Thursday night 50 mph wind gusts rocked our house on Fawn
Lake near Shelton. When we heard a distant tree go down with
a thud, I switched on the deck lights, opened the sliding
door--and was surprised to glimpse a flying squirrel exit
the bird feeder, run down the railing, and take a flying
leap out into the forest. The deck is on the second floor,
and I believe the flying squirrel sailed over to and landed
on a nearby bigleaf maple trunk. We don't know how long the
the squirrel was feeding, but we were watching television
and reading in the living room within ten feet of the
squirrel (perhaps it also enjoyed the figure skating program
we were watching).

I awoke this morning at 4am, and again surprised the flying
squirrel. It again took a flying leap into the forest.

I looked up "Northern Flying Squirrel" in Danial Mathews'
CASCADE-OLYMPIC NATURAL HISTORY; he said that in old growth
forests these squirrels live almost entirely on truffles and
horsehair lichens. Our forest is second growth, and the
squirrel seems to enjoy black oil sunflower seeds. (By the
way, if you haven't seen Mathews' field guide, I consider it
to be the best-written field guide ever created).

Lee Rentz
lee at leerentz.com
www.leerentz.com