Page 13

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
HTTP:WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/CAR

The Flying Squirrels of Aroostook County Con't from page 11

they became more comfortable, and their desire for peanuts overcame any lingering fear.  They began flying in and out taking the  seeds and nuts.  Each night for about two weeks, the filming crew came just before dusk and waited for the squirrels to arrive.  All was quiet in the evening, but soon after midnight the porch came alive with the filming crew running about and capturing all the footage they could as the squirrels typically appeared around midnight and stayed until about 2 AM or so.  They would come gliding in from the forest canopy, seemingly undaunted by the brilliant glare, or the sudden appearance of this Hollywood scene in their deep dark forest.   The filming was very successful, though it required lots of patience during those long, cool, late nights. 
     At the end of the two weeks of filming, the most special of all guests arrived.  Sir David Attenborough, who has been with British Broadcasting for over 50 years and has traveled to nearly every country in the world, arrived here in Aroostook county on June 8^th.   Arriving with a sound production manager,  Sir Attenborough was a very humble and casual fellow, and one would never know just by meeting him

land to film my squirrels.  I welcomed the crew to my property.  The first gentleman to arrive was a film site surveyor.  He came in April to scout out the land,  to see if the squirrels were really present, and to see if the land would be a nice setting for filming.  The squirrels were outstanding, and seemed to know that they were auditioning for their role in a documentary film.  By early May, British Broadcasting was making plans to come over to northern Maine from England.  The producer arrived during the last week in May.  He explored the land and looked for vantage points that would produce the best perspectives of the squirrels.  Two days later the cameraman came and began setting up their impressive

equipment.
     The following two weeks were an extraordinary experience.  Each night the cameraman and the producer would appear about a half hour before dusk.  They arranged lights and cameras across my porch and yard, and soon after dark the forest was brilliantly illuminated in a white, almost bluish white, day-bright light.  The fellows placed sunflower seeds and peanuts out along the branches of the trees, and then huddled down for the night with their blankets, production calculators, sodas and snacks. 
     Initially when the squirrels approached, they just stared at the whole scene for a long while wondering about it.  Eventually

Jump to a Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21