Have You Seen This? Flying squirrels conduct airborne raid on bird feeder

The fallen seeds from the bird feeders aren't enough for some squirrels, as they risk life and limb to get more.

The fallen seeds from the bird feeders aren't enough for some squirrels, as they risk life and limb to get more. (Cornell Lab Bird Cams via YouTube)


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THE GREAT OUTDOORS — As temperatures drop and snow covers the ground, it becomes harder for forest animals to find food. A bird feeder loaded with seeds becomes quite a temptation during the winter months.

While most animals must try to jump or climb to get those tasty seeds, burning precious calories in the process, flying squirrels make it look as simple as sitting down at the table for dinner. Check out this video:

I can't help but think that the squirrels look like some sort of special ops team. They're using night vision and gliders to get around, and the precision with which they drop onto the feeder is astounding. All that's missing is the three invaders using plastic explosives to drop the remaining feeders down to an evacuation team waiting on the forest floor below.

According the video description, the feeder is located in Ontario and is part of a "winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas and other locales in North America."

That's all well and good, but these elite squirrels don't care much for bird surveys. They're just interested in reaching their high-altitude target in the middle of the night and scoring a delicious dinner.

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Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com contributor team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, travel, product reviews and other interesting things. He is also the author of the book “Rhino Trouble.”

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