What does it mean to squirrel something away

Partial answer. Anyone who has bird feeders knows the constant battle with squirrels, keeping them from stealing what you put out for birds. For the past year or so, there haven't been many around and the theory was feral cats in the neighborhood or owls or eagles got them. This winter at least one has showed up and I have caught him on a couple of the feeders and often poking around on the ground for what the birds spill. A couple of times I ran at him shouting and that seemed to keep him from trying that feeder again. But squirrels are nothing if not persistent.

Today watching out the window for a while I saw one run across the driveway until he reached the side where the snowblower had left about a foot high cut vertical wall. He disappeared into that wall and then as I kept watching he emerged from the snow 20 feet away at the base of one of the feeders. I would not have suspected squirrels tunnel into snow, but it sure looks like he did. With the snow surface as hard as it is, you have to wonder why make that tunnel when he could just as easily run across the surface. But, by the tracks it looks like he uses it quite often.

Now at times those squirrels have reached the limits of tolerance and to protect the garden one year I bought a live trap that I have never used. I haven't used it around the feeders for fear it might catch a bird, but if the squirrels bother me this year I am thinking that tunnel would be a perfect place to set it. About in the middle, dig down to the tunnel, place the trap and then put everything back the way it was. Have to put some kind of marker in the snow so I can find it again. It would be nice if I could figure some way I could see a signal if the squirrel or something else goes into it. Or, maybe just wait until an ermine catches him in that tunnel. That would take care of it.

Why all this concern over one little squirrel? When I came in from filling the feeders today, I had to write on the shopping list that I need my third 40-pound bag of sunflower seeds this winter.

FOR ALL THE PEOPLE HITTING THIS POST WANTING TO KNOW WHAT 'SQUIRREL SOMETHING AWAY" MEANS: It means to hide something away for use later, as in squirrels hiding nuts in trees to eat later in the winter.

Jerrianne wins! Actually there are four, but one of them went behind the bushes as I shot the picture so I guess he doesn't count.