I came across yet another downed red squirrel nest. These nests rarely last the winter, and throughout this winter I've found various ones on the ground. They are actually quite heavy and it is no surprise that with the added weight of wet snow, or with the strong winds we get so often, they eventually fall. Most consist of very finely shredded bark with an exterior made up of lengths of grass, cattail reeds (as in this one today), strips of grapevine, and so forth. I couldn't help thinking of the sheer energy and effort that these guys put into these nests which are, in many cases, not even used all that much. They're often one of several winter hideaways. In this case, the squirrels also had a snug cavity which in the fall they had enlarged and made a nest in.