Chipmunk Paradise

In my parents’ back yard there is a tall bird feeder intended for the chickadees, goldfinches and nuthatches. The birds eat about half of the seeds, dropping the remainder to the ground below. What is different from my back yard is the number of chipmunks who scoot back and forth collecting the uneaten seeds.

Chipmunks are one of the smallest rodents in Michigan. At this time of the year, you can see these little guys, cheeks bulging with food, running from bird feeders to their winter abodes. Unlike squirrels, chipmunks build their homes underground creating a maze of tunnels that lead to sleeping chambers, food pantries and places to eliminate.  As autumn transitions to winter, the chipmunks move underground where they remain until spring.

I enjoy watching chipmunks running through the yard. They are a vision of continuous energy and industriousness. But what I have found is that chipmunks are often too focused on their collecting tasks ignoring what is happening around them. That is the reality at my home where chipmunks are often the dinner for many cats, dogs, raccoons and other neighborhood predators. It is a sad sight to find the partial remains of a chipmunk but the truth is that every piece of meat we eat once was part of a living animal. It is just that in our society we are so removed from the food production cycle that we forget that death is part of the equation.

As for the chipmunks at my parents’ house, protected by a fenced in yard, the chipmunks free feel to come and go unimpeded. They feel so safe in this environment that even a stranger to the yard, like I can stand within inches of them. It is chipmunk heaven, a place of safety and abundance and for a brief time, I, too, am part of that heaven.