Going nuts for squirrels

Today was a hot day. I was sweating like a pig when I was grilling on our patio. Samuli really wanted to go feed the squirrel we saw on Saturday (see earlier post). So we bought a packet of peanuts and headed off into squirrel territory.

At first we didn't see any squirrels. Samuli was already saying something about the hot weather killing them or something when we saw one running off over a small hill. We followed it and there was this kid with about 10 squirrels around him feeding them. Kinda bummed that someone had got there before us we decided to go on to the cliff over looking lake Kaukajärvi. Samuli was complaining how there wouldn't be any squirrels there because it was on a cliffs edge and open to birds of prey etc.... yada yada... I was ignoring him and munching on the peanuts (hey if there were no squirrels to feed someone had to eat them!)

Please don't bite the hand that feeds (especially if it is mine)!

We sat down on a bare bit of rock and the second we put the peanut bag down there were two squirrels. They were hilaire!! This small one was really greedy and vicious. It would stuff it's little face full of peanuts (about 4 at a time) then it would chase after the other squirrel so that it wouldn't dare come take our nuts. After that it would hide the nuts in various holes. When it had done this with all the nuts (occasionally chasing after the other squirrel) it would come back to get more nuts form us. The funny thing is while Small and Vicious was getting nuts from us the bullied one was digging up the 'hidden' ones. It was quality entertainment.

Rabid Squirrel

After some time more squirrels showed up and they even got used to my camera clicking so I got some interesting squirrel shots. There was this one squirrel that was really silly. It was as if it had never seen a peanut in it little squirrel life because it tried to eat Samuli's finger. Like it would tug at it the tip of his finger and then eventually nibbled it. So funny! And when we threw a peanut at it, the squirrel would just sniff the ground. Finally, after Small and Vicious took its nut did it get the concept of peanuts.

Yummy meaty peanut.

I didn't feed them much as I was taking photos. Plus I had read all these things about people being attacked by squirrels and getting the plague (don't ask). But after a while of nut eating (well, mostly hiding) they got more interested in my camera. This one crazy squirrel climbed on my knee when I was sitting one the ground sticking its little squirrel head into my camera.

"Gimme your fucking nuts!"

But the weirdest and funniest (or should I say scariest) thing happened when we stood up to leave and the same squirrel that had sat on me decided to climb up my LEG like I was a TREE!! Mind you I HAD SHORTS ON, ITTY BITTY SHORTS... and I HAD A SQUIRREL CLIMBING ME LIKE I WAS SOME KIND OF PINE TREE WANTING MY NUTS! Gah. It was a little bit scary looking into it's hungry little eyes hoping it would let go of my leg. Samuli on the other hand found it hilarious and spent the whole way home complaining that he didn't get it on video. Pah.

OMG I have a big rodent thing sitting on my LEG!