High Sierra Topix

On October 20, a friend and I were sauntering about Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park with our big view camera atop Gitzo's on our shoulder when I had to stop to take the above Coolpix pic at what was obviously a gray squirrel's dinner table. Squirrels tend to return to the same place to eat in a given area and that is often atop a log where they have something solid to put their booty on and where they are up a bit in order to see approaching danger. Thus one often sees piles of opened pine cone seeds and denuded cones atop logs where they have been at work. But this one was rather special because the log was an old burned sequoia trunk maybe three feet in diameter that provided a black contrasty background and the critter apparently liked the firy red Pacific dogwood fruits besides sequoia pine cone seeds. Also had brought up some kind of green cylindrical stalk maybe like an asparagus salad. I was also amused to see some white dogwood petals that apparently had bloomed quite late. Maybe the critter's dessert? ...David

whoa. thats a pretty crazy photo. it looks like abstract art.

Hi Dave, last weekend I had a gray squirrel and a couple Douglas squirrels running all over the place. I was working in the yard and could get within 50'-60' of the squirrels without them being concerned. My neighbors cat was stalking the gray a few times, I thing the squirrel was on the big side for the cat and intimidating it as the cat will take birds, gophers and mice. The Douglas squirrels were chasing each other for food, territory or a little ? What a mess they all have made opening up the cedar cones if you can call those small things cones. One end of my roof was covered pretty good as well as the ground under the cedar trees with seeds.