#gray squirrel

I have a new visitor to my back deck... it's a small, highly melanated gray squirrel. He's very fiesty. He just chased all the other animals off the deck and moved the food bowl to the edge, twice. He almost dumped it over the edge the first time I saw him doing this so I went outside and put it back in the middle of the deck. I came back to the door 5 minutes later, and he had pulled it to the opposite edge and was about to dump it over again... so now Petey and I are sitting on the deck so the others can eat in peace. He's adorable!! He's about the size of a chipmunk. He's, also, very spirited!! All the other squirrels and birds take turns and share the food, but this little guy wants it all to himself. That's okay... he's new here. He'll learn that there's enough for everyone... I hope 😄🤣🐿

Japanese gray squirrel.

A Western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) foraging for food in Yosemite National Park, California.