Flying Squirrels!!!!

Yes, Arlington, there are flying squirrels.

This Saturday, I took my skeptical self to Long Branch Nature Center for the Flying Squirrels program. Several people told me that you really would see the squirrels and they really are quite common; my eyes still needed to see for themselves.

The evening consisted of some brief information from a naturalist, Anastazia, about the squirrels - nothing too geeky, but enough information to peak your interest. And then, of course, the highlight of the evening going outside and actually seeing the squirrels coming in to the feeder to eat their peanut butter.

And, lo and behold, lots of flying squirrels showed up. They were pretty cool just watching them scurry around the tree, but quite honestly, if I didn't know better, I would have confused them with chipmunks.

But then, I caught a view of one taking off from one tree and "flying" (gliding is probably a more accurate term) in to another one. Now, that was cool. That was the highlight of my evening. Admittedly, I still think seeing a deer is really cool, but flying squirrels - that's extra cool.

People (about 30 I would say,) hung out outside and watched for a bit and then would head back inside to get warm, have some hot chocolate and snacks and watch some previously filmed high-speed video of the squirrels flying around, before heading back out to observe some more.

So yes, Arlington, there are flying squirrels and you can check them out at Long Branch Nature Center. There are still some programs left this winter for you to check them out (the squirrels are apparently hard to find in the summer). For more information, visit Long Branch Nature Center of call 703-228-6535.