Squirrel ready for closeup after climbing on top of camera lens

By Dean Murray

A cheeky squirrel looks ready for its close-up in these hilarious pictures.

Married photography duo Giedrius and Dalia Stakauskas had a close encounter with a friendly critter recently.

Giedrius, from Orpington, says: "A grey squirrel unexpectedly jumped onto our camera lens while we were in Richmond Park, London, about two weeks ago.

"My wife and I were strolling through the park, hoping to capture shots of the red deer during the rutting season. October is always an exciting time in the park, with stags competing for the attention of hinds, and we had our camera ready, hoping to witness some of the action up close.

"Out of nowhere, a cheeky grey squirrel appeared, coming right up to us with that unmistakable look that said, “Got any food?”.

"We decided to see how friendly this little guy might be, so we placed a few nuts into the camera lens hood. To our surprise, the squirrel didn’t hesitate - it hopped onto my knee and then directly onto the lens, perfectly at ease as it enjoyed its snacks.

"We couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of this bold little squirrel perched on the camera.

"I asked my wife to snap a picture of us - me and my new “assistant,” happily perched on the lens."