Squirrels adopt one of two defensive roles…they either freeze or they run. Freezing is a common defense among smaller prey animals. “If I don’t move you can not see me…” and is effective against predators who are highly keyed to motion…hawks for instance…owls…even the fox. I have seen baby rabbits so frozen that you can pick them up. When it fails, there is always the other role…run! Even so, the strategy is not to run far, and certainly not to outrun the predator. It is run and freeze…a quick change of position…presumably to confuse the predator, and then, if effective cover has not been reached, another freeze. This fellow was already in freeze mode when I first saw him in our back yard, and it was not because of me…I suspect a cat. He only responded to me when I approached, and then he let me get pretty close before the second act.

A quick up and around to a higher perch, almost faster than the eye could follow, and then a sincere attempt to become one with the branch. Just another knob on the tree, thank you. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Gotta love that tail though!

Nikon Coolpix P500 at 810mm equivalent field of view, f5.7 @ 1/60th @ ISO 800. User selected flight and action mode. (pretty decent image quality for ISO 800 on a Point and Shoot.)

Processed in Lightroom for Clarity and Sharpness.