'As the weather died down after Hurricane Isaias blew through our neighborhood, Kacey was cutting up and clearing some large branches that had fallen from the tree at the side of our house.
She mentioned: "I started to hear what I thought were baby birds chirping and decided to take a look because I thought maybe a nest had either been blown from one of the trees or had been in the branches that fell. As I pulled more branches away I found the source of the noise, which turned out to be the cutest baby squirrel, not a bird! I don't think I'd ever seen one in real life, just pictures. I had absolutely no idea how many babies a squirrel usually has at once, so I looked around and sure enough found two more babies on the ground under the broken branches. I didn't know if you were supposed to touch them but after looking them over to make sure they had no visible injuries, I grabbed my cellphone and started googling everything I could find about what to do if you find wild baby animals. Turns out there was a lot of information on the web and I ultimately ended up on the Garden State Wildlife Center's website, where I found very clear instructions on what to do. So following those directions, I put the babies in a box with one of my flannel shirts with a little "heating pad" underneath (a microwaved fluffy sock filled with dry rice) and then put the box out in the open near where I found them as it was noted on the website that once (and if) the mother was able, she would come looking for them. I didn't put them directly under the tree I found them under as it says you should, because some small branches were still coming down as it was still a little windy, and I was worried they would be crushed. The box was still visible from where the tree was though so I thought she would still be able to find them. I was able to see the box from my front window and I checked on it constantly through the glass like a mother hen. I was so worried something would happen to them. The website said the mother should come by dusk to get them but if not, to bring them inside for the night and attempt to get reunite them with the mother again in the morning. I was hoping she would come that day though, otherwise it suggested after a certain time to bring them in to the rehabilitation center. I set up in front of the window to eat dinner and keep watch (with my dog who was equally engrossed in what was happening) and low and behold the mother came, cautiously at first, looking and smelling and finally grabbing her babies to bring them to, what I can only assume, is their new nest. The relief! This video is when she came back for the second one, after she had taken the first. I have to say,
I got quite attached, but all is as it should be as mother and babies were finally reunited and made for a wonderful memory for an otherwise crappy day."
Name: Kacey Tillotson
Location: Wall Township, NJ, USA'