My neighbors alerted me to the flying squirrel sighting. They were stunned, as was I, for as long as we have been out enjoying the wildlife of suburbia, a flying squirrel had yet to make our acquaintance.

This I had to see. I was excited to get a look at the little guy, affectionately nicknamed Rocky.  I grabbed a flashlight, my coat and rubber boots and headed outside for a cold long wait.

Standing on my deck, I clicked on the flashlight and gave a quick scan of the treetops. The bare, twisted arms of the deciduous trees reached up into the winter night sky. There was a nearly full moon that night, sometime before dinner. My flashlight quickly caught the green glow of two eyes, maybe thirty feet up the tulip poplar. YES!! I am so good at finding flying squirrels!

I used my cell phone to text my son who was upstairs playing video games. “Come quick. It’s staring at me!” That’s enough to get a 13-year-old to drop his game controller. “And bring my binoculars.”

My binoculars found their mark and then the truth was clear, “That’s not a flying squirrel!”

The beady raccoon eyes didn’t flinch. My flashlight quivered some. He was looking right at me with his bold black bandit mask, his rounded ears and pointed nose.

With my elbows propped up on my knees I was able to hold the flashlight steady while I watched him from my perch on my back deck for at least 20 minutes. Eventually he tired of the spotlight. (Do raccoons blink, because I’m not sure that he did?) The two bright, greenish lights of his eyes disappeared as he turned to climb up to a higher branch and slowly he repositioned himself, backside exposed. His striped tail lay against the tree bark, twitching only slightly.

I got his message. Time for me to go in for dinner. The search for the flying squirrel continues….

Raccoons in Holly Springs

iNaturalist, recorded only 4 total raccoon sightings for this area: three in 2020 (one was a carcass) and only one in 2016. Of course, being nocturnal, it’s harder for us diurnal cellphone photographers to catch a good picture! We have not had trouble or heard of trouble from neighbors in regards to trash being disturbed or damage done by this or any other raccoon. I’ve not spotted footprints or scat or any other evidence of his presence, so spotting him was fun. The best part though was seeing him in his nesting cavity. Raccoons can make nests in trees, or brush piles and unfortunately in basements and attics too. They can be a nuisance. But spotting him, wide eyed and bushy tailed 30- feet up that night, was a treat!