The other day a Red-tailed hawk landed on the power pole in the corner of our yard and started a critter frenzy. Every chipmunk, squirrel and bird began chipping, squawking and peeping as loud as they could to alert everyone that there was major danger in the area. Eventually the hawk realized he wasn’t going to get an easy meal and flew off.
The neighborhood became quiet again with the exception of one obnoxious grackle that kept on squawking. Even with all the windows closed I could hear him as loudly as if I was standing outside under the tree. He was shrieking his fool heart out. After about 3 more minutes of noise, I couldn’t take it anymore and decide to go outside and encourage him to take the show elsewhere.
As I stood up and grabbed my jacket, I noticed a squirrel slowly skulking up the tree trunk. I was intrigued. He kept inching closer and closer to the grackle. Without warning, the squirrel launched into the air toward the grackle with chubby arms outstretched. You could almost hear him screaming “ENOUGH ALREADY!” The startled bird flew straight up in the air to dodge the attack, bounced back on a branch and flew off. Problem solved.
Suddenly I have a new appreciation for squirrels.