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c12 tribune february 17 1988 flying squirrels in action amazing the first time you see a flying squirrel in action youre bound to stare in disbelief youre poking around an old hollow tree for some reason or other and a small brownish squir rel darts out of the hole above as it sits there momentarily blink ing its big black eyes in the bright sunlight it suddenly decides theres danger close by without a warning chatter it leaps off its perch but to your amazement it doesnt land on a nearby branch or fall to the ground instead it sails out across the forest opening as if suspended on a hidden wire i m almost convinced that of all the wonders of nature the achievements of the flying squir rel must rate near the top of the list ironically my first observation of these furry frisbees was not a standard type sighting as a lad growing up along the niagara escarpment much of my time was spent on a farm there in the fall wed trap some muskrats and try to catch some big game- coons and foxes we owned a pair of regular sized fox terriers that were not only good ratters but were used for hunting as well often in the early fall a neighbor boy and myself would take these dogs along the edge of a small cornfield and chase out the rac coons that were feeding there once in awhile wed get a crack at them with the 22 rifle and the odd time the dogs would end up in a fierce battle one evening these same ter riers ran a coon into a hollow tree while laverne watched i went back and picked up the bee smok er to chase it out i remember put ting a little corn silk into the can- nister along with leaves and wood chips thinking it would make the coon dizzy as it did us when we back to nature art bnsssjude tried to puff it however the coon must have had another air hole because after a couple of fillings were blown in we were still wait ing in vain it was getting late but there was still time to try one more blast before leaving but instead of a clawing scrambling raccoon at the entrance two little soft- furred grey animals appeared bigeyed and flattailed they re sembled no squirrel we had ever seen our excited trip home with these newfound pets was shorter than our return for it was agreed it would be best for all concerned if they were released back in their woodland home since then ive encountered flying squirrels on many occa sions once while taking a cub pack on a hike we stopped on a wooded slope to allow some of the boys to catch up taking a stick i began tapping on a nearby hollow tree to show the kids how this indian method of signalling carried across the stillness of the winter woods again as the boys gathered around a family of flying squirrels began launching themselves down the hill past the speechless group another incident concerning these ghostlike gliders occurred one morning on a deer run wait ing at the edge of a stand of hard wood i was attracted by a scuffle at the top of a huge beech tree a very upset red squirrel was attempting to oust an intruder from one of its favorite cavities the culprit was a flying squirrel that soon took a giant leap into space from a height of about sixty feet when the pursuing red squir rel saw it glide to the base of a tree nearly fifty feet away it gave up the chase then last spring while check ing the bluebird boxes a family of six flying squirrels appeared like frogs out of a tipped baitbox again last year while listing birds for the annual christmas count we spotted a little furred head poking out of a woodpecker hole in an old elm it turned out to be a flying squirrel wood duck nesting boxes are also common home sites for these teninch nightgliders on dull overcast days they will come out to forge in the late after noon in doing so they risk the talons of swiftflying hawks but normally their greatest enemies are owls and cats the actual flying or really gliding by these interesting little rodents is accomplished by means of loose folds of skin be tween the front and hind legs when their paws are stretched out and aided by their flattailusedas valentines day dinner for 2 winners mrs eugenia cork manager of the markville shopping centre is pleased to announce the following winners of the valentines day dinner for two contest the winners are mrs margaret davidson of downsview and mrs c ryan of markham contratulations to both of you iffigfkvillg shopping centra a rudder they can not only travel up to fifty yards or more but can steer around other trees and bran ches despite their common occurr ence these gentle creatures are seldom seen by man birdfeeding stations sometimes attract them in the dark hours where they may be observed by the aid of a sud denly flicked on floodlight trappers setting for coon and marten occassionally find them in their traps woodcutters often discover them when dropping trees apart from these and other casual sightings such as men tioned the quiet little flying squir rel goes about its business in the woods like the fabled lep rechaun the war amputations of canada presents tf nakiska kids in a new film called tlie nakiska kids 17membersofthe war amps child amputee champ program challenge the slopes of nakiska site for the alpine events at the 1988 winter olympics chris born missing his arms and legs has always wanted to ski like karl at nakiska his dream comes true thanks to your support of the champ program tlie nakiska kids is available on loan free of charge by contacting the address below champ chris koch with war amps chief executive officer cliff chadderton and karl hilzinger doubleleg amputee and well- known as the silversuited skier in our t v messages the war amputations of canada national headquarters 2827 riverside drive ottawa ontario k1 v 0c4 the war amputations of canada is a registered charitable organization operated by amputees for amputees on a nonprofit basis the war amps does not receive govern ment funds should you wish further information pleesedo not hesitate to contact us toronto 1416 4884600 area codes 519 613705 dial tollfree 1800 2688821 al other area codes dial tollfree 18002688917 charitable registration number 0286831 09 10 lose 35 lbs easter call now to find out about our guest special ifjloss clinict our nurses make the dilfttence makkham 269 wellington st w no 201 2940030 visa and mastercard welcome open 8 a in to 7 pm monkri wright ass ijnit inlcniatiutul int nwt