Hiding the Nut

I watched a squirrel burying a nut under one of the trees that line our back yard.

Balanced on his hind legs, the squirrel furiously dug at the ground with his front claws. He dropped his prized nut into the hole, pivoted on his hindquarters, and rapidly filled the hole back in.

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of remaining inconspicuous. Either I moved just a little or the wind shifted and carried my scent. The squirrel froze in place - nose twitching and eyes taking in everything.

A good minute passed before the squirrel decided his hiding place was undetected. Apparently a little extra protection was in order however. The little critter again turned on his haunches, picked up two hefty sized leaves in his front claws, and deposited them on top of the burial site. A couple energetic kicks with his back feet were required before the squirrel was satisfied the camouflage was securely in place.

Confident his treasure was safe, the industrious little guy scurried off.

Funny, I never saw him pull out his steno book to record the location.