The Great Squirrel Hunt

Yesterday, I decided to walk over at the Heebner Green Space Park which is on my drive home. It is a convenient place to walk a couple miles and with it getting darker earlier and earlier, I didn't want to take the extra fifteen or twenty minutes or so that it would take me to get over to Valley Forge National Historic Park (although I prefer to walk there). As the days get shorter and shorter, my walking options get fewer and fewer.

I also decided that it was long past time to get a picture of nice squirrel, or Charlie as we call them; further thinking the ones I see in this park might be a bit tamer or less skittish than the ones of over at Valley Forge.

To be honest, I'm not sure how well that line of thinking worked out...


I put my camera in my "rapid deployment" pocket and set out looking for "charlie signs." I soon saw a bunch of green nuts hanging from what I think is a Black Locust tree.

With winter approaching, I thought to myself, "Keep sharp, Iggy. Be alert (the world needs more lerts!) The Charlies will be about, stowing away these nuts to eat during the harder months ahead."


Oh look here! The trail is still warm. I see nuts broken apart and the meats within have disappeared.

Let's take a closer look to see if we can learn anything. These nuts look like Hickory nuts. If you've never eaten a Hickory nut, please don't. They are really bitter and pretty awful. Charlies, on the other hand, really, really like these nuts and will hide them by the thousands, often forgetting where they put them.


This stand of trees is almost entirely Hickory with an understory of Pine. It smells so good here. I look and look, but cannot determine which way the Charlie went, although he was here just moments ago.


I'm definitely getting closer! The Charlie must have abandoned his prize when he heard me coming around the bend in the trail! I hear some chattering noises in the trees to my right. Little did I know just beyond my view, I was being watch and talked about!


Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "Hey Bob, do you think that ignoramus with the camera is ever going to catch up to us?"


Squirrel on his belly: "Nah, no way. Man the way he walks - its like a Neanderthal crashing through the forest! Besides, Cousin Alvin is going to play a trick on him."

Squirrel Standing: "Cousin Alvin?"

Squirrel on his belly: "Yeah, he's got his Halloween costume on. He's gonna scare the living daylights out of that Iggy dude."

Squirrel Standing: "Oh man! Have you seen his costume?!"

Squirrel Standing on Fence Post: "I heard him say he was going be all-orangey."

And with that the three squirrels hustled over to the clearing and waited for me to stumble into Cousin Alvin, giggling softly to each other.

Being careful with my footing, as there were many round nuts on the ground and I didn't want to twist my ankle on one. I was looking down at my feet when I heard a Charlie giggling and snickering. I whipped my camera out and whirled, snapping a picture with a smooth motion honed by hours and hours of practice in front of a mirror. They don't call me Quick-Draw McIggy for nothing you know.

And then my brain caught up with my reflexes. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) would have been proud of me.


I ran for the airlock screaming at the top of my lungs.

Alien Charlie image supplied by LadyStyx.