Flying Squirrels of Aroostook County Become World Celebrities
With the BBC
And Sir David
Attenborough
Flying Squirrel at rest at my home, finishing the remains of a peanut.
By; Mark Bloomer Meteorologist
Flying squirrels are one of Aroostook county's most beautiful and mysterious animals. Few people are aware that we have flying squirrels in northern Maine, but in fact they are quite common in tall old growth forests where they have trees in which to dwell and glide. I was not aware of the presence of flying squirrels until two years ago. In the fall of 2000 I spotted them scurrying around white cedar trees in my old growth forest along the Aroostook River. At first I thought they were just the little red squirrels, up late at night. But upon close examination, I discovered that they're a little different from the red squirrels, with a creamy grey color and a dark stripe along their side. Flying squirrels don't fly in the way birds and bats do. They actu
ally glide between the trees with a blanket-like membrane that stretches between their front and rear legs. Watching flying squirrels leap between the trees is an amazing site. The squirrel begins by running up a tree, and then quickly jumps around to face downward. It gazes below with its big dark eyes to gage it's next glide. As the squirrel begins its jump, it abruptly pushes off the tree and then suddenly stretches out its arms and legs to open its gliding membrane. Once the squirrel takes off, it will soar a hundred feet or so from one tree trunk to another at a flight angle of about three feet ahead for every one foot it descends. Then as it approaches its landing point, it briefly curls its tail upward to create a wind brake. Likewise, its glide will curve up at the last minute to position for landing. When the squirrel
lands, it quickly runs up the tree to poise for the next glide. Unlike other squirrels, flying squirrels are very social animals. They will often come in pairs or in family groups to feed, and they sleep together to keep each other warm. Soon after I discovered that I have flying squirrels on my property, I began corresponding with a naturalist in Ontario who maintains hundreds of nesting houses for flying squirrels. However, he told me on several occasions that owls has discovered his squirrel colony and were eating many of his squirrels. In the spring of 2002, this naturalist out in Ontario who I had been in contact with, told me that British Broadcasting Corporation wanted to come to North America to film the flying squirrels. He said that owls had eaten most of his squirrels, and asked me if it was alright if the filming crew came to my
