Staring into my soooooouuuuuuuuulllll!

Souls taste like peanuts.

persay, would that squirrel be living?
Amazing shot, by the way. I'd never think this kind of thing possible.

Oh, absolutely. I'd never post a pic of something dead... that'd be icky. This squirrel is fairly tame, and doesn't mind my taking her picture. She's chewing on a peanut in this shot, actually.

I love the, "HOLY SHIT!" look on it's face

Heh. Squirrels kind of look like that all the time. :3

No wonder their nuts

You are what you eat. :3

Well, if that's true, then I'm either Salmon, or my mom's Potato Salad

Mmm, potato salad. I guess I'm a weird blend of pizza, carnitas tacos, raw fish and hot sauce. :P

Awesome job.

Well, thanks. :3

has she ever let you touch her?

either way I like the close shot. it's neat.

Thanks! On occasion she's sniffed/licked my hand, and also once gently grabbed hold of my finger (she's got some amazing claws on her).

Awww. Can you hand feed her?

Yep. She even drooled a bit of walnut onto my hand the other day. :P

D'awwww. That's adorable. Maybe she'll climb up onto your shoulder one of these days. I wonder what would happen if you put a peanut on your shoulder c.c

To be honest, I'd be a bit scared to try (I'm not kidding about those claws of hers). :P

Yeah, then she proceeds to cling to your face while eating the peanut.

Squirrel!

In yer face!

Yeeep! O-okay, here! Take my food...(just don't hurt me) o.o;

Sometimes, I swear she looks like she's getting ready to jump into my face.

I can't imagine she'd do anything truly evil, though. :3

I'd be careful about that. Wild animals have been known to become dependent on handouts and start demanding them rather than working for their own food. And when it doesn't get what it wants, and has no fear of people anymore, it's liable to get frustrated and maybe attack somebody. Then there's a rabies scare and the animal has to be destroyed. That's why you see "Don't feed the animals" signs.

Please don't take this as criticism, I really like your photos and that squirrel is adorable. I'm not telling you to stop giving it treats, I'm just trying to say why it's risky to let wild animals become totally dependent on handouts.

Agreed. Despite what these pix might lead you to think, I do believe that wild animals should remain wild. My giving her treats is not to try and 'domesticate' her so much as it's an acknowledgement of a mutual trust - if that's the right word - that we've built up over a period of time. She doesn't allow just anybody to get close to her, and indeed she will run away from me if she's feeling skittish... and that's as it should be. I consider her to be about as 'tame' as any wild squirrel you'd see in a public park - that is, she's used to people, she's used to eating our stuff if she can get it, but she maintains a wary distance most of the time. If I ever determine that she's becoming dependent on, or at least prefers, my occasional handful of treats, then I'm perfectly prepared to stop offering them to her.

she's so cute

Ain't she?

It's a Canon EOS... not the top of the line, but good enough for my needs. :3

Flash definitely has its uses, though I find that I often get better results from direct or reflected sunlight (when possible). Low light is still a thorn in my side, especially when taking shots indoors or through glass.

My 300mm lens is one of my best friends. :3

secret squirrel! ^.^

Secret squirrel is hiding secrets.

haha, hope you didn't bump into her with the camera lens. Awesome pic!

Nope, but she did sniff the lens a couple of times. :P

Well, thanks... I'm pretty pleased with it m'self. It was one of those 'oh, man, I hope these are in focus' kind of situations.

Amazingly sharp closeup -- I can see the ridges of her iris!

This makes me want a DSLR :)

The Canon is easily the best camera I've ever owned... highly recommended. :3

DSLRs are $$$ but if you can score one go for it. Lenses are $$ too. I went to Ebay and managed to get an Olympus E510 for only $250 ($899 retail) and a 500-1000mm lens for $100.

Wow, sweet... Olympus is pretty highly rated. You're right, the cost is often prohibitive, but there are ways around it if you're willing to shop around for a while. Me, I'd love to upgrade to a Canon XTi, but that new car will have to come first. :P

Good luck with that, LOL. I know what you mean. For me, it's between this new macro lens and buying healthy groceries. The lens'll prob'ly win :3

Beautiful detail, especially on the whiskers and eye! I'm amazed you got this close to him and he stayed still! xD

Yeah, you pretty much nailed the problem with taking squirrel pix... in this case, getting close isn't a problem at all, but getting her to hold still while she's in full 'yeah, eatapeanutrightnownomnom!' mode is something else altogether.