Unusual Gardening Year

It's been an unusually hot summer this year (No I'm not going to get into this is how it used to be when I a kid lol) some plants have boomed some have failed, my corkscrew hazel has done really well loads of fruit, I came home from work today and saw a squirrel up and down in the garden, so I made a cup of tea and watched what it was doing, into the hazel taking off the nuts and running round the garden i assume hiding them, i watched it for about an hour and half and I think it virtually stripped it bare, that's why I've grown it not for personal use, but it seems a bit early for storing nuts, does him/her know something we don't.