The Blue Jay and I were sitting around the farm, having the longest conversation the other day about how we believe Chuck the Squirrel is a hoarder. We couldn’t help but notice Chuck’s constant obsession with collecting and hiding acorns in every nook and cranny. It seems like his hoarding behavior has reached an extreme level, as we often find acorns stashed even in the most unexpected places.
Chuck likes to come down from the trees on the property and quickly gather as many black walnuts as he can fit into his big little mouth. I am always afraid he is going to choke, and it also scares me because I could do nothing to save dear Chuck if this were to happen. I mean, how do you perform the Heimlich on a squirrel?
Jay and I were pointing out that Chuck has been at this for many months now, and as time has passed, his hoarding behavior has intensified. We even saw the little squirrels out there with him on Sunday morning before squirrel church, running to and fro and putting the black walnuts into a pile so Chuck could gather and move them on. Jay thought it was rude to make the kids work so hard, and he was telling them all about it very loudly as they worked.
Once, when I let the dogs out into the yard, Chuck quickly scurried up a large walnut tree and proceeded to tell me about how unhappy he was that I interrupted his activities. As Jay continued to express his disapproval, the kids ignored him and focused on their task, determined to finish it efficiently. Chuck, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by the commotion and continued to chatter away about his grievances from his perch in the walnut tree.
Jay, whom I thought was my friend, also came down a few branches and proceeded to yell at the dogs. You know, I never did get the Blue Jay’s name.
