I rarely see a chipmunk. And it is even rarer that I see one here in the valley. This is to be contrasted with seeing the red squirrel which loudly berates me almost every time I step outside. The odd thing is that I do not remember this relative sparsity of chipmunks as a characteristic of my childhood here. Back then, there seemed to be many chipmunks.
But today I was visited by a chipmunk. It had found the bird-feeding corner of the deck — a spot that has also enticed a black bear (last year), a bobcat, a raccoon, and, of course, the squirrel.
I believe this is a Yellow-pine Chipmunk. It said nothing and generally ignored people watching it. Note, its tongue is out.
The chipmunk allowed quite a close approach. Well, there was food.
He is rather cute.
Interesting! I’ve had the same experience in the last few days here in Nelson. After not seeing a chipmunk for years, we’ve had one eating seeds below the bird feeder. Like your chipmunk, it ignored people nearby. Your photos are wonderful as always.
We have a few chipmunks about in Harrop Procter. However, 5+ years ago, they seemed to be everywhere and then none until this year. Yellow pine- how many varieties are there in BC?
Charlie, there are at least four in BC, but the differences are often small.
and we just saw a chipmunk in our yard here in Salmon Arm (going for the bird seed), for the first time since moving here 10 years ago … so something is definitely up!
I haven’t see one in the valley over the last two years but hiking up in alpine areas of Kokanee Glacier and Valhalla Provincial Parks, they appear to be very abundant. In fact, on recent hikes in both areas I was astonished at how many chipmunks, pikas, marmots, and of course, squirrels we were seeing. I stopped to wonder if there is a downswing in some kind of carnivore or raptor numbers. Also, love the tongue out shot. It looks like they’re really savoring that morsel. 🙂
And we have seen a chipmunk at our lakeshore property at 4 Mile, perhaps for the first time in years.
Chipmunks are relatively abundant in Riondel in a couple of spots right on the lake. That is, you can often spot one if you take the time to look for them. My dog keeps a sharp eye out for them when he goes for a swim – and no, the chipmunks are not in any peril.