It has been unseasonably warm here, and the fox squirrels were dancing.
Perhaps not dancing as we understand the term, but it was some ritual so all-encompassing that they showed no interest in the handful of peanuts and parched corn I put down on the fence. A great chittering and clucking--even whining, which I rarely hear--followed by a spinning race with the rest of the family group to the very tops of the ash trees, where they would stare at each other for minutes at a time. Then a rapid run down to ground level to find a cool spot to press one's belly against, then halfway back up to begin the whole process again. It was a great and glorious cacaphony that went on for several hours. They usually watch me carefully when I'm out there, but this was serious squirrel business, and today they paid me no mind at all.
They did eat the peanuts eventually.
-w