It isn't enough that the red, black and grey squirrels hound us during the day, the flying squirrels visit at night. 8 or 10 of them put on a show for us last night. We were snapping away with 3 cameras and caught some great action shots. I think Barry gets the credit for this timely shot! The Easter Bunny also came by last night but we didn't get any pics of him/her in action.
If you're interested in knowing more about flying squirrels, here's a repeat of some info that I posted in December on a previous flying squirrel pic.
Canadian Geographic says that "Contrary to what its name suggests, the flying squirrel cannot fly. Instead, it glides with two furry membranes, called patagia, loosely stretched between its wrists and ankles. The membranes act as a parachute to support the squirrel while jumping from tree to tree ... it has a flat, furry tail that it uses as a rudder while gliding. The squirrel uses both its tail and membrane to steer left and right, and even to make 180-degree turns." The longest known glide was 90 meters.
Many thanks for dropping by!
ps. note the little sunflower seed falling just beside the squirrel on the wall. There were squirrels above and it probably came from one of them.
I have to FAV this because I know how very very hard it is to catch these guys in action and you captured a perfect mid-flight leap! As my Mom @sabanford said our friend Jan has a nightly show of flying squirrels that visit her feeders and it's amazing to watch. But I tried a month or so ago to catch a p
Amazing capture, Anne. At first I thought they were bats. Have never seen flying squirrels before. We only have the gray squirrels and that's enough ;-)
@lesip yes, they're not shy! we had the outdoor light on the deck and continuous flashes from camera! lol they move like lightening tho, so they're not worried about being caught!
You are amazing, my friend. You get the best pictures! It sounds like you had a nice Easter celebration with your family. Tom and I are on the Cape for the holiday but Laurie just called and she has the flu. So no Laurie for me this weekend. Boo hoo! My mom will be with me, though, so hooray for that. Be well, thanks for all of your kind comments.
This is amazing. I love having nature right in my back yard. We need to move though because we are just not getting enough critters visiting... well not as many as you have Anne. Great shot...like all your shots!!
That's pretty funny. Upon first look I thought, oh no, BATS. Then read the description and realized squirrels. I have never seen the flying kind in person. Do they ever land on your head or shoulder? Good Shot!!!!
Sorry can't stop laughing. Can't tell where the one in mid air is headed.
Was he screaming "Whoa, I missed the wall again". "I'm gonna land in the dog water bowl".
@farfaraway haha! he was heading to the raling, just out of view below his tail. they were gliding from both the trees and the house to the railing, then either jumping back on to the house or gliding to the ground. quite a circus.
i've seen them once and i thought they were bats but looked kind of weird for bats. the neighbour said they were flying squirrels. this is a fantastic capture especially the one in mid-air!
@corymbia wow, yes they're very similar! thanks for sharing that link. i love seeing wild life from other parts of the world. interesting to read about how they can be pets in certain parts of australia and the united states. i've never heard of one in canada.
Was he screaming "Whoa, I missed the wall again". "I'm gonna land in the dog water bowl".
FAV!