Nutty Taste Tests

Ever wonder how discriminating a palate Eastern Grey Squirrels have? They eat almost anything — but do they like it all equally? Not so much.

Check out these three nutty taste tests I orchestrated to celebrate the launch of When the Squirrels Stole my Sister.

First, it’s pistachios vs. pecans:

And the winner is… pecans! By a long shot. (But they did eat all the pistachios once the pecans were gone.)

Next, it’s walnuts vs. almonds:

And the winner is: both. I was surprised; I thought walnuts would win hands down. But no. They tried the almonds first, stuck with them for a bit, then switched to walnuts and went back and forth eagerly. I call it a tie.

Finally, it’s macadamias vs. hazelnuts. (This one’s for any viewers who think squirrels have no taste.)

And the winner is… hazelnuts. All the way. I’ve never seen a squirrel spit out a nut before. But this discriminating dude did eat every single macadamia — including the ones he spit out — after he resigned himself to an empty hazelnut bowl.

And that’s the squirrel taste test! Here are all three put together in case you can’t get enough of these critters.

All videos were taken by me in my yard. (No, I don’t have a squirrel problem.) Filmed in October 2021 for the virtual launch of my new picture book, When the Squirrels Stole my Sister, illustrated by Sean Cassidy (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Publishers).

Music (“Funny Song”) thanks to Bensound.com.