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.


Yoo hoo! Anybody home? Anybody got some peanuts?






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






I can see the whole flying community from up here.






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






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






This one here, he snatched up the last peanut.






And me? I got nuthin'.






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.