Conversations with Critters
Walk with the animals. Talk with the animals. And a deep deep fake…
Field Note: The Matchup of a Crow and a Squirrel Signals an Antic about to Unfold [Photos:
]Today, Critters, we tell a tale of a treasure buried deep deep within the ground. We stand on a behavioral precipice ready to witness and learn of a diversion so incredible that a battle of wits is sure ensue. Can this Crow, a mastermind of a bird with a built in Corvid mapping system, pull off a heist? Or will the treasure be squirreled away? In a nutshell, we invite you to join us now in excellent critter cache conversation.
Heidi: Hello, Friends! And welcome to our Furever Free Friday post! We are pleased to present an Animal Antic from our Reader Submission Series! Many thanks to our friend and highly esteemed Naturalist Poet Photographer, the one, the only,
at . Take it away, Critters!Chris: Critters, I am still on the Couch. Before we return to our regularly scheduled programming, please stay tuned for this important message: my caloric daily intake, which has been limited to 282 kilocalories per day for the past month, is working. The end.
Jasper: Thank you, Chris. Thank you very much for sharing your progress with us. Critters, we are now ready to proceed with today’s Featured Antic which involves Evasive Maneuvers and Buried Treasure!
Chris: So, I’ve really been burning up the calories here on the Couch. I’m already getting sleepy and need to paws for my next nap. Full stop.
Jasper: Oh no oh no! Chris, it’s time for our conversation! How can you sleep at a time like this, I cry out! I beseech you, Chris!
Chris: What.
Kermit: Helloooo, Critters! Fear not, Jasper Kitten. I am here. I have come down from the Mountains to the Valley. No one walks alone not even while Chris takes a nap on the Couch.
Jasper: Oh! Kermit! Thank you for being here. Thank you very much! Chris is burning up so many calories, he doesn’t have the energy to present our next Antic! I feel so alone!
Kermit: Jasper, I am bullish. I am French Bulldog. I am Pug. I. Am. Ready.
Jasper: You mean, you’re fully oxygenated, Kermit?
Kermit: Correct. Even after the exertion of my energy as I made the descent from the Mountain Forest to Sea Level. Focus on the breath. Inhale and then exhale, let it all the way out.
Jasper: Gosh, what a relief! I feel so much better! Critters! We are now pleased to present an antic of epic proportions!
Kermit: Please, let us go directly to the source of the Observation made by the incredible Naturalist Poet Photographer
who describes the following:One day, I was on our balcony and watching an Eastern Grey Squirrel bury food. Nearby, an American Crow was watching the squirrel. The crow began hopping and following the squirrel trying to find the buried food. The squirrel ran at the crow several times to get the crow to fly away. The crow would just hop away and right back again. The squirrel even began ‘fake’ burying food. The crow continued following.
Jasper: Critters, please observe the following Photographic Field Note for your edification and enjoyment.
Field Note: In a natural state in the wild, this Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, openly demonstrates a food tactic which can attract the attention of a clever and suspecting Corvid, the American Crow, Corvus brachyrhyncos [Photos by Neil Barker: Red Squirrel and American Crow]
Further Field Note: But if needed! The Squirrel has Extensive Thwarting Tactics at the ready!
Jasper: This is such a remarkable Observation in Nature! The Field Notes! The Field Notes!
Kermit: Yes. It speaks to an inter-species dynamic of great depth. So deep that there is buried treasure! Furever! No one will find it!
Jasper: Incredible! The Squirrel’s caching of food goes up against the Crow’s poaching of food!
Chris: Did someone mention food?
Jasper: Chris!
Chris: What.
Jasper: We thought you were asleep on the Couch!
Chris: I was. But then I heard someone mention food. Did I not?
Kermit: You did, Chris.
Chris: Of course of course. I’m all ears and would, in fact, like to know what happens next in this battle of wits between the Crow and the Squirrel. It would be a tragedy if one of them went hungry.
Jasper: Chris, this is an antic of epic proportions. We started in the middle of an action and then we ended in the middle of an action. The Squirrel made a PsyOps move. The Crow continued to follow. There is unresolved tension and suspense.
Chris: I see. I would prefer a tidy conclusion. My food bowl is empty. My tummy is full. The end.
Kermit: In my humble opinion, I am bullish on the Squirrel. The strategy of fake burying food is both astute and erudite. The true location of the buried treasure is known to the Squirrel and to the Squirrel alone! Thus, our use of the operative critter term, geocaching, is fully warranted.
Chris: Well said, Kermit. So, you think the Crow came up empty and with nothing to show for the effort of such hot pursuit?
Kermit: Correct.
Chris: This truly stimulates my appetite.
Kermit: Yes, Critters. I am confident in my assessment. The Squirrel knew how to moderate aggression with deception.
Jasper: Kermit, I suspect this resonates with you.
Kermit: Yes. This is a tactic I have used many times in my, shall we say, rather successful missions in my Furever Home. My methods meet my own daily and special needs when my Hoomans do not live up to my expectations on demand. For food. For objects of my affections such as swiping the Big Mouse, either Minnie or Mickey, from the Hooman’s headboard.
Jasper: As a friendly reminder to our Readers, let’s share a photo of how you obtain your objectives, Kermit:
Kermit: You see, Critters, this is the power of the mind.
Jasper: But you look like you don’t have a care in the world, Kermit.
Kermit: Exactly.
Jasper: Critters, take it from me. I learn something new everyday. About Crows and all Corvids. About Squirrels. About Kermit. The end.
Chris: Correct. We luvluvluv lifelong learning. So, until next time, I’ll see you on the Couch.
Kermit: Stay safe, stay oxygenated and have fun out there! The. End.
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Poetry with Pets
Critters keep it real
How to make a deep deep fake
Geocaching food
By Jasper Kitten, Chris & Kermit the Frog
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Notes:
Photos of Kermit the Frog courtesy of Cheryl Patzer
Thank you to
at for sharing the Antic of the Squirrel and the Crow. Thank you for the beautiful photos of the American Crow and Red Squirrel. You can find more of his work here:
Great suspense here...crow or squirrel?
Corvids are highly intelligent; squirrels know this, so they have to use deception as a means of safeguarding their food. Arya the Cockatiel, although an avian and a friend of crows, does not begrudge the squirrel for such tactics. Arya has been known to squirrel away food in his secret hiding place.