Here's... Chippie!

As hinted yesterday, we have a new small mammal frequenting our back yard! S/he is a Townsend's Chipmunk, found in Pacific Northwest forests from British Columbia through western Washington and Oregon.

They are the largest of the four species of chipmunks found in Washington, measuring 8.75 to 11 inches (22.3 to 28 cm) from nose to the end of their long tails, and weighing 2 to 4 ounces (56.7 to 113.4 g).

Chippie has been running up and down the back fence for a few days, but today she grew much bolder, venturing under the deck, as seen in today's blip; scooting over to the patio, hiding as needed under our large outdoor grill (see extra); and late this afternoon, climbing up to the deck to clean up after the messy birds.

These chipmunks are omnivores, eating plants, nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and even birds' eggs. It will be interesting to see how Chippie interacts with our already well-established birds and squirrels at the feeders!

Blip 1563