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August 27, 2011

Nature Calls

I’m sure it’s no surprise that our girls – like most kids, I assume – are near obsessed with animals. Farm animals…zoo animals…fish…birds…butterflies and moths…even beetles…those are a few [hundred] of our favorite things, no doubt.

The girls’ books are a great source for animal appreciation. Particularly when they were smaller, we spent many an hour turning page after page, pointing to animals, Mommy making all sorts of noises and gestures.

Things really got fun when the girls started to engage in baby sign language, shortly after they turned a year old. They loved to flap their arms for “bird”, slap their knees for “dog”, and hold the imaginary reins of every “horse”.

It was about that time that we began spending a lot of time at the window, looking out into the backyard. We live in the ‘burbs, but in addition to lots of birds and butterflies, we’re also fortunate to have a few other furry creatures bounding by.

We spot bunnies on a regular basis. We think we even had a nest with two baby bunnies somewhere nearby this spring.

We also have our share of squirrels, including one of the most beautiful creatures I’ve ever seen…a stark white squirrel.


This picture was taken through the window, so it’s a bit cloudy, but I’m glad to have captured this majestic critter on film. He’s even more stunning against the bright green grass, or running through the deep dark mulch.

The girls go running to the window when one of us spots a bird or rabbit or squirrel…and you can usually find all of us with our noses pressed to the glass when the white squirrel graces our yard.

8 comments:

Rebecca said...

It's like the grandfather of all squirrels...

Johanna at The Baker Twins said...

Albino squirrel! He is so cool. You'll have to keep an eye on him - I've heard that their lack of camouflage makes them easier for predators to catch and eat. :( You should take the girls to a pet store to see some albino mice/rats for a little science lesson. :)

Holly G said...

That is a certainly a beautiful animal! Once in a blue moon, we get lucky and see a gecko running around our little corner of the desert. :)

championm2000 said...

I've never seen a white squirrel before--beautiful!

Just Another Mom of Twins said...

I have never seen or heard of white squirrels either. Amazing...off to google them now! LOL!

Happy Sunday!

Just Another Mom of Twins said...

Apparently, these little cuties are very famous and rare in Canada. In fact, Exeter, ON has them and they have "decorated" the town with "white squirels". (Oh "us" crazy canucks! LOL!)

There is also an entire Preservation Society dedicated to the Albino Squirrel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albino_Squirrel_Preservation_Society

Although, I did find this tidbit of information that says they are not Albino???:

(copied) In most parts of the world, most squirrels are grey, some are black and very few are white. These little white guys are not albinos but actually colored white (some are a very light shade of beige or off-white) and have normal colored eyes (versus the classic albino red). This coloration is said to be the result of a genetic mutation.

I learned something NEW today...Great Post! :)

Julia said...

Love this post! Our girlies sure do love animals too, and it's SO fun to teach them all the signs for all of them!!

There's a town about two hours away from us called Olney, IL.

They are the official home of the white squirrel. They have over 800 white squirrels (or something like that) in their little community of only several thousand.

It's a pretty big deal there. The squirrels are actually protected.

So, a few years ago, I had to do a home study for a family, who was preparing to adopt, in Olney. I was giddy with excitement about seeing a white squirrel. Sure enough, while I was chatting with the family in the living room, two white squirrels scampered into their back yard. They were gracious enough to allow us to have a break in the conversation, so that I could get a closer look :)

Twinside Out said...

What a gorgeous squirrel! I don't know that I've ever seen a white one before.

We love animals around here, too. It's a special day when a bird makes a visit to our balcony. (Although - I do think the cats enjoy that more than anyone else.)