Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel

When 'Sir Ned of Reston' first soared onto our balcony, we thought he was a large, furry bat! He landed awkwardly on the floor and waddled toward the edge, and we noticed that his furry tail looked like it had been flattened by a car. He leapt from the balcony and soared onto the branch of a large fir tree, where he stared at us with large, inquisitive eyes, and we stared right back. He was certainly not a bat ... and looked more like a furry frisbee! Hoping to make friends with this little guy, we left bits of fruit and nuts on the balcony, and soon he learned to trust us. Each evening when we stepped onto the balcony, Sir Ned would appear in the fir trees and soar onto the balcony to hang out for a while. All summer long, and well into fall, he would entertain us with his acrobatics, and we would reward him with tasty fruits and nuts, and a saucer of water. We could not believe how very friendly he was! That winter, we moved to Maryland, and left a note for the incoming tenants asking them to feed and befriend Sir Ned. We never saw him, or any other flying squirrel ever again, and when we tell our friends about him, they are skeptical of our story. We feel very fortunate to have had such an extraordinary friend, and will never forget Sir Ned.