Sunday, June 1, 2008

Stuffing his face



The Eastern Chipmunk is so ubiqitous as to be unremarkable, but yesterday I saw one for the first time this year. Three times he packed his cheek pouches with tidbits dropped from the bird feeder by sparrows, perhaps the only sloppier eaters than the 18-month-old human child. Three times he scampered to his midden under the bridalwreath bush and dumped his load to return for more. He's probably the most industrious creature I've yet photographed from the backyard deck.

2 comments:

  1. How big/small are they compared to a squirrel? Will I be able to see one when upover?

    Sigh - New Zealand is so boring when it comes to cute wildlife like this!

    Cheers
    Robyn

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  2. They're about a quarter the size of a squirrel. You could hold a chipmunk in a teacup, if he was willing to be still.

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