The Blind Squirrel at My Bird Feeder

So a new little guy has been showing up for about a week now. At first I thought it was just another squirrel raiding the bird feeder, you know how they are. But then I noticed this one was different. There's a blind squirrel that's been coming to eat the bird food. One of its eyes is all clouded over, and it just moves in this really careful, slow way that told me it probably cant see much, if at all. The other squirrels just zip up and down but this one is really deliberate with every move.

It's pretty incredible to watch him figure things out. It moves very slowly and seems to sniff the air constantly to find its way. I guess the smell of all those sunflower seeds is like a giant sign for him. He'll get to the bottom of the deck post where the feeder is and just pause for a minute, sniffing and twitching his nose. You can just see him mapping everything out in his head based on smell. The birds dont seem to mind him, they just fly off and wait for him to be done.

Once he's at the post, he doesn't just start climbing. I watched it tap the feeder pole with its paws before climbing, like he's making sure its sturdy and what he thinks it is. Then he slowly makes his way up. It's amazing how it can still climb and balance without being able to see. You'd think that would be impossible but he manages just fine, he's just a lot slower than the others. He must have a great memory for where everything is.

He relies a lot on touch, using its whiskers and paws to feel everything. Once he's on the feeder ledge, he sweeps his face back and forth, letting his whiskers brush against the edges and the seeds. He'll nudge around with his nose until he finds the good stuff. Sometimes I'll put a few almonds out for him to make it easier. It's just wild to see how his other senses have gotten so strong to make up for his eyes.

Even with all the trouble, he's very persistent. He seems so determined to get the seeds. The cold doesn't stop him, nothing does. He just keeps at it until he gets his meal. I saw him slip once but he just caught himself and kept going. Pretty impressive little dude. Anyway, just wanted to share.