Pinky vs Squirrel Part One

All times AM

3:35 Early yesterday morning,  I'd been working on photographs and headed for the little bathroom which is just off the laundry/animal room.  It was dark but I could see that Squirrel the cat was staring fixedly at the window which overlooks the bird feeding area.  Pyewacket, the other cat was sitting a few feet away also staring at the window. 

 I go closer and peer out.

Wow!  A opossum and Squirrel are having a staring contest.  I went for the camera but it was so dark I couldn't get a focus.  I cracked the bathroom door with the light on inside.

Squirrel and the opossum continued to stare at each other.  Still not enough light for a picture.  I pulled the string for the general light fully expecting an end to the interlude.

Nope.  It was then I saw that even with eyes locked on the cat the opossum was chewing.

Ahhh.  Earlier in the day, I'd put a hefty pile of sunflower seeds along the outside window sill just above the big wooden tip up door for coal delivery (It appears much like the flip up tops of 19th century storm cellars.)  in hopes of luring birds closer to the window.  No soap on that ploy but Ms. Opossum is making the best of the birds negligence.

And the flash on the camera didn't bother Opossom at all.

She turns her head and chews while looking towards the front yard.  She is much smaller than Fluffy the opossum who used to visit the feeding area in Milton.  Therefore the pronoun "she"and the name Pinky...due to her pink toes.

Squirrel watches a seed hull floating in the water bowl.
Pinky chews and fixedly watches something out in the night.  Not only do opossums eat seeds, they eat just about anything...seeds, vegetation, cockroaches, beetles, people food, cat food, dog food, and grubs.  The also hunt rodents and birds. 

Basically, if you name it, they probably eat it.

Pinky goes for another mouth full of sunflower seeds.

She chews and Squirrel pretends not to be interested.

Pinky chews and looks as if she is considering Squirrel as a possible meal.  

That was a joke.  Opossums do not hunt cats though they do partake if an animal is roadkill.  Opossums are major members of nature's clean up crew.

Back in the day, 70 million years ago, the marsupial Opossums walked among the dinosaurs.  

They must be doing something right.

Blogger isn't allowing me to add another photo, therefore this is the end of Part 1.

Donegal Browne

Quicksilver Nabs a Tootsie Pop, Michael Moore and the Pope on Pets,

For those of you who haven't met him yet, this is Quicksilver the African Grey Parrot who lives with me.  Well Silver has appropriated a watermelon/strawberry Tootsie Pop from Halloween.

Note his expression.  He knows he's busted.

He then does what every self respecting parrot does when busted with purloined food he isn't supposed to be eating...

He chews faster.  

I do wonder how exactly he got the Tootsie Pop and the best way to get it away from him.  

Now keep in mind he is still working on getting the wrapper off and having only watched humans enjoy Tootsie Pops he doesn't know yet that having saliva is a very important part of tasting a Tootsie Pop.

Silver does not have saliva on his tongue. Though in the very back of his mouth there is secretion to aid swallowing and Tootsie Pops do smell fruity so tempting.  Particularly this new double flavor. 

The hard candy wouldn't kill him but there is that little problem of the chocolate Tootsie Roll center.

I say, "C'mon, Silver, give me the candy".

Silver's response is to chew faster, take a slightly more belligerent stance, and keep a closer eye on me.  

Great.

 Last I saw the Toosie Pops they were in a bowl on the counter in the kitchen which is several rooms away from his current position on top of his cage.  And his wings are clipped as he was sashaying around the house chewing important things to bits when I wasn't looking.

Though he now has two primaries on each side so he can manage to fly to the ground without going  "splat" and walk around the house at his leisure if  I don't happen to hear the wing flaps.  

No, he is in very little jeopardy from the other pets, Pyewacket and Squirrel the cats and Tig the Dog know he has a very sharp beak, isn't afraid to use it, and they are often his partners in food stealing crime anyway.  They know he doesn't have a problem sharing the spoils.  

Which he does readily.  Remember the raw hamburger episode?

Silver is now down to the hard candy portion inside the wrapper.

Note he no longer has that intent look in his eye about getting the candy.  No Saliva hence no sweetness.

When I reach for it, he willingly gives it up.  

And likely goes back to plotting another heist for something that doesn't require saliva to savor.

Oh and for the political junkies who need a few laughs at this point in the presidential election process... I'd heard that  Michael Moore's one many show was funny and cheering.  Here is a link in case you missed that chapter. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awXhbh3KUVM

P.S.  I later discovered it was Squirrel the Cat who was originally fishing the Tootsie Pops out of the bowl in the kitchen and batting them around the house.

Sorry about the giant lag in posting.  I am using another computer, my previous one dropped dead, but for whatever reason my photo program is no longer accessible to the blog.  Therefore until I can get that remedied....the photographs will not be what they used to be.

That said....on with the show.

This is Big Otis the Crow eating fried chicken.  He is quite large and a bit on the selfish side.

There are three Crows in the Ponderosa Pine cawing mercilessly at him.  He doesn't care.  One attempts a fly in.

 Otis appears to ignore her.

And just as the second Crow, Millie,  is about to come in for a landing, Otis gets belligerent and spreads his wings.

Millie goes for more altitude and veers off.

That got rid of Millie.  Big Otis eyes the other piece of chicken.  I run up the stairs to an upper window in hopes of a better view.

By the time I get upstairs.  Otis is back to eating.  This time he is going for the other piece.  He appears to be going for the crispy outside.  The three Crows in the Ponderosa Pine continue to scold him.

One of the Crows appears to have flown round the house for a different  approach.  Otis is onto the ploy.  He looks and the other Crow lands in a yard Maple and stares at him.   The other Crows may not be getting any chicken but they are keeping Big Otis vigilant so he isn't getting a lot of eating done either.

Otis goes back to eating but he's nibbling the left piece of chicken as the left Crow is closer than those in the top of the  very tall Ponderosa Pine.

I run up the stairs of the house and look out a second story window.

Big Otis eyes a squirrel who is eyeing him from the ground.

Big Otis starts gobbling as fast as possible.

TO BE CONTINUED...