Flying Squirrels in Manchester

About Six weeks. That's about how long it has  been since we saw this mouse-like creature snacking away at our bird feeder.

Except that's not a mouse. It's tail was huge and poofy, it's eyes large in proportion to its head. "What the hell kind of mouse is this?" I asked.

Who's that pecking away at our birdfeeder!

Apparently, not a mouse at all. Nicole looked at the creature's eyes and tail. "It looks like a squirrel," she said.

Not the best resolution, but note the furry flap on the belly.

Dubious of her claim, we snapped some photos of the tiny beast pilfering from our birdfeeder and checked Wikipedia. Once we matched up the photos with the Eastern Flying Squirrel, we had our answer.

And yeah, we've seen 'em fly!

They don't really fly, but it's amazing to watch them glide. Sadly, we have not yet been able to capture them glide on video, but I keep trying. Last night, I was able to capture one of the squirrels running away (they tend to freak out when they see our cats in the window). It was starting to rain, my camera battery was low, and I just had this gut feeling that the squirrel was going to dart back towards the birdfeeder for more. No sooner than I turned off my camera than the little bugger leaped from my apartment to a nearby tree a good 20 feet away. After he jumped, he rotated his body to sail towards the tree at an angle, exposing the flap on his belly that enables him to glide. Dang!

In the meantime, take a look at these photos and video. It's amazing to watch them walk.