Squirrels in a York park

One of my favourite places in York is the Museum Gardens. In the gardens, there is a mix of old buildings and nature. St. Mary’s Abbey is an eye-catching centerpiece to the gardens; the remains standing tall and evoking curiosity about the quality of old architecture.

One morning, I was walking through the gardens. It was quiet. The gardens had opened shortly after I visited, if I recall correctly. While walking down a path, I observed an older woman feed nuts to squirrels. Within minutes, there were over a dozen squirrels on the grass and the path, all eager to source some food.

I felt two emotions at once: joy at seeing the older woman feeding these squirrels, seemingly unbothered by the number of squirrels that had emerged — from the grass, trees, bushes — and a bit of fear (I get scared easily). I had never seen so many squirrels before in my life. I felt better observing from afar than continuing to walk down the path.

I was carrying a camera with a telephoto lens and I was able to snap a shot of a squirrel holding a nut in its mouth. I felt so lucky to catch a squirrel in its element like this.

Therein was a little moment of joy: seeing over a dozen squirrels emerge from seemingly nowhere, anxious to get some food. Many left with nuts. Then, the woman stopped feeding the squirrels and moved on with her day. I, too, walked away, in awe of the scene I had witnessed.