How they were getting in, with all the old entry holes plugged up, I still haven't discovered, though several have been observed flying by my third-floor window from the upper branches of a nearby pine tree. The point is, no matter how clever you think you are, squirrels are always smarter. Not that they're trying to make you look foolish. They're just going about their business with a single-minded intensity that recognizes no obstacles to their ultimate goals. But in about 5 weeks, they ll open their eyes, take a look around, and jump with all four paws into the traditional pursuits of all squirrels - seeking out and burying nuts, raiding birdfeeders, and gnawing everything in sight.
Squirrels are resilient and persistent.
Like their less-endearing cousin, the rat, they haven't been above stowing away on ships to get around. But unlike the rat, they ve also been invited into new territories by beguiled humans, as in the case of the gray squirrel introduced into Victorian England by humans who thought they d be great additions to their gardens. Squirrels, in every age and on every continent, know how to get what they want whether it s a comfortable nest in your attic or the birdseed in your squirrel-proofed feeders. Undeterred by human destruction of much of their native forests, they ve simply moved into our neighborhoods and made themselves right at home in manicured suburban or hostile urban environments. In fact, once they get used to living around humans, they seem to prefer the less strenuous lifestyle.