"BETCHA CAN'T EAT JUST ONE"

Northern Red Squirrel - 9 Photos

Using the iconic slogan for Lay's Potato Chips, "Betcha Can't Eat Just One", it appears pine nuts are to North American Red Squirrels much like potato chips are to people.

Pine nuts are the edible seeds of certain varieties of pine trees & are contained within the female cones. The seeds are located between the scales on the upper surface of the cone, with typically two seeds per scale.

This Red Squirrel was eating on a branch of a fir tree, at the base of which I discovered was the squirrel's winter pantry. (The discovery was made by watching the squirrel make repeated trips down the back of the tree, disappearing into a small cache and returning with a pinecone each time.)

And when I say repeated, I mean many trips, which is probably why I was able to capture a number of photos of one Red Squirrel indulging in a pine nut feast (Photo #1 through Photo #4). Busy is always good for photography.

And then having satisfied an appetite (at least temporarily) (Photo #5 & Photo #6), it was time for some intimate close-ups (Photo #7 through Photo #9) before changing trees and a branch higher providing better camouflage, before attending to some grooming.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9