Greed

 

Watching the weather of late (are you stupid Climate Change Deniers looking up from your Trump phones?). It is later November, and at Wareham the day time temperatures are well above freezing and we have had only one day with just a dusting of quickly melted snow. 

I got to thinking about the natural world outside my window. The leaves are long dropped, but that is a function of changing light levels, not temperatures. How is this impacting the maples here, with no energy gathered, but not frozen preservation? The many spruce trees I've planted over the years seem to be doing fine, and may actually still be growing (although slowly, it is hard to tell). The grass and clover in the yard is also still quite green and growing slowly. 

What about the animals? I keep seeing large flocks of geese, obviously confused and still looking for spilled corn from the long completed Fall harvest. The squirrels are still rampaging around. Almost all the long fallen walnuts are gone or gathered and buried. Are the two resident red squirrels just pulling from the stores they will need come early spring?

And what about the other birds? I realized that I had not been helping, as the large bird feeder is well past a re-fill. This normally helps our resident blue Jays (typically 3), two pairs of red cardinals, and a changing flight of chickadees.  

 

So I dug out the pail of mixed bird seed and filled the feeder, which hangs off the upper deck just beyond our sliding glass door. 

Fifteen minutes later, this happened.

That squirrel had spotted the available food supply first. He had ate his fill. Then fixed himself on the top of the feeder, clicking and shrieking his warning cry. For a full 20 minutes. I never saw him actually eat any more. Just blocking anything else from getting a meal as he loudly issued his 'Bugger off - this is MINE!' chattering

 

Greed

Those that have the most make sure no one else can get anything.

Just because a squirrel does this, with it's tiny brain, does not mean we humans should be so stupid.