What is it eating?
Here is another contribution to Squirrel Week. I spotted this red squirrel out my window last November in this balsam fir tree and grabbed my camera. The squirrel was clipping branch tips and then holding them like a cob of corn and eating something ?? - maybe the bark? (not the needles) I didn't think anything really ate balsam fir except starving deer in the winter. 40D, 500 f/4, 1/200, f/5.6, ISO 400, hand held though propped on a deck railing. Comments are welcome.
I Steve,
I like the composition, image and capture...The color rendition is dead on and I like the sharp details...the multi colored background sets this off really nice...and the green habitat puts this over the top...goos show...:cool:
Steve, the Red is probably eating pine nuts (seed) their traditional fav food and why the are aka pine sqs. They do adapt well to hardwood forests.
Really nice image!
Cute pose and love the setting !!! Thanks for the info Nonda !! You are the resident squirrel expert :)
HI STEVE - very nice squirrel - no nits from me - well done :)
Sorry Nonda. No pine nuts on a fir tree. :) These squirrels do clip off and store the cones (about 2 inches long) from balsams and feed on them during the winter, but there were no cones or seeds on this part of the tree - thus the mystery.Originally Posted by Nonda Surratt
It should have buds for spring flush, set in summer, they like those too, all conifers have cones and seeds (generic pine nuts), depending on age, including fir. Although hubby would smack me for ever calling a fir a pine;)
Last edited by Nonda Surratt; 02-05-2009 at 08:07 PM.
Steve,
I love the angular composition with the action going into the center of the frame. Really nice how you caught the squirrel in its habitat eating something. Excellent image.
God bless,
chris
Hi Nonda. After giving this more thought and looking at some balsam branches, it seems likely that this guy was eating the small buds at the tips of the branches. :)
Posting Permissions
