I feed birds
thereby I have fed first squirrels and now chipmunks. I have played block and tackle with squirrels
for years with some success keeping them out of our birdfeeders. Now new
competitors have arrived-chipmunks.
The
squirrels are mysteriously gone, no longer visiting our bird feeders.
Chipmunks took up residence after the squirrels departed for more adventuress fun in someone else’s yard. Either my squirrel evading tactics were to challenging or my birdseed was too old to bother with anymore. At first, I thought how lovely a creature the chipmunk.
Small, soft looking, pretty shades of brown, wiggly
little noses, fat cheeks, tiny mouse like feet. Soon though I realized, as the vacancy sign
came down, that the new residents were similar to the old – both being zealous pick
up artists.
Chipmunks took up residence after the squirrels departed for more adventuress fun in someone else’s yard. Either my squirrel evading tactics were to challenging or my birdseed was too old to bother with anymore. At first, I thought how lovely a creature the chipmunk.
Summer is
short. Spending all day trying to
out-fox chipmunks was not on my agenda-so down came the bird feeder. A few
weeks after reluctantly taking down the bird feeder for the summer, like the
squirrels the chipmunks made fewer and fewer appearances. By early August, the
blueberries in our backyard turned purple yet birds seemingly had not noticed.
I eagerly guarded over them checking the progress twice a day, sampling a few
for ripeness. Just as I figured I would begin picking berries, the chipmunks
raided the harvest. Let me tell you, chipmunks do not need pint baskets when
they go on Pick Your Own ventures. These cute, furry, yet damnable creatures
can quickly and efficiently pick and store a human handful of blueberries in
their greedy little cheek pouches that expand as easily as balloons.
Adding salt
to the wound the chipmunks even feasted on the sunflowers, nearly dosing the
last ray of late summer sunshine from the lower end of our garden area. Now I believe in sharing with wildlife, in fact I have planted an assortment of
plants specifically for, or at least to share with, birds and other wildlife. However, I think pound for pound these sometimes
not so adorable chipmunks outdo their squirrel cousins in their consumption appetite.
One afternoon as I emptied coffee grounds into our compost barrel, I heard a
quick scampering, looked inside, and sure enough a chipmunk had practically set
up a dining table and was probably glad for the incoming coffee to accompany
the day old pastries and other food scraps.
It is a love
hate relationship. Chipmunks eat seeds intended for birds but they also bury
nuts that may contribute to new hardwood trees and I have to admit I find them
a wee bit cute at times. Admirably, chipmunks keep their sleeping quarters
extremely clean. They store shells and
other garbage in refuse tunnels. If only
we could teach chipmunks to collect our
littered trash. In the meantime, we will have to rely on those people who pick up littered trash throughout
the fall and winter.
Start
your own Trash Patrol, pick up a
piece every day-help keep your community green and clean.
Other Vermont flower,
critter, and birds, postings:
Ø Backyard Birds: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2013/02/vermont-backyard-bird-watching.html
Ø Bird Nest Boxes (bird houses): http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/04/bird-nest-box-vacancies.html
Ø June/4 Leaf Clover: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/07/looking-for-four-leaf-clover-june.html
Ø July: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/08/vermont-flowers-and-critters-in-july.html
Ø Best things in life: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-best-things-in-life-arent-things.html
Ø Leaf Peeping: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2012/10/vermont-leaf-peeping-leaf-litter.html
Ø Snapping Turtle: http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-did-turtle-cross-road.html
