Garden Creature: Chippy the Chipmunk

Since I started taking an interest in photography, flowers and backyard birds have become the target of my camera lens.

Then last summer, I noticed this little guy.

My husband had yanked him from Finn’s mouth. He was dazed for seconds before he ran to safety. Finn was not pleased.

Chippy took a residence in the front yard, near a large oak tree. There are at least seven other chipmunks in the area, and Chippy doesn’t get along with any of them. He chases each and every one who intrudes into his property. The sharp noises he made were so threatening, the other guys all ran for cover.

While all the garden creatures were skittish, Chippy is an exception. He isn’t scared of me at all. And when I gave him nuts and seeds, he plunged in and vacuumed up the food as fast as he could. He allowed me to pat and take pictures of him all while he stuffed his face with sunflower seeds and nuts.

I called, “Chippy, slow down.” And he stopped and looked at me. One side of his cheek pouch is filled with seeds: the darn chipmunk.

Since then, I took a lot of pictures of him and he doesn’t even care. All he wanted was food and more food. Chippy is funny and entertaining. He had the duh look on his face every time I called him. I laughed at his quirkiness.

Usually he perched on a laurel branch so he could take a wide view of his property. Any intruder would get a loud warning from him. I guess he’s very territorial and protective of his space.

I hope he survived the cold winter and I look forward to see him again this spring.

Do you have any favorite garden creatures?