Every day I take a walk outside through the neighborhood streets of my town. March 14 was no different. But I waited until the afternoon before setting out due to the brisk temperature and wind that is to be expected in North Carolina this time of year. It was cold enough that I layered in a light-weight fleece with a heavier down jacket as a wind breaker.

The route I chose was hilly, along a quiet neighborhood street lined with immaculate lawns and filled with flowering cherry trees and azaleas starting to show their colors. The azaleas do quite well in this region due to the abundance of towering pine trees providing just the right balance of shade and sunlight. Enjoying all these signs of spring made the cold wind on my face tolerable!

I’ve never been one to wear headphones or earbuds when I walk. The sounds of nature are what I prefer to hear. Sometimes listening to these sounds will alert one to events unfolding that would otherwise be missed. Today was one of those days.

Almost a mile into my walk, the quiet was noticeable- no cars, no sounds of construction, no “people noises”. A loud rustle caught my attention as a hawk wove between the tree branches, wings fully outstretched as he soared almost directly overhead. I continued to hear an unusual rustling, the sound of dry leaves rubbing together. But this noise was coming from up high, not on the ground where one would expect. I realized I’d stopped on the sidewalk, taking in the sights and sounds, and trying to process what didn’t seem quite right.

Moving a few steps forward, I noticed a squirrel scampering up a tree to a very disheveled nest…and then something fell. It appeared to be a small piece of bark or pinecone. But as I approached I saw a baby squirrel, motionless on the concrete driveway underneath the nest. As I kept my emotions in check trying to assess the little one for signs of life, another one fell right in front of me.

The mother squirrel had apparently been out of the nest gathering some food so she could nurse her babies. She was chirping constantly, perhaps calling for her babies or signaling danger to others around. The reality of what had just happened became clear. The hawk swooped down on the nest, partially destroying it. No more babies fell out, so either she only had two, or the hawk grabbed the other kits. The first one that fell had some obvious injuries, and I quickly realized it was dead. But the next one looked pretty good. I gently picked her up. She stretched a bit before curling up tightly in my hand.

The rehabber’s house, Precious Souls Wildlife Rescue, is only 2.5 miles away, so I arrived less than 10 minutes from the time I initially called. She met me at the front door and took “Missy”, the name she gave her. After gently cleaning a couple of scratches and administering antibiotics, Missy cuddled up with a small stuffed animal for comfort since there were no baby squirrels currently in her nursery.

Fast forward 11 days from when I found Missy. She, along with now 7 brothers and sisters made a 45 minute journey to Hillsborough, North Carolina, to the care of another rehabber. As with human health care professionals, animal care professionals often specialize in the care of certain animals and are better suited to rehabilitate them long term. The rehabber who took these 8 squirrel babies has an actual “squirrel room” containing 11 special tanks to house the babies by weight. In exchange, the rehabber who initially cared for Missy took 9 tiny opossums. Baby “opies” require a much more time and work, and she had lots of experience with them.

Soooooo……which one in this pile of squirrel kits is Missy???

For any of you who read Backyard Miracle, you will completely understand how I put the puzzle together surrounding the events that unfolded before me during my afternoon walk on March 14. Hawk + squirrel nest (messy or destroyed) = squirrels on the ground, if not taken by the hawk.

I could have walked right by the tattered nest and tiny squirrels on the concrete and not noticed. I certainly wouldn’t have heard the sounds that cued me to look for something amiss if I’d had my ears plugged with earbuds connected to my phone. Please take the time to “unplug” when out in nature! You never know when you, too, might save a tiny life.