These guys are all from this week. I wish the light had been better. It was overcast both times I went to Denny Park, so you get the same squirrel looking different from shot to shot. I'm reading a book called The Portable Veblen at the moment. It's the story of the relationship between an ethically-challenged researcher and a woman who believes that she understands what squirrels are saying. She's not crazy, just hopeful. You know, I've never thought squirrels were trying to communicate anything to me. These Eastern Grays don't chitter very much - or at all. Sure, they chirp, bark and growl, but they're not overly vocal. The book takes place in Palo Alto, CA, so maybe they have more vocal varieties down there. OK, so I don't think squirrels are trying to talk to me, but I do think that they keep track of me. After all, I'm a guy with food who doesn't try to kill them. These are two positive things. I feel that they've alerted each other that I'm a reliable food source and they should only be moderately afraid of me. They did a study on prairie dogs and found that not only did they have a warning signal system, but they were also able to describe the threat in rudimentary ways, like coyote or human or fat human and so forth. Though not quite as social as prairie dogs, I'm sure that squirrels can describe both good and bad things. I'm pretty sure that's why they have no problem running up to me. Or maybe I'm completely mistaken and squirrels are all erratic morons.
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