For the first time since I started the feature in the Fall of 2012, my weekly Saturday Squirrel post coincides with the biggest sciurine holiday of them all, National Squirrel Appreciation Day! Celebrated every January 21st since 2001, it is a time for reflecting on the many positive qualities squirrels bring to our lives. It is a time to love the species rather than curse its existence. It is a time to celebrate the happiness and joy that we humans can get from these very special arboreal critters that can be found almost everywhere on earth!
The Nest will honor this most glorious occasion by recalling some of our favorite Saturday Squirrels from the past, so you can get to appreciate their beauty and humor one more time! And we may as well start with the squirrel who appears in every Saturday post because he was incorporated into my badge for the feature….
The Who Me? Squirrel!:
The Who Me? Squirrel was one of my first sciurine photo successes. I loved how he was looking directly at me with his left paw up to his chest. He is (I believe) the only real squirrel I ever worked into one of my comics…
Foxy:
This adorable young squirrel with the fiery red tail was frequently seen in my yard around New Years 2014. I thought I’d lost him when the unmistakably bright tail quit appearing, though I learned that these tail color variations are more a case of fur molting (See: Squirrelcoon) and Foxy undoubtedly grew in his normal grey tail to become indistinguishable from the other squirrels…
Leaping Squirrel:
One of the first photos I took with the new camera I got for Christmas 2013… I may never take a more awe-inspiring squirrel photo than this one featuring a squirrel jumping from a rock onto the nearby tree trunk. I don’t know what setting my camera was on at the time, but whatever it was worked…
The Defender of the Realm:
Leaping Squirrel may be my best photo ever, but the Defender is far and away my favorite Saturday Squirrel post I ever wrote. You really have to read it for yourself to appreciate how magically I wove together reality (My outside air conditioning unit being stolen) with this adventurous little squirrel I took a lot of photos of playing with sticks in my yard in the ensuing days. It is sciurine storytelling at its best…
Squirrel Belly!:
Is there anything cuter than a squirrel standing on his hind legs, belly facing you? No, there isn’t, is there…
Smiling Squirrel:

Still smiling after all these years.
OK, maybe a smiling squirrel holding a couple pieces of corn is cuter. He’s only happy because you appreciate him!
Wilson:
And then there is my favorite squirrel of all time… Wilson the park squirrel who I featured in a four part series last February. I got so many great pictures of him wrangling leaves from the abundance of piles around the park to build a very extravagant nest for himself in a nearby pine tree. That squirrel you see running in my new header with the mouthful of leaves…. that’s Wilson!
And of course there are others standout squirrel photos I should mention….
Backstabbing Squirrel:
Big Mouth Squirrel:
Greyhound Squirrel:
Cuddling Squirrels:
And of course that can lead to………
However you choose to appreciate our fine, fuzzy friends with the bushy tails on their special day, please make it a good one! A remember… not just January 21st, not just Saturdays…. but EVERY DAY should be Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Have a great NSAD weekend everyone!!!
I don’t have a lot of squirrel pictures, but I know I have a couple … and since you have reminded me, I’m going to post them! And maybe, I’ll post you too. Yes, i will. By golly, this is too big an event to ignore!
Thank you! If you’ve already posted them, I’ll get around to checking them out later this morning. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a squirrel photo on your blog before, so I’m very much anticipating seeing what you have!
Reblogged this on SERENDIPITY and commented:
Somehow, it’s so appropriate that today is squirrel appreciation day. I’m not sure why, but it is. This is a holiday I can wrap my brain around!
Happy >Squirrel Day… we will place some nuts and some snacks next to the tree today… maybe the squirrel feels hungry when it interrupts his hibernating :o)
Squirrels are usually very hungry in the winter. I think the day was chosen in the middle of winter since so many people think about feeding the birds, but not the squirrels.
Our squirrels in Germany are red what looks even nicer. But the grey ones have invaded to Europe several years ago now withdrawing our red ones, not so nice to be honest. Have a good squirrel day in any case.
I love the look of European squirrels… especially the ones with the pointy ear tufts! I didn’t realize the grey invasion had gone past the UK. It’s sad that their presence brings disease for the native squirrels… which is about all I can say since I love squirrels of all colors and creeds.
A squirrel a day keeps boredom away…………..LUV those squirrels!!
Pam
The best free show in town! And they never raise the admission cost…
Happy Squirrel Day. Love the one showing us his belly. So cute and hopeful.
If I had such cute tabby stripes, I wouldn’t wear my shirt out much either…
Aw, memories….
I shoulda posted my photos of squirrel mammaries and nuts….
There’s always next Saturday.
Gotta go back to original squirrel pics next Saturday. If memories were all I played, I’d rather drive a truck…
Is that a song lyric?
Yes…. Ricky Nelson.
I had the hots for him when I was a kid…
Reblogged this on Heron There & Everywhere and commented:
Happy Squirrel Appreciation day. I love Evil Squirrel’s Nest’s Saturday Squirrel feature.
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
From the NestBlog of Evil Squirrel – You’re Welcome 🐿
I’m sure that Rocket J. Squirrel is very glad for this special day!!
Milkshake Squirrel Steals Shake Shack from NYC Garbage
i am SOOO happy to find someone else who likes squirrels. All my friends turn up their noses and tell me they’re obnoxious rodents, but how can they be when they entertain me with their antics every day? I collect acorns from friends to feed them in the winter, since we don’t have any elms on our property. They also love our birdseed but can’t get any out of the bird feeders (unlike our raccoons) so I always leave them some when I fill the feeders.
I was surprised how many fellow squirrel lovers there are out there once I started my blog up. Not everyone hates them, it just seems that way!
Sorry I can’t follow you but I was told their were too many pending subscribers!
Happy National Squirrel Day! I loved seeing all these cute little faces again. You get the most interesting squirrel pictures. I can’t catch them in motion and have never seen anything like raccoonsquirrel or foxy. And the adorable expression of smiling squirrel and who me squirrel…what enchanting little creatures squirrels are!
I also don’t get Shortys or anywhere near enough babies around here, so squirrel demographics are all relative. It takes some quick reflexes to capture them in motion, and even then most of the photos you get will turn out blurry or with the squirrel out of frame. I know I forgot some noteworthy squirrels I’ve posted over the year, but I could have easily posted every photo I’ve ever uploaded before. They’re all uniquely beautiful in their own way!
Reblogged this on firefly465 and commented:
For the squirrels ❤
I’d love to see each day of the year set aside to honor one of the fascinating critters with whom we share our planet! Wonderful post, and the photos are absolutely awesome 🙂
Thanks, and I agree. I’ve got some photos to share for Possum Appreciation Day if anyone ever starts that one up….
You could do it as a ‘cousin’ post to Squirrel Appreciation Day 🙂
I hope squirrels were properly appreciated on their special day. They certainly were by you!
And by many others as well given the 37 likes and 3 reblogs!
Your squirrels are as saucy and sassy as mine, judging from the pictures. They chatter and scold whenever I have the audacity to go to the mailbox or fetch in the morning paper in THEIR front yard. Fortunately we use the back door for our comings and goings which suits them fine. Sometimes my cat sits on the front door mat and watches them through the glass storm door and threatens them with a chirruping in her throat that mimics their chatter. However, if she were ever allowed to go outside (which she isn’t), they’d make mincemeat out of her!
At least they don’t throw things at you when I got outside! I was “bothering” a squirrel at the park one time by taking pictures of it, and as soon as I turned my back on it, a giant nut comes flying out of the tree at me! They’re certainly full of attitude!
happy Squirrel Day!! We have a sports caster on our local TV station named Squire, but we (hubby & I ) call him Squirrel cause he looks like one…but real ones are just to sweet! I’ll re-post my squirrel photo’s also! Cheers!