False Alarm

My population of ground squirrels are flourishing around this hilltop. During the winter, they busy themselves making babies.

Now, in the warmth of the spring days, the youngsters are venturing out. These aren’t tiny little squirrel creatures. These are roughly three-quarter-sized squirrels, but definitely not as large as the adults.

All children, both human and animal, seem to have similar tendencies. When a youngster gets around other youngsters, the first order of business is play. Exactly as their human counterparts do, the squirrels wrestle, scurry around chasing each other, while exploring their world so they can learn to be big grownup squirrels.

The local teenage squirrel population gathered in front of my garage a few mornings ago. There were four of them, all the same age, and full of spring energy. They chased each other around a small clump of weeds, rolling and wrestling, then dashing away, only to stop and tussle again.

One of the group was curious about a small 2 X 4 frame leaning against my garage wall. With claws gripping the wood, the climb to the horizontal piece was a short two feet. Once on top of the cross-bar, Junior looked over the side at the three others.

“Hey, come on up. This is really cool. I can see all over the place.”

Immediately one of the remaining three stopped wrestling in the weeds, then scrambled up to join the first one.

“Oh man yes. You’re right. This is really exciting.”

That enticed a third squirrel to climb the wood and join the other two on what had now become a rather crowded piece of lumber. As each scrambled for a foothold in the limited flat space, the fourth young critter decided they were all having too much fun for him to stay on the ground. Looking up at his friends, the only thing to do was to join them.

The flat spot was definitely a three-squirrel area. The arrival of the fourth caused a good deal of shoving and jostling to make room in the limited space available. One soon decided there was simply not enough room on top, so it cautiously started the head-down crawl to the ground.

Like our human youngsters, what one does, all will try. One at a time they crawled down off the wooden frame, only to resume chasing and tussling on the ground. However, the one-at-a-time crawl to the top was repeated two more times. The resultant crowding, with much pushing to make room, was soon followed by another cautious return to the ground to wrestle. Finally, they all disappeared from view as they scurried around the corner chasing each other.

My lawn guy killed the first rattlesnake of the season last week while he was here. When the weather warms, it’s not unusual to have a snake show up on my front porch. With the squirrels and rabbits flourishing around my hilltop, it’s also not surprising why the snakes come looking for a meal.

The ground squirrels warn each other when there’s danger nearby. They make a chirping sound, similar to a sharp short whistle. When other squirrels hear this universal alert sound they often stand up on their hind legs in order to see better.

Even knowing the first rattlesnake had been killed on my hilltop, I at first ignored the chirp of a nearby squirrel. I hear them chirp all the time, and wasn’t alarmed. When I realized this squirrel was close to the house, I decided I better investigate. Sitting up on his hind legs, this one was at the north end of the porch, chirping continuously.

He was looking toward the patio, not back down the porch. I realized if he’s alarming about a snake, it must be out on the lawn. Or maybe it’s over on the patio, or possibly even along the side of the house. But he was so strident and consistent in his chirping, I thought it wise to investigate.

I slowly opened the screen, cautiously looking left and right. Nothing at the back door. I scanned the lawn carefully. A big heavy snake would sink down in the grass and almost be hidden. Nothing on the lawn. I looked down along the north side of the house among some rocks in a planter area, looking for snake-like patterns of color. Nothing but dirt and rocks.

There are chairs and tables on the patio, as well as a fountain. Standing in the doorway I squatted down and peered carefully among the various items. I looked especially carefully among the legs and behind planters.

Nothing over there. Nope, not under the table either. It might be behind the fountain, hidden by the bulk. The alarmed squirrel continued the incessant warning that something wasn’t right in his world.

Making one final check near my feet, glancing again left and right, I cautiously stepped onto the patio to get a different angle and a better view. Stepping to the side, I peered behind a big planter. Still nothing.

I looked toward the noisy squirrel. I tried to get a fix on where it was looking. It seemed to be staring ahead of me, closer to the garage. After another careful scan of the lawn, I stepped to the side to see behind the fountain.

In back of the heavy base, I was a bit startled, but I must admit also relieved, to find a young possum completely ignoring my curious intrusion. Only about five inches long, this was obviously a youngster, out exploring the patio.

When the young possum lumbered out of sight, the chirping squirrel abruptly stopped warning the world. Quiet descended on the hilltop.

And just for the record, there was no snake anywhere. At least not this time.