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Great Wines
Years of Excellence
This nocturnal visitor to our bird feeders inhabits forested habitats from Florida to Texas northward to Minnesota and upstate New York according to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals (Alfred A. Knopf, 1980).
They glide into our yard in Bridgman at dusk and consume any left-over seed or peanuts. There is a fold of fur-covered skin between their front and hind legs that is used to glide from tree to tree. Their other means of movement is running up and down trees. These small squirrels can scale the 70-foot oaks in our yard in about two seconds.
The flying squirrels make a faint bird-like chirp when they are moving around. This picture was taken by me in November of last year our back yard.
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Comments
flying squirrel
Brad,
Do these creatures hibernate in the Great Lakes region in the winter? Or is hibernation even a relevant term?
Any other information on their feeding and breeding habits is welcome.
Southern Flying Squirrel
Dave,
This squirrel does not hibernate and remains active all year, according to the National Audubon Society Guide to North American Mammals. On very cold days, it may stay in its nest, which may be a hollow tree or old woodpecker hole.
The northern flying squirrel, a slightly larger counterpart, has a more northerly range, although the ranges can overlap somewhat according to the reference maps.
Flying squirrels feed on acorns, beech nuts, hickory nuts, insects and some vertebrate flesh according to the reference. Peanuts seem to be the food of choice in our neighborhood.
Brad Anderson