Saturday, October 18, 2014

Quaint Little Sprite

Of all the woodland creatures,
The quaintest little sprite
Is the dainty flying squirrel
In vest of shining white, 
~ Mary E. Burt

This is the cutest creature on the face of the planet.

I'm sure I've said this about a large number of critters. Aside from the obvious cats and dogs, I've given this title to raccoons, chipmunks, red squirrels, rabbits, gophers and deer. Now there's a new bit of adorable fluff to wear the cuteness crown. And we have several flying squirrels visit us each and every night.

flyer
Yoo hoo! Anybody home? Anybody got some peanuts?





flyer5
Oh hi! The feeder appears to be empty of goodies.





flyer4
I can see the whole flying community from up here.





flyer19
The big guy over there has a feeder full of seeds.





flyer14
And the little squirt has a nice spread on that there ledge.





flyer12
This one here, he snatched up the last peanut.





flyer2
And me? I got nuthin'.





flyer8
Oh thanks!

They come by every night as soon as the day creatures are done with their feeding. They flit about from tree branch to ledge, to feeder. They're amazingly docile and curious. The younger ones are more skittish but the larger, older ones who take peanuts from our hands are not afraid to be touched. The other night, I was able to pet one of them while he or she ate from the seed feeder. I think only a kitten has softer fur. They're very entertaining, and one of the best unexpected joys of living up here.

The video below is just one minute long. I had a hard time keeping the little guy in focus under such limited lighting but you'll get a few clear looks at him. Tell me if you don't think he's one of the cutest creatures ever with those big, black eyes!



Thanks, little flyers. You brighten the night with your antics.

59 comments:

joeh said...

great little acrobats. and those eyes, obviously nocturnal thanks!

Andy said...

Hilary you are having fun day and night. :)

Gary's third pottery blog said...

You fed one, gosh! And felt its fur!

Gayle said...

Oh so sweet! We see them in Idaho, too. We consider ourselves quite lucky!

June said...

Picky little guy, isn't he! Digging out and letting fall all the things he doesn't LOVE to get the few that he does LOVE to munch on!
We have bunches of the little things that crawl around on the lilac branches outside the downstairs bedroom/tv room. Sometimes they climb up and down on the screens, and the other night one of them . . . I swear to you . . . knocked several times on the window frame as if to come in.

EG CameraGirl said...

I have never seen one, at least I think I never have. What a treat that you can get them to eat out of your hand!

DJan said...

Oh Hilary, it is just wonderful to see these adorable creatures, and eating right out of your hand! :-)

The Furry Gnome said...

Fascinating! Didn't know they would be so unfair aid. I've only seen one once or twice in my life.

Tabor said...

We are supposed to have a substantial population in certain areas, but since they only come out at night I have never seen them. Glad to see him in your place. I wonder if they chew through bird feeders like our squirrels do?

Leah J. Utas said...

Aww, they're adorable.

TexWisGirl said...

it's like a chipmunk bred with a bat! :) have never seen one in person.

Linette said...

♥ Cuteness overload and lucky you for having the opportunity to be able to pet the little one. ♥

Ruby said...

Cute post!!

messymimi said...

The boys i'm babysitting had never heard of flying squirrels, and they loved the video, as did i!

Gail Dixon said...

Those huge eyes! I'm a goner. You did a great job on the video. When I worked at the animal ER we saw these critters from time to time. Some people actually have them as pets. They usually had some kind of glucose problem because they weren't being fed how they needed to be. I hope you share more of these cute, funny creatures on your blog.

Red said...

Flying squirrels are much more common than we think. For us underprivileged who don't live in the forest, we go out at night and look up in a clearing. If you're patient you will see flying squirrels.

Bob Bushell said...

Nobody has shown this little wonder before, well, the first time for me. Isn't it cute, and comes up to you, wowee. Brilliant photos.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what it would be like to have a flying squirrel as a pet?

Tammie Lee said...

such an interesting looking critter with it's big eyes and little ears
i guess it is looking for the food it likes best as it dumps the rest.
thank you for sharing Hilary!

Ruth Hiebert said...

Those big eyes are adorable.

Rita said...

OMG! You are truly blessed!! Flying squirrels (yes, the cutest ever!) that come to visit, eat from your very fingers, and even sometimes let you pet them??!! You have moved to your own little Eden, for sure. I am so jealous! ;)

stephen Hayes said...

With those big eyes I bet he sees quite well at night.

Barb said...

You have quite the population of squirrels, Hilary! We have a pine marten living in our back yard just now - he discourages the squirrels unless they want to be dinner.

Cloudia said...

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing




ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

oh goodness he so small and adorable. thank you for sharing such a sweet moment in time with me. so cute and you're right the eyes are just precious. xoxo Oma Linda

Unknown said...

Hilary: You sound very happy in your new home and that's wonderful! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh my - what a privilege to see these cute creatures! Fantastic photos.

Stewart M said...

What a splendid animal to have visit your feeders! I have never known about this - it must be great!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

ADRIAN said...

Beautifully lit.
Your Blog is very slow loading but is worth the wait.

Anonymous said...

AH-MAZING photos! Some of them looked like they could be paintings! Just absolutely beautiful.. I came over from 'Cranky Old Man' to congratulate you on guessing the correct fake headline, and wow, what a surprise.. Thanks for sharing AND congratulations! :D

Jenn Jilks said...

They are adorable little tree rats! Flying tree rats!
My son and DIL, in Vancouver, live near where a woman feeds rats. They are quite bold. Quite creepy, unlike these!

Daryl said...

they remind me of bats .. with those huge eyes .. i think you need to be wary .. not so much of being bitten but of spores like ringworm and other contagious stuff that might lurk on that soft fur .. sorry to be a downer but ...

Daryl said...

they remind me of bats .. with those huge eyes .. i think you need to be wary .. not so much of being bitten but of spores like ringworm and other contagious stuff that might lurk on that soft fur .. sorry to be a downer but ...

Mage said...

Look at all these comments. I need to go look them up as we don't have them here. Charming images. Thanks.

Lisa Gordon said...

Hilary, they are absolutely precious!
Those eyes are truly mesmerizing.

yaya said...

Loved the video! I've never seen a flying squirrel before...except Rocky and Bullwinkle show! Ha! He has the tail that reminds me of a beaver and the face and pointy ears that remind me of a bat..only he's really cuter! He also reminds me of myself when I'm eating trail mix...that was sort of embarrassing to realize!

Anonymous said...

great photos and video, we don't see them in the garden ... but perhaps they are there and we aren't looking close enough

Pauline said...

You and your camera and your observing eye! We have flying squirrels here, too, but they're not as friendly as yours. They stay pretty much in the trees - I've never seen one at the feeder.

Suldog said...

I've never seen a real one before. But I grew up with this fella...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_the_Flying_Squirrel

ellen abbott said...

oh yes, they definitely deserve the title. and...I want one! I can't believe how tame all the critters are up your way.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I love the meme of the squirrel standing at the door...

Excuse me please. But the feeder is empty.

Vagabonde said...

I had heard about these flying squirrels but had never seen one. They look quite different from the standard squirrel, much cuter with their big eye – they really are sweet looking.

Joanna Jenkins said...

I'd like to fly like that. Once.
:-)
jj

Laura said...

What a wonderful series Hilary. We have flying squirrels here, but I've never seen one myself. My daughter did years ago, sleeping out in our sukkah. They are so adorable, I can't believe they live here in our woods and I've never actually seen one. Thanks so much for helping me get to know my neighbors. Those eyes are so expressive!

Sandy Carlson said...

These are some very beautiful, amazing photos. That is one furtive little dude. So intense!

Anonymous said...

Cuties, for sure! Who could resist those big brown eyes? I remember a friend telling me that some got into her mom's house, though, and scared her half to death. They had a heck of a time getting them out of there! I'm sure she scared them as much as they scared her. :)

Unspoken said...

I have to admit, that is a cute little critter :)!

holdingmoments said...

Those eyes are amazing!
Love the video, but what a messy eater lol

Sharon Wagner said...

My parents had a pet flying squirrel before I was born. You are lucky to have such a cute visitor.

photowannabe said...

What strange and exotic creatures of the night.
I love your storyline comments. It makes the whole thing so interesting.

Shammickite said...

Messy eater isn't he?
Thanks for posting that video, I don't think I've ever seen a flying squirrel before, and I certainly didn't know that they are to be found in this part of Canada. Yes, very sweet and cuddly!

What Karen Sees said...

So adorable. I especially love your first image with him staring right back at you!

Mandy said...

Um, yes, that is in fact the cutest thing I've ever seen. Interesting that their fur is so soft.

Anita said...

Loved it! I could have watched the video much longer.

Friko said...

Sweet little thing.
But I’ve not heard of flying squirrels before. I know they all perform miracles jumping and climbing and hanging upside down , but flying!

William Kendall said...

Beautiful shots! I knew about them when I was growing up, but I never saw one until years later when my parents had moved up to cottage country and occasionally you'd see them in the evening gliding from tree to tree, coming down to the bird feeders.

Kat said...

Oh you are KIDDING me! Those adorable little stinkers! Letting you pet them! How awesome is that? I don't know if I could ever make myself go to bed. I'd be out there all night long giving them peanuts. SO SWEET!!!!

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

That flat tail, the enormous eyes... definitely a creature that is fun to watch! Thank you for sharing with us, Hilary.

Indrani said...

Well he made me curious :)
Great pics.