Spotted a squirrel jumping from one branch to the next, stopping along the way to munch on new growth. I was not aware that squirrels did this. Is there anything special in this particular species of maple that makes it tasty or do they like maples in general?
I think your squirrel is just an opportunist. This looks like Acer cappadocicum, maybe 'Aureum', and it has tender new foliage. But as far as I know squirrels aren't particularly partial towards this species!