Who knew Red Squirrels could fly? Well, not really. But they are very proficient leapers! If you’ve ever seen them jump from tree to tree you can really appreciate their talent! Their bushy tail acts as a rudder, helping to control their flight and landing.

This guy was making repeated trips to my sunflower seed feeder; No doubt caching the seeds under the snow. Red Squirrels have been shown to have very good memories, which allow them to find the general location of their snow-buried caches and then a decent sense of smell pinpoints the hoard, allowing for a high recovery rate of stashed cones and seeds. Tunnels under the snow go from cache to cache to cache.

[CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE] This is a composite of NINE photos of my leaping squirrel. The distance was exaggerated in Photoshop, and the photos were compiled from many different jumps. But it gives you an idea of their perfect aerial form and sideways landing technique. You can also really see how they use their tails to control their flight position.

Canon 7D with Canon 70-200mm f4 lens at 200mm. Focus fixed. Hand-held. Manual Exposure: f4 at 1/2500 second and Auto-ISO.
(I hand-held so I could track the squirrel in “flight.” I used 1/2500 of a second to freeze the motion.)

KIRK FAT BAG

Not all wildlife photography is done while roaming the hinterlands…In fact, many of my favorite shots were taken right from the driver’s seat of my car! The Kirk Fat Bag is literally a fat bag that straddles your car door so you can rest your telephoto lens on it to dampen vibrations and get sharper photos. I filled mine with split peas…It takes EIGHT POUNDS! But you won’t starve if you get stranded!
BUY IT HERE FROM KIRK ($39.95 empty)

THERMOS KING—40 OZ.
I just received the 40-ounce Thermos as an early Christmas present (Thanks Mom and Dad!). And I love it! I tested it with nearly boiling water…24 hours later it was still nearly too hot to drink! Even 36 hours later, the water was still very warm. There is nothing more comforting on a cold winter day in the field than knowing you have a thermos of hot coffee or cocoa within arms reach. You could also bring extremely hot water into the field on an extremely cold day (minus 20 F or lower) to create instant vaporization photos like I did in this video
Stainless steel, Thermax double-wall construction, twist pour spout so you don’t need to remove stopper, cap doubles as insulated mug.
BUY IT FROM SEARS HERE ($37.80)

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY DVD
WARNING! Shameless product promotion ahead: Yes, this is my video. It was a blast to make and I think you’ll really enjoy it. The DVD is 90 minutes of non-stop wildlife photography tips and tricks on getting close to wildlife. We go Moose calling, learn about pop-up blinds, create a backyard bird pool, make a blind out of snow and even go out in a floating blind (with details on how to make your own!) Available as a download too.
BUY THE DVD FROM AMAZON HERE ($29.95)
OR email me at thesparkygroup@gmail for download info ($29.95)

LENSCOAT
Protect those expensive telephoto lenses with a LensCoat neoprene wrap. I love mine…I got one for my 400mm f5.6 lens. They not only protect your lens from dings and scratches, but they also camouflage your black or white lens and keep them quieter. Choose from several camouflage patterns.
BUY IT HERE FROM B&H PHOTO (price varies with lens…$20-$100)

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR PORTFOLIOS
Need some photographic inspiration? Just flip through the pages of the gorgeous hardcover books from the Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. This is the most prestigious wildlife photography competition in the world…and the resulting photos prove it! I’d stick with the last five portfolios…#s 18-22.
BUY IT FROM AMAZON HERE ($39.95 for portfolio 22)

LENS MUG
Drink your coffee out of a Canon 70-200mm lens? At least that’s what your friends will think! Convincing replica of the actual Canon 70-200mm lens.
BUY IT FROM UNIQUE PHOTO HERE ($22.95)

Just a few ideas! Coming up next…Gift Ideas for Birders