Life as a squirrel isn’t always the easiest. Getting access to nuts and seeds can be a challenge, especially as some bird feeders feature anti-squirrel mechanisms that make it impossible for the fluffy-tailed creatures to steal a snack or two.

Not many people know that squirrels are omnivores, which means they enjoy a diet of plants and meat. But nuts are a squirrel favorite, as you’ll know if you’ve ever seen a squirrel scaling a tree to get their paws on the precious cargo.

Sadly, when it comes to back-garden feeding, squirrels aren’t the preferred choice of wildlife for birdwatchers, as they tend to scare off the garden’s winged visitors. This means they’re often ignored, and, in fact, considered unwanted by many homeowners.

Luckily, one man made it his mission to let his own garden’s squirrels know that they were still welcome guests at his metaphorical dining table. So he put his creativity cap on and got to work.

2 weeks of isolation and we're out here making picnic tables for squirrels because we're insane pic.twitter.com/8WfHwyJQA4

— Lucy Small (@lucyleid) March 31, 2020

By the end of the day, he’d produced his very own miniature picnic table for his squirrel friends.

Let’s look at the events that led up to this charming picnic table invention. 43-year-old Rick Kalinowski was suffering from quarantine boredom, a feeling that many of us can currently relate to. His plumbing business had been put on hold, and he was struggling to find ways to keep his hands busy at home.

That’s when he had the idea to make his squirrel-friendly picnic table.

Kalinowski had access to a bit of scrap wood that was left over from one of his previous projects. He used it to fashion the tiny picnic table, attached it to his garden fence, and then shared a few pics of his creation on social media.

And the internet went mad for tiny picnic tables!

It wasn’t long before people were inspired by Kalinowski to create their own little squirrel creations. One man, Jayson Elliott, shared a pic of his own table-chair setup, on which his visiting squirrel sat enjoying a corn on the cob.

Another Facebook user, Lana Stewart, shared her own squirrel-friendly creation, this time a “mid century squirrel house”. The house has its own little roof to prevent the nuts and seeds inside from getting soggy. Stewart commented that she’s now considering adding a picnic addition to her fancy squirrel home.

Kalinowski has long enjoyed watching the squirrels and other wildlife out of his window, so quarantine was the perfect time for him to figure out a way to attract an even greater number of creatures to his garden. Speaking in an interview with LadBible, he said:

“I wake up at sunrise and have done for years, just to feed the squirrels and fill the bird feeders. I make my coffee, put on the morning news and watch everyone eat. I buy a variety of nuts and seeds for the squirrels along with fresh cut fruit, it brings me happiness especially during these uncertain times.”

His quarantine hobby has taken off to such an extent that Kalinowski has even been able to create a business out of it! He’s got his own Etsy store called Squirrelly Treasure Co., and now spends his days fashioning, painting and shipping his mini picnic tables all around the world.

Good on Kalinowski for finding something productive to do with his time at home. He never could have expected his quirky hobby to take off like it did, but at least he’s able to use his spare hours wisely and offer a bit of humor in a time of difficulty for the world.

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Source: Animal Channel, LadBible, Twitter, Patch, Facebook, Live Science