Saturday, November 1, 2008

Flying Squirrel (Nathanael Gass)


About a year ago, I bought a bluebird box in an attempt to lure more bluebirds to my yard. I frequently watched it, but I never saw any kind of bird try to make a nest in it. Recently, I went out to check on it, and opened the side. Much to my surprise, I saw a nest in it. I suspected it was a flying squirrel nest, since I hadn't seen any birds carrying nesting material. A little while later, my mom came to see, and accidentally scared out a Southern Flying Squirrel. While it was out, I decided to photograph this infrequently seen species.
Southern Flying Squirrels are quite common in the southeatern U.S., but because of their nocturnal habits, they are rarely seen. If you ever get the chance to photograph one, use a fast shutter speed. They breathe really rapidly, causing motion blur. Here is one of my many pictures.
Metadata: ISO 200, f/5.6 1/20th of a second
180mm macro lens, tripod, Nikon D-80

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