I Love Surprises!

I was walking a relatively new path in McKinley Woods yesterday, when a skittering in the underbrush caught my eye. I froze in place, focused my camera and waited. Another streak of superhero-like speed crossed my view again, then disappeared behind a rotten stump of a tree. What could it be? I thought either a mouse or a pine squirrel, although it could have been plenty of things. I then wondered, as I crept around, if the rotten cavity hosted this mystery critter? I left well enough alone, continued on, but took mental notes of where this tree was located for further Nancy Drew-ing later...
As I continued down the path, I heard the beeping of a nuthatch that was pretty close, so I stopped and looked for it. As I located it, I heard a softer beeping in another direction, even closer. I turned around and searched with my ears which led me to this hole in the tree:



She (White-Breated Nuthatch) didn't let me look at her long, before she ducked back in, so this is the only o.k. shot I got...
I left the nuthatch to the serenity of her home and turned back down the path. I stopped back at the rotten stump, and to my delite, the mystery critter popped its head out to check me out. It was a Pine Squirrel...I love surprises, and I got 2 in 1 day!