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We have a pretty healthy urban ecosystem in our yard. Two tube feeders, a house feeder, a Niger seed feeder, a suet feeder, and a tray feeder all help attract a lot of birds. And, birds being birds, they spill a lot, which provides a lot of food for the squirrels and chipmunks. We have a lot of rabbits, a few regular cats, and have seen opossums, raccoons, and a skunk. We had a family of rats once, and were not disappointed when they moved out. In addition to the birds you’d expect, we have Cooper’s hawks in the neighbor and once had a pheasant living in our yard for close to a year, and a chucker for several months. Those two species fill more or less the same niche but behave differently. Squirrels are spenders. They usually will eat what they find or, when the do cache it away, will bury seeds randomly (or so it seems to me). They don’t hibernate and are out there all winter long. Chipmunks, on the other hand, are savers. They will pick up as many seeds as they can fit in their cheeks and then run off to their lair to store them. I recall reading somewhere that a chipmunk will store all the food it needs for its entire life in one summer. They hibernate and seeing our first chipmunk is a harbinger of spring. Our chipmunks are bolder than our squirrels. When they see us outside, or hear us dropping peanuts, they run right up to us and jump into our hands to collect whatever we have. They love peanuts. One chipmunks we have, though, is spender. He’ll take a nut or two, run a little ways off, and eat it. We have never seen this behavior in a chipmunk before. It’s a sign, but I don’t know what of.  Comments (8) |  Add as favourites (6) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 53 | E-mail
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