Nonotchka

After we'd been feeding Notch for a few weeks, another squirrel showed up. It was early December, and according to other squirrel sites on the web, that was mating season. Since we'd been calling Notch "he", we decided the newcomer was "she", and since she had no ear notch, Dave dubbed her "Nonotchka".

We don't really know which one is male and which female, though we're pretty sure they're a pair. Notch does chase Nonotchka away from nuts, but at other times we see them playing together in the red oak or sharing space on the fence.

Nonotchka is smaller than Notch, with longer ears and a somewhat thinner tail. At first she was nervous about taking our nuts, but she has become much more trusting than Notch, and will climb up on our legs or scratch at the office door when she's hungry. (Nonotchka is one of our Suburban Squirrels. Next: Stalking the Wild Nut.)