Sunday night my daughter from Illinois phoned to wish her Mom Happy Mother's Day. Since Mom was out walking I got to talk.
One of the things she told me was that a squirrel had built a nest in her barbecue. Now my daughter has a wicked sense of humor, has definite opinions, is spunky and enjoys life. So when ever you can tease her you don't miss the opportunity. So I razzed her about her squirrel that built a nest and had babies in her barbecue. They were sitting in the back yard around a fire one evening when they noticed a squirrel getting very irate with them. The squirrel was quite menacing. Finally the squirrel dived into the barbecue. Then it hit her...babies. When she lifted the barbecue lid the whole thing was full of nesting material. Then they watched as mother squirrel took each baby to another nest in a nearby tree.
Today, as I went out my back door the resident squirrel ran down my brick siding and under my barbecue. Was there stuff in the squirrel's mouth? I didn't realize she had stayed under the barbecue. Just to be sure I banged on the cover with my broom. Nothing happened. I walked past the barbecue and heard a little scuffle and the squirrel was leaving the other way. Ah ha!!! My wife helped me take of the barbecue cover and yes, there it was , a big nest...no babies yet. And yes, there were a couple of holes in my barbecue cover.
So the laugh is really on me! I can't believe the coincidence of the same thing happening to us when we're 1600 km (1000 miles apart). Maybe I should check with my son who's on the west coast.
I was so startled by this that I didn't think of my camera until I had things cleaned up.
I must admit that I don't like red squirrels. They have a nasty temperament and do damage. They get into places that they are not supposed to be.
Now this is some irony here :) squirrel karma!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's irony and I'm on the end of it.
DeleteThose barbecue domes must be perfect for nests, Red. I laughed to think of you both having squirrel nests inside yours. Maybe this is common? :-)
ReplyDeleteThey certainly would be nice and dry.
DeleteNever seen a nest that low. I have a few who live around me, but never in my barbie
ReplyDeleteYes, I was surprised at the altitude.
DeleteThat is a wild coincidence! We have squirrels here too, and I'm not a fan of them. So the story goes, someone brought some of them into this area because they thought they were cute. I'm a fan of cuteness but not where squirrels are concerned. They're into everything and hog birdseed if they can get to it.
ReplyDeleteIn my case the birdseed encouraged the little beggar to become a permanent resident.
DeleteI would like a Red Squirrel in my BBQ. They are grand little things here.
ReplyDeleteThey are nuisances here as they get into things and cause damage.
DeleteHaha! Justice in a weird way there. How crazy a coincidence is that to know that we both had the same situation while so far apart? The mother squirrel in this case is a wiley thing who has managed to out-smart our squirrel proof feeder twice now! She is bold and brash. I have to kind of admire her for that, but at the same time, we don't appreciate how she hogs the bird seed, digs in our garden etc. Not nice! Still, it was quite the sight to see her haul 4 babies, one by one, up into the pear tree nest, and in between trips cool herself down by laying prone on the concrete. Managed to get the BBQ all cleaned out, so summer grilling isn't ruined.
ReplyDeleteThanks Illinois daughter for your comment. You could call it poetic justice.
Deletetoo funny! squirrel karma!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably more common than we think. I'll probably find more people who've had the same experience.
DeleteI never thought about it but a BBQ is a perfect home for a squirrel, provided Bo one is using it.
ReplyDelete...and if one didn't notice the nest it could have been a surprising blaze.
DeleteYes, what a coincidence. A lesson learned! Never laugh at someone else's predicament. And if it makes you feel any better, I opened up the barbecue one day and a mouse jumped out.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm certainly not going to laugh about the mouse in the barbecue.
DeleteThat is some coincidence, so many miles apart. We don't have squirrels here but I've had a possum sleeping on the top bunk in a spare bedroom. Don't know where it went in bad weather when the window was closed but I do know I nearly died of fright the night I went in to close the window. That was 20 years ago and I've been careful about closing windows at night ever since.
ReplyDeleteYes, something that big would be a little worrisome.
DeleteI think we have a chipmunk in ours..those red squirrels are destructive:)
ReplyDeleteChipmunks are much easier to get along with and are cute.
DeleteThat's funny! I would laugh too.
ReplyDeleteI also couldn't help laughing when I found the squirrel in my barbecue.
DeleteCrazy coincidence! And a fun story.
ReplyDeleteLong odds that's for sure.
DeleteAll squirrels are cute.... or are they?
ReplyDeleteThey may be cute but they can be nasty and a nuisance.
DeleteHa,ha I am having a good laugh at the irony here in a weird way with this situation. I would have loved to seen you attack your problem. This was a lovable, laughable tale Sir Red.
ReplyDeleteWell, the solution was simple. the little guy scampered away and I cleaned up.
DeleteThat is funny, you both have a squirrel gen that attracts them!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I hear squirrels do pick barbecues quite often. Barbecues aren't used until later on so there is no disturbance.
DeleteI have had baby squirrels around my bird feeders this past week. Not sure where they were born. Guess I better check the barbecue in the morning. :)
ReplyDeleteWe had a mouse nesting in ours, this winter. We found it in March or April and cleaned it out. There were no babies in it, thankfully but the mouse did poke her head up to give us the stink eye. Too funny that you both had squirrel nests.
ReplyDeleteSo far, we've had no bad experiences with the reds. Frank's sister had a very young orphaned red squirrel to rehabilitate a few years ago. She was truly the sweetest thing. She still comes around for munchies at her place but is no longer tame.. .which is how it should be.
So far, we've had no bad experiences with the reds. Frank's sister had a very young orphaned red squirrel to rehabilitate a few years ago. She was truly the sweetest thing. She still comes around for munchies at her place but is no longer tame.. .which is how it should be.
ReplyDeleteI think it is funny that it happen to both of you. We have a lot of gray squirrel were I live.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live in Oregon, most squirrels are Douglas Squirrels, which are a kind of red squirrel that only lives from northern California to British Columbia. For years, I fed them and even erected bridges so they could move about with less fear of cats. I stopped because a neighbor complained they were chewing the rubber under his car hood. I think it more likely that other rodents were to blame, and now he has moved, I might go back to feeding squirrels.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely incredible. My daughter lives in Illinois with a ton of squirrels too, but I've never heard of them taking up residence in her barbecue. It's amazing that the squirrels loved both your home and your daughter's at the same time. They must know what nice, nurturing people you are.
ReplyDelete