{"id":3892,"date":"2026-07-06T13:39:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3892"},"modified":"2026-07-06T13:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:39:31","slug":"did-cupertino-squirrel-suddenly-grow-a-conscience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3892","title":{"rendered":"Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR JOAN:<\/strong> About two weeks ago I found the squirrel baffle that I hang my bird feeder from on the ground and the lower hook assembly was missing. I looked for days and never found it. I called my local bird store and they said the squirrel probably ran off with it.<\/p>\n

Read more Man fatally punched on Brooklyn street in clash with stranger who disrespected wife<\/a><\/p>\n

Now this particular squirrel is a regular visitor and is very smart. He has been trying to get at the bird feeder for 3 months and can\u2019t figure out how to get around the 2\u00bd-foot metal \u201cumbrella\u201d that I hook my bird feeder to.<\/p>\n

I figured the wind had unwound the baffle and it came apart and fell into my modest garden. Without the lower hook I could not hang the baffle up again to confound my squirrel and I suspect he knew that.<\/p>\n

This evening, I was cleaning up around the garden and I looked down at my feet, directly below where the bird feeder would have been, and there was the lower hook assembly. It was clean with no dirt on it. I heard a rustle in the tree above me and that clever squirrel was dashing away but it stopped and looked at me to make sure I saw his \u201cpresent.\u201d Of course I left him a pile of bird seed where he left the hook. I will treat that squirrel with more respect now. Maybe we\u2019re buddies?<\/p>\n

\u2014 John M. Bonds, Cupertino<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR JOHN:<\/strong> I would love to tell you that the squirrel decided to return the hardware, and for altruistic reasons, but probably not. However, I don\u2019t want to spoil a budding friendship, or ruin a great story, so maybe the squirrel was feeling guilty, or maybe it enjoys the challenge of getting to the bird seed.<\/p>\n

People have reported that animals have given them gifts, seemingly in return for a nice gesture from a human. These are heartwarming stories and these days, we all need to have our hearts warmed.<\/p>\n

Readers, if you have a friendly animal story, please send it to me.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Happy campers<\/h4>\n

The annual John Muir Mountain Day Camp is about to have its first session of the year, July 20-24, for children ages 7-12, and there are scholarships available. A second session is set for July 27-31.<\/p>\n

Read more Bay Area events calendar for July 10-16 weekly editions<\/a><\/p>\n

The camp, which is organized by the John Muir Association with the assistance of trained staff and National Park Service rangers, gives children a wilderness experience in the hills of Mount Wanda.<\/p>\n

The campers will, in the words of Muir, \u201cclimb the mountains and get their good tidings.\u201d There will be guided walks through oak woodlands, hands-on nature science, journaling, sketching and creative projects inspired by Muir\u2019s notebooks, baking sourdough bread using a 147-year-old starter, as well as outdoor games and team challenges.<\/p>\n

Campers are asked to bring lunch each day, and the sessions run from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

For more information, and to sign up, visit the website at johnmuirassociation.org\/muircamp. To apply for a scholarship, call Jill Harcke, the camp founder, at 510-701-3254. Cost for the sessions are $400, with discounts available on the website.<\/p>\n

The Animal Life column runs on Mondays. Contact Joan Morris at AskJoanMorris@gmail.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more New for the backyard herb garden: cannabis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes, animals do nice things for people, though it can be hard to tell if it’s intentional<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nDid Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience? - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience? - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sometimes, animals do nice things for people, though it can be hard to tell if it's intentional\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T13:39:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T13:39:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892\"},\"wordCount\":577,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/16c8d74f493137d2168b7c9fb1d67b36.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3892\",\"name\":\"Did Cupertino squirrel suddenly grow a conscience? 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