Flying Squirrels and Hickory Nuts
A southern flying squirrel in a large tree cavity in Massachusetts. I wanted to see it carrying a hickory nut. Camera trapped with a Canon 60D and one Nikon SB28 flash.
So for a long time I’ve been fascinated by the different feeding signs that different rodent species leave on mast, especially that of flying squirrel on hickory nuts. The reason is that it’s fairly distinctive. Flying squirrels often create a neat, smooth, roundish hole through which they extract the nut meat. Other rodents tend to make rougher, less regular holes, or they cut the shell into multiple fragments.
This is what shagbark hickory nuts look like. Small rodents like flying squirrels remove the green husk prior to carrying them away, if the nut hasn’t already fallen out of the husk. They often carry the nut by one of the pointy ends with incisors.
Flying squirrels also create a “carry notch” on one of the nipple ends of the nut shell when they carry the nut away with their incisors. The combination of the notch and the smooth, round opening screams flying squirrel.
Hickory nut shell with flying squirrel sign. Note the carry notch and the smooth, round opening. The animal makes the notch with its incisors, presumably to maintain a firm grasp while in transit. The small, irregular opening on the opposite side was probably made by a mouse.
With a mission to see a flying squirrel carrying a hickory nut, and to get an example of the sign itself that I could photograph, I threw a handful of hickory nuts into a large tree cavity which I targeted with a camera trap made with a nice quality DSLR camera. (My husband built it – Another post for another day.) I knew there were flying squirrels in the tree because it is my “test site” for standard, ready made trail cameras. But all I got of this nocturnal rodent with those cameras are fuzzy black and white photos.
A flying squirrel camera trapped at my test site with a standard, ready made, IR flash trail camera. In this case, it was a Reconyx XR6.
The next day, I found, at the base of the tree, a hickory nut with that cool, tell tale sign. And, after a week, the camera had captured plenty of photos of my target species. It is in all likelihood a southern flying squirrel, a common species here in Massachusetts. The northern flying squirrel is usually larger and darker, and it’s much less common in southern New England, if it’s still present at all.
Southern flying squirrel carrying a hickory nut by a pointed end with its incisors. Canon 60D camera trap with Nikon SB28 flash.
Note that while I provided the nuts so I could photograph the flying squirrel and its (relatively) unique sign, you can look for this sign in forests with hickory trees to determine the animal’s presence. Aim your camera at a nearby snag or tree riddled with holes, and you may capture this cavity nesting creature.
Hi Janet,
Really appreciate the info and unbelievable photos. Perfect shot of the flying squirrel carrying the hickory. I like your thought process on how to capture a pic of one carrying a nut and then the squirrel was very cooperative.
The martin video was also amazing. Looked like the Martin was obsessing over whatever it carried and seemed to have cached by that stump. Wondering if that was anywhere near a dwelling as whatever it had looked rather too perfectly rectangular. Almost looked like a piece of suet. Looked the same all 3? times it was visible in the video. Was it carrying it away the last time? Just my thoughts. Could be way off. You asked for what we thought. That’s mine. Thanks again.
Hi Linda! Good thoughts. The marten video was taken in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks, about a quarter mile as the crow flies from the nearest human lodging, so I guess it is possible that it’s some human related thing. At about 3/4 of the way through the video, there’s a pretty good view of it, and it doesn’t look regularly shaped to me. But you are right, it looks like the marten carries it away, unless it dropped it just before running. Good thought. I hadn’t considered the possibility that the thing in its mouth was the prize. I thought it was using those things to cover some other prize at the base of the stump that we can’t see.
I hope someone could help me. Ive been feeding flying squirrels since November of 2017. I would have at least 12 gliding in from all directions. They came every night and I was able to look them right in the eye, talk to them, etc. They would wait for me to refil a bucket I put up. I have great pictures and they were such a joy. About a month ago they stopped coming. Only one which I always called the scout. None of the others have come and now I don’t even have the one come anymore.
I’m so upset and I don’t know what happened but it saddens me so much. I still faithfully put food out.
Do you know what could have happened? I really want them back. Thank you
Hi Lynn, it’s hard to say. Disease, predation, and loss of cavity tree(s) they were using are some possibilities. You don’t say where you are, so I am not sure which species you have, but if it is the northern flying squirrel, perhaps they were infected by an intestinal nematode, Strongyloides robustus (which does not harm the southern flying squirrel but debilitates the northern). Habitat loss can cause animals to disappear, so if they were using a forested area that was cleared for some reason, they might have moved away or died. Sorry, without knowing much more about where you are and what is going on in the land all around you, I really can’t narrow it down.
Hi. Thanks so much for getting back to me. I live in Connecticut so it’s the southern flying squirrels. I am in the last country part in our city. I am surrounded by very tall oak trees & woods all around us. There is a racoon but there has always been a racoon. The flyers were never bothered by people in the yard, my dog never bothered them. I have noticed that the squirrels have not been around like they usually are but I do see them scurrying around for the acorns on the ground. Someone mentioned that due to the really hot, & humid weather we have been having they may have left but may come back when it’s cooler. They came to feed whether it was raining, snowing, sleeting, etc. I don’t understand. I fed the the fruit & nut bird mix, sometimes my own mix of nuts if I ran out or sunflower seeds. My husband & I have lived here for 33 years. We found one in the flute of our wood stove , thought it was a baby squirrel until when we let it lose outside & it ran up a tree & then glided to another. But from that point on we never saw them. We had a tree with a bird feeder that we have had the whole 33 years, always had the light on & never saw one. Sadly, My husband passed away in January 2017. It was that November that I saw them! I felt it was a gift from my husband. There were 4 but the eventually there would be anywhere from 8 to 12. The 4 kept looking at me waiting for something. Not having anything to put up for them but a tiny bird house that I took the top off & put food in there & from that point on with changes here & there with a feeder they came every night faithfully until now.
OK so habitat loss is probably not the cause. I don’t know what the cause is and can only speculate. Perhaps with all those oaks, they are simply partaking of the acorn crop that is ready just about now, and prefer that to the food you offer. Southern FS’s do need to store food for the winter, and wild nuts like acorns and hickory nuts (which you probably also have in your woods) may be better for them and may keep better during winter than what you provide. Rodents at this time of year seem driven to collect nuts for storage, so that is my guess on what they are doing now.
Oh ok. Thank you. That I can live with! My friend who is a rehabber for squirrels , which i ended up I raising one too that was dropped in our yard by a Raven. I had her guidance & he’s still around. She had mentioned that her squirrels she released are not coming around which is normal so she thought maybe the same thing but with flyers wasn’t sure.
I tried to go online & find out but there is nothing that I don’t know already. I learned a lot by observing them but it is my first summer with them. Then I start panicking that I did something & killed them…..
Janet, I can’t thank you enough for your your help & getting back to me so quickly. Oh , one more question, should I still keep leaving food out for them? Thank you again.
Well, the problem with leaving out food on a regular basis is that it can attract all sorts of animals, some of which can cause problems for you or other people. So many animals, from rats to bears, which you might not want close to you or your home, might be attracted. If you have bears in your area, I’d stop putting food out till most of them are likely to be hibernating, which will probably be sometime in December. Then it’s ok to offer food till March, when bears wake up again. Even if you don’t mind seeing bears up close, it will be a problem for other people when the bear gets habituated to human food sources. Bears destroy bird feeders, people complain, and then wildlife officials are forced to “relocate” the animal, and the “relocation” spot is often 6 feet under. The same goes for nuisance raccoons, foxes, and coyotes, all of which can be attracted to fruit, nuts, and seeds.
Ok. No bears but all the others you mentioned. I have a bird feeder that I leave out all year for many years & so far it’s the raccoon who has been coming around so I will not leave the feeder I have for the flyers. Thank you. I pray they do come back. They are such a pleasure & I have been up close to them & have great pictures & videos on my phone. Thank you again Janet. Take care & enjoy the rest of summer/autumn.
Hi Janet, I dont know if you remember me but you helped me figure out where the flying squirrels went late summer. You were right & they did come back. But, at first there were about 6 but now I’m lucky to see 1 or 2. Do you have an idea of what could be happening!? I have not changed anything from last year & there were always the same amount coming to eat.
Any advice or help or someone I can ask would be great & I appreciate it.
Thank
Lynn Marie King
Hope all is well on your end
Hi, I am so sorry for the delay, but I just realized I never responded to you. It’s hard to know exactly why there are fewer now. It could be any number of reasons: Predation, dispersal of juveniles, fewer available nest cavities, etc. Animal populations are always in flux.
Hi! I have a summer cottage in SE Wisconsin. While I have never seen a flying squirrel there, a few of my neighbors have. I hung up a small wren nesting box in a small tree, and the wren box is currently stuffed with various species of dried mushrooms! Could this be a cache for flying squirrels?
Red squirrels are the most likely culprit for caching mushrooms. But I wonder if the entry hole on a wren box is too small for a red squirrel (or flying squirrel). If too small for those critters, then the mushrooms might have been cached there by mice. Cool find, whatever animal did it.
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Thanks for the flying squirrel info and pix. just saw one tonight in my yard at the bird feeders. thought it too late for squirrel and got daughter to verify it looked like a bug-eyed baby squirrel LOL. your pix helped confirm what i saw in Worcester, MA.
Cool – thanks for commenting!
I live in Madison WI and see flying squirrels many nights at my bird feeders. My FB page has videos I’ve made. I put peanuts, bird sunflower seeds, and other bird food in the feeders.