Most of us never get to see a Flying Squirrel.  They are small — about the size of a chipmunk.  They are nocturnal.  They tend to move about deep in forests where they can more-safely travel from tree-to-tree, high off the forest floor.  I didn’t even know Flying Squirrels (Flyers, as I call them) existed until I put infrared cameras on the property.  One night, one of the camera’s recorded motion at the bird feeder in the middle of the night.  Interesting.  Birds don’t visit the feeders after dark.  Playing back the camera’s footage, here is what I found — shown here in slow motion.

Watch for the light spot to appear near the top (right-of-center) of the video; that’s the Flyer taking off from a tree in the distant forest.  (The only reason the camera picks up his launch is because of  his very large eyes reflecting the camera’s IR light.)  As he nears the bird feeder, you can see the outstretched skin flaps that keep him airborne — and how he uses his tail as a rudder to slow down.  The truly amazing thing is how precisely a Flying Squirrel can hit its target!

And, yes, he went on to enjoy a delightful mid-night snack.