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Sunday, March 30, 2003

By Scott Shalaway

Last week I began checking my nest boxes for signs of activity. The most advanced nest of the day occupied a box on the edge of an opening in the woods. It consisted of finely chewed plant material surrounded by an envelope of large intact leaves.

With a short stick, I gently probed the nesting material until I saw some movement. Suddenly, a blunt nose and two big black eyes stared back at me. It was a flying squirrel.

After a moment, she leaped from the box and sailed to the base of a nearby tree. When she landed, she instantly scurried to the far side of the trunk to stay out of sight. We played hide-and-seek while I tried to get a better look at her. But each time I peeked around the trunk, she managed to keep the tree between her and myself. Finally, after several minutes, she scampered into the higher branches, and I got a chance to admire her.

	Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, WV 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com, and catch Scott on the radio Saturday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. on 1360 WPTT.

Back at the box, I found four naked and helpless pups. I estimated them to be three or four days old. Given the flying squirrel's 40-day gestation period, this female had bred in mid-February. At about four weeks of age, the pups will be fully furred. At seven weeks, they will be adult-sized -- 10 inches long including a 4-inch tail and about three ounces -- and ready to leave the nest. The first brood stays with its mother until she bears a second litter in July or August.

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) inhabit most deciduous and mixed deciduous/coniferous woods east of the Great Plains and are quite common. Northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) are a bit larger, less common, and restricted to northern latitudes and higher elevations.

Because flying squirrels are nocturnal, they are seldom seen. An evening in any wooded lot, especially one dominated by oaks or beeches, is one way to remedy that situation.

Listen for the sound of teeth gnawing nuts overhead or watch for flashes of white gliding from tree to tree. This is best done on a moonlit night.

As a flying squirrel twists and turns through the forest's obstacle course of outstretched branches, its white belly stands out in the moonlight. When it lands, note how it disappears to the back of the tree, a habit that no doubt pays off on those evenings when it crosses paths with a hungry owl.

A flying squirrel's diet is as varied as the seasons. In February, a flying squirrel might take peanuts, corn or sunflower seeds from a bird feeder, eat swollen buds or slice into the bark of a sugar maple and lap up the sap that flows. In May, it switches to insects and occasionally raids bird nests for a meal of fresh eggs or nestlings. In August, mushrooms, fruits, berries and mice are abundant and irresistible. And in October, flying squirrels gather and store bushels of acorns, beechnuts, walnuts and hickory nuts to get them through the coming winter.

Fairy diddles, as flying squirrels are often called, eat whatever the forest provides. (In some parts, red squirrels are also called fairy diddles.)

By day, flying squirrels sleep in tree cavities, often in groups of four to 12 individuals during the winter. Flying squirrels do not hibernate; they huddle together in small groups to stay warm.

One final note: Flying squirrels do not fly. They glide from tree to tree or to the ground courtesy of a flap of skin that runs from wrist to ankle on each side of the body. Upon takeoff, this skin balloons and permits a controlled glide. The flat tail serves as a rudder to guide the "flight."

Most flights are short, 30 to 40 feet, but biologists have observed trips as long as 300 feet.

If you live in a wooded area and wonder if there might be flying squirrels nearby, check your bird feeders at night with a flashlight or porch light. You might be pleasantly surprised.