The topic of this article comes not from the files in the museum, but from the attic of our 1857 church. Preparing our new exhibit was somewhat labor intensive, so I happened to be there alone around 6:00 one Saturday.
I was startled by a loud and heavy sounding scrabbling noise in the ceiling. It didn’t sound like mice or one normal-sized squirrel. After alerting the other board members, several suggestions were made as to what it could be, among them a raccoon or a gorilla.
Although we didn’t hear the noise again, we thought it prudent to have a specialist investigate. Having just had the steeple repaired, it looked like we might have another highly expensive job on our hands, but musts needs.
Bill Taylor had a card for a company out of New Bedford who specialize in removing bats in the belfry and other creatures who like to make homes over our heads. A wildlife extractor was sent out. He found a second hole away from the one we had noticed, both being 40 feet from the ground. He then climbed the scary ladder in the museum foyer and disappeared into the equally scary attic. There, he confirmed his original diagnosis of flying squirrels. It seems they settle in groups, so the noise I heard was a bunch of them having a disagreement.
They had been overhead for some time chewing away at the church’s wooden beams. It goes without saying that they needed to be removed and that we were lucky to have found them before they did even more damage. I want to thank Kyle, the wildlife extractor, and the owner of Profishant, who were willing to work with us. Realizing that a small, member-supported organization like ours could use a break when it came to pricing, they came through with a healthy discount.
By the time you read this, the saga of the flying squirrels (I know more about their habits that I won’t share here) will have ended. Again, thank you to Profishant for all your help. Now, we can turn our worries to peeling paint.
By Connie Eshbach