Photo Phriday 59
#7672628
09/16/22 10:31 AM
09/16/22 10:31 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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I'm guessing not a whole lot of you will contribute additional pictures to this post. For nearly 60 years I've had go-rounds with northern flying squirrels.More often than not, these encounters have been positive. Even here in Idaho where they are a protected species, I have them periodically on my bird feeders, but only on the darkest nights. Seems the flying squirrels liked nesting and rearing their young in my boreal owl nest boxes in interior Alaska. Every year I'd have a couple boxes that were used by flying squirrels rather than owls. The flyers were not near as destructive as the red squirrels on the boxes. Pretty common during some years to catch a few squirrels in the marten sets. One year near Fairbanks, I caught 72 flying squirrels. They are considered a harvestable species in Alaska. I had a small market for fly-tyers, as their fur makes fantastic dubbing for wet-flies. Seems in deciduous, mixed, or coniferous forests, a Victor rat trap hung on the side of a tree baited with peanut butter is a good way to catch flying squirrels.
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672648
09/16/22 11:03 AM
09/16/22 11:03 AM
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Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 2,365 Interior Alaska
Oh Snap
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 2,365
Interior Alaska
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They were a subject I never discussed at home..lol
From time to time they were in the trees around our home. Sure have silky fur.
I love the smell of burning spruce---I love the sound of a spring time goose---I love the feel of 40 below---from my trapline I will never go!
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672652
09/16/22 11:17 AM
09/16/22 11:17 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Ha! I should have known Sharon! Once again, you've come through with artwork putting my meager photos to shame. Both of your pen-and-ink renditions are absolutely beautiful. That one of the flyer departing the hole is priceless. Love it!
Jack
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672678
09/16/22 12:29 PM
09/16/22 12:29 PM
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672 Ohio
Willy Firewood
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672
Ohio
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Great photos and artwork!
Like Sharon experiences, we have them frequently living in our bluebird houses. About 5 of 50 houses have fliers. We have also had them at our bird feeders at night. They are unusual in that their eyes reflect red at night. One or two tiny red eyes in a tree will be a flier.
Occasionally I get a call for ADC work that turns out to be fliers. I have a few fun videos of them gliding by cameras. I exclude them and seal up the openings.
FRAC LIVES MATTER
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672744
09/16/22 01:54 PM
09/16/22 01:54 PM
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 95 Florida
bjansma
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 95
Florida
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They were my favorite species to deal with when I had an ADC business. I could bare hand them. They could pinch but never had one strong enough to break the skin. They were the only squirrel species in my area that would create toilets. Their smell was powerful on a large infestation, but that made it easy to diagnose. They were also fun because they would fill up a multicatch trap. In fact, they were so little that their only hope of survival overnight in a trap during the winter was to get a bunch of buddies in there with them. If you only singles or doubles they were usually dead by the time the trap was checked the next day. They could fit into holes the size of a quarter so great money making a house flying squirrel proof as well.
Bob Jansma
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672770
09/16/22 02:53 PM
09/16/22 02:53 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,117 Northern Michigan
J.Morse
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,117
Northern Michigan
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. Cool photos, Gulo. Also great drawings and pics, Miss Sharon. Bajansma, you must have calloused hands because the only time I bare handed one of those fur-balls it bit the daylights out of me and broke the skin very much! I have a non-stop war with Flying Squirrels here. my old farmhouse is impossible to make rodent proof without a full coat of armor, so every year I have the darn things get in my attic and raise heck. Them being communal/social animals usually means I have to remove numerous. I had the little snots chew a hole into my taxidermy shop some years back......they'd sniffed out a plastic barrel I kept my shelled corn in (for feeding my "Yard Cranes" and such). I deployed a 5 gallon pail about 1/3 full of water, toss a double handful of sunflower seeds in it. I believe it was 10 waterlogged carcasses I removed the next A.M. I hate doing them in on account of they're so cute and all big-eyed and all. Bushmaster, neat pics as well. I once did a carpentry job at a couple's home in an oak woods and there were numerous tails laying around under the people's bird feeder. They were proud cat people.
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672771
09/16/22 02:57 PM
09/16/22 02:57 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,117 Northern Michigan
J.Morse
trapper
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trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,117
Northern Michigan
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P.S. to my above post........I have caught several FS while trapping weasels with snap-traps. Also, when I'd trap them with those type traps in my attic, many times their brethren and sistren would devour the heads off the trapped victims. They love meat, even of their relatives!
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672794
09/16/22 03:48 PM
09/16/22 03:48 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,270 Manitoba
Northof50
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,270
Manitoba
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This is a 25 Sept pic and you can see the summer pelage is just molting out to the winter in the middle pic
Last edited by Northof50; 09/16/22 03:48 PM.
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672811
09/16/22 04:18 PM
09/16/22 04:18 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,539 Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon
"American Honey"
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"American Honey"
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,539
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
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N50 yours are such a pretty yellow tone in summer ! Mine are always gray. Jack, every artist wouldn't have a paw to stand on if not for good reference photos. Thanks to folks like yourself. It's humorous to watch them land on a tree trunk after a big glide. They smack the trunk and bounce a little
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Northof50]
#7672889
09/16/22 06:26 PM
09/16/22 06:26 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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During my small mammal flea collecting there was one that lived for 4 years, and the re-captures were always on the first night set. They do have a interesting flea as well as all the other squirrel fleas. There is a fur mite on them that is only 0.5 mm is size and there has been several attempts to smash and bash the DNA to figure species ID - but no luck yet on this. No question, they often do have ectoparasites! Jack
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Re: Photo Phriday 59
[Re: Gulo]
#7672966
09/16/22 08:28 PM
09/16/22 08:28 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Come on Sharon. I want to see a 30 x 40" artwork rendition of a flea from a flying squirrel. Pretty-please!?
Jack
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