Our squirrels are nuts

About this time each year, the acorns start falling from the trees, blanketing the driveway that they overshadow. So that's nothing new. The newness is that this time they're getting a little help in falling.

I was sitting at my computer when motion in the trees outside caught my attention. I looked out the window behind the computer and noticed that the branches were shaking. Realizing that it wouldn't be a deer two floors off the ground, I figured it must be squirrels, and looked back to my computer when another motion caught my eye. A rosette of branch and leaves was falling to the ground. Okay. So the squirrel broke the branch.

Later, more motion. More branches. This time I stood up to look out, onto the driveway. This is similar to what I saw:



I went outside to investigate. Yup, the little cuties are chomping off the branches so that a cluster of leaves and acorns fall to the driveway, where they can then strip off the acorns in peace.



And it's not a one-time thing. We've swept the driveway clear twice and they've covered it again each time. I don't remember this ever happening before. Are they getting smarter? Or am I getting more observant?