Fuzzy sap sipping squirrels

This glorious, sunny week-end afforded great photo ops of squirrels (no foxes alas) but it has been very frustrating! I found two occasions where squirrels were sipping sap (a sure sign of spring) and then just sitting contentedly as they savoured their treat. Ah ... a perfectly motionless animal in bright sunshine! Ideal for photography right? Well ... no. At least not for my camera. For some reason my auto-focus would not work. The animal's eye (critical for focus) was not sharp. I tried over and over! I do not understand this unless my equipment has become defective. Having just viewed my final fuzzy focused photo I am going to post older squirrel shots to console myself!