A Northern Flying Squirrel pokes his head out of the second floor of one of our backyard birdhouses
While cleaning out a birdhouse this spring, I discovered that a family of Northern Flying Squirrels had moved in.
It’s been a while since flying squirrels have nested in our backyard, and my family is thrilled that they are back.
They are nocturnal, built for gliding, incredibly cute, kind of social, and very vocal with a bird like chirping sound.
Listen to the Northern Flying Squirrel
Northern Flying Squirrels eat nuts, acorns, lichens, insects and fruit. I also know that they are very fond of peanut butter, which my wife was able to practically spoon feed to the last family that visited some 10 years ago.
Unfortunately, Flying Squirrels also eat bird eggs and nestlings, so I’m guessing that the chickadees, robins and goldfinches are not as happy about their new neighbors.
Please share your Flying Squirrel story in comments below.
3 comments
jenana says:
May 7, 2010 at 9:21 am (UTC -5 )
I’ve never seen a squirrel look so cute!
Darcy says:
July 5, 2010 at 9:57 pm (UTC -5 )
I live in North Chelmsford, and noticed a good sized hole chewed out of one of my trees. As I looked up at it I notices a pair of big eyes looking back at me. For a few days I assumed it was a baby squirrel in a nest, but after looking at pictures online I quickly realized that I have a flying squirrel! I don’t mind that it’s there, but I’m worried about it as that tree was going to be cut down in the near future. Any suggestions on what I should do?
Bill Askenburg says:
July 6, 2010 at 9:42 am (UTC -5 )
Thanks for posting. Northern Flying Squirrels can use a number of different nest sites, including a nest for raising their young in the spring and summer and a different nest for winter roosting. To encourage the flying squirrels to remain in the area after removal of your tree, you could add a nest box or two to your yard. The boxes should be placed near coniferous trees, mounted on a pole 10′ to 20′ feet off the ground. Placing it away from branches will discourage predation. Most birdhouses will be suit a flying squirrel, but a house with a 7″x10″ nest cavity and a 1.5″ entry hole is ideal. The nest boxes need to be cleaned in January/February. I hope this info helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!