Sweet little Chipmunk

Chipmunk pausing to check his surroundings

The only time I have ever seen Chipmunks is at my mother's in Ontario.  There they are quite large and quite tame.  Then I had a chance encounter with several members of the Chipmunk species the last time I was down in the Edmonton river valley.  These however, were quite tiny in comparison to those at my Mom's.  They were no larger than the length of my hand, which is small, and they were very slim.  Their long striped tails did not seem to add to their size in any way.  In fact, even with their tails they would probably still only cover my hand in length.

Chipmunk running

Chipmunk alarmed

Chipmunk caught on camera by chance

These sweet little Chipmunks were running all over the place seeking for, and stuffing their cheeks with food.  They moved so fast that if you blinked you missed them and like many bird species, these little guys seldom sit still.  At first I couldn't get near them at all, let alone get a photo, until I decided to sit down at a bench, quietly and remained almost motionless.

Sitting right in front of me

When I did some research on the species I learned that there are over twenty different species of Chipmunks and that they are members of the squirrel family.  Like Squirrels they eat insects, nuts, berries, seed, and grains.  Some species of Chipmunk live in burrows and others in bushes, nests or logs.  They also store their food for the winter.  They generally gather food beneath the protective shelter of bushes and logs, in order to stay safe from predators, so I'm surprised that I saw so many of them out in the open.

Enjoy,
Susan