A holiday for the neighborhood acrobats

Squirrel Appreciation Day falls on January 21, a date chosen to celebrate these animals in the dead of winter, when food is scarce and squirrels rely on the caches they buried in autumn. It is a light, affectionate observance created to encourage people to notice a creature most of us walk past every day. Whether you find them adorable or maddening, squirrels are worth a closer look, and midwinter is a perfect time to give it.

Watch more closely than usual

Give yourself ten unhurried minutes at a window and simply watch a squirrel move. Notice how it tests a branch before trusting its weight, how it flattens along a fence to stay balanced, and how it recovers from a slip that would send most animals falling. Squirrels are extraordinary problem solvers, which is exactly why they are so good at defeating bird feeders. Appreciating that ingenuity is half the point of the day.

Feed them on purpose

The friendliest way to enjoy squirrels is to give them a spot of their own. A dedicated feeder stocked with corn, peanuts in the shell, or seeds pulls them away from your bird stations and turns a nuisance into a show. Winter is when a little extra food genuinely helps, since buried caches run low and the cold burns through their reserves. Keep offerings modest and consistent rather than dumping a pile, so nothing spoils and rodents beyond your target guests do not move in.

Coexist with the bird feeder

If squirrels are emptying your bird feeder, treat it as an engineering puzzle rather than a feud. A smooth baffle on the pole, a weight-activated feeder that closes under their heft, and placement well away from launch points like fences and low branches will do more than any amount of frustration. You will keep the birds fed and still get to watch the squirrels work the perimeter.

However you spend it, let the day nudge you toward curiosity instead of annoyance. Learn which species share your block, put out a handful of corn, or point a trail camera at the yard to see who visits after dark. Squirrels are one of the easiest bits of wildlife to appreciate up close, and they ask almost nothing of us in return.

How to celebrate

  1. 1
    Give them their own feeder

    A dedicated squirrel feeder, like a corn-cob spike or a wooden bench, gives them somewhere to eat that is not your bird feeder. It is the simplest way to enjoy them without a daily turf war. Stock it with corn, peanuts in the shell, or seeds.

  2. 2
    Watch the acrobatics

    Spend ten minutes actually watching a squirrel navigate branches, fences, and wires. Their planning, balance, and split-second course changes are genuinely impressive once you slow down to notice. Bring coffee and treat it like a nature documentary.

  3. 3
    Rethink squirrel-proofing

    If squirrels raid your bird feeder, add a baffle or switch to a weight-activated feeder rather than declaring war. A little redirection keeps the birds fed and the squirrels entertained elsewhere. Everyone gets to eat.

  4. 4
    Learn your local species

    Look up which squirrels actually live near you, whether gray, red, fox, or ground squirrels and chipmunks. Knowing the players makes backyard watching far more interesting. Note who shows up and when across the day.