Squirrel With A Hairdo Tail

I've been enjoying the bird bath we put on the porch outside our dining room window. We've been using it as a feeder since we have a heated birdbath on the rail. With the feeder only being a foot from the window, I get a show any time I take my laptop to work in the dining room.

This photo is a squirrel that visited it before I had put food in. Notice the hairdo on the tail? I've never seen anything like that before. It's like he has a ponytail sticking out from his tail. With a close-up shot of it there was an actual growth like a thin twig holding up that chunk of fur. Nature offers some interesting diversions every day.

It's still chilly here in central Virginia but now that it's February I can think about Spring bulbs.