I’ve been watching this nest for some time, pretty sure that it belonged to one of the Eastern gray squirrel families that frequent our yard.  It’s carefully positioned in a fork between a stout pine limb and the main trunk and was constructed out of sticks, pine needles, leaves and other natural materials.  It is in a perfect place for a nest because of its proximity to a bird feeder and an endless supply of pine cones.

This afternoon, I spied a squirrel exiting the nest.  It positioned itself on a forked branch below the nest which afforded it a wide view of our yard.  Seeing that the coast was clear,  it eased down the side of the tree and over to the feeder for a snack of sunflower seeds before heading to the birdbath for a quick drink.

Shortly after the first squirrel left the tree, a second one also came out of the nest, sitting a while on a nearby branch before heading to the forked overlook for a careful survey of the yard.  Feeling safe, it too carefully climbed down the side of the tree and headed to a feeder — ever mindful of the watch dog who faithfully guards the yard.

“But when it comes to living there is no place like home.”  ~Henry van Dyke