While out birding by the river, I saw a couple of California ground squirrels poking around on the bank foraging. I looked over and saw that one of them had climbed up on a thicket of Himalayan blackberries and was eating the berries. At this point in the season, there are a few pockets of blackberries where you can find fruits that haven’t mostly shriveled up. They are mostly around in shady areas at the edge of the forest. Along the river out in the full sun, the berries are dried up and pretty seedy, I think. That said, these California ground squirrels were chowing down on them. I thought it was interesting that they were still enjoying them. That was only part of what caught my attention. The other part is that it seemed miraculous to me that they could walk around up there and not shred their feet or fur coat. Blackberry thorns are brutal! California ground squirrels must have some sort of super power because they seemed right at home up there foraging.
