wants to be. But how can it get there?! It'll wave its tail frantically and bounce up and down a few times.



Then, amidst rousing cries of "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!" (from me and Paul)....



Squirrel launch!


(Close-up!):


We haven't witnessed any mishaps yet. Be safe, acrobatic squirrels!

5 comments:

  1. oh my goodness!

    Maybe you guys could rig up a little safety-net under the Big Leap? I'd be having heart attacks six times a day watching them do that! (But darn, that squirrel-HANCE shot is really cute!)

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  2. Wait, so these AREN'T flying squirrels? Because the one in the closeup is doing a great Superman impression. Great photo!

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  3. Yep, just a regular old gray squirrel -- it sure seems to think it's a flying squirrel, though! I do really like its pose in this picture, and it kinda makes me laugh. :P Thanks for the comments, guys!

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  4. Fantastic shot of the leaping squirrel. And LOL about you and Paul cheering it on. That sounds like something my family would do. Confirmation that we're related. Chris Horvath

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