Welcome
to Chippy Tails
The Scoop from the Stoop
A
child friendly site featuring great pictures and stories about chipmunks
and other wildlife who visit our backyard.
Snug and secure - under the shed lives a
small furry chipmunk.
Our
backyard wildlife provide us with hours of fun and entertainment.
Unlike pets, that we humans tend to enclose and to train to our liking,
the chipmunks and other wild animals who visit us are free and have
chosen us as their friends.
Every
day we learn something new by watching our wildlife, especially all the
Eastern chipmunks that live in the yard and the neighboring woods.
We take lots of pictures and record the antics of these friendly animals
so that others can learn from them as well. Three very important
things that we have learned about chipmunks is that each is blessed with
his or her own personality, each has a distinctive sense of humor,
and each is extremely intelligent.
Baby Face
Our
chipmunks have learned that the back stoop is the place to go if you
want to fill your face with sunflower seeds. We have a steady
stream of four-legged fur-faced chippies scampering across the yard
from early spring until the end of December. There is always
a chipmunk watching for any movement near the stoop. Before the
door is opened, one will come leaping and hopping through one of the
flower gardens, from under the woodshed, from out of a woodpile, across
the driveway, or from under the stoop.
When
I work in the flower garden there is always a chippy hanging around.
sitting on the lawn furniture, or watching me from atop a lawn ornament.
When I walk from the backdoor to the shed, or even to the car, I am
greeted with chips from somewhere in the yard or the adjoining woods.
and it's not unusual for a chipmunk to be running around under
foot. It's like being watched by the chipmunk police, but I love
it and would not want it any other way.
Other
wildlife who occasionally show up for a free meal include Charles DuBois,
the groundhog, and Honey Bunny, the Eastern cotton tail rabbit. Of
course there are lots of birds who visit the yard as well, gold fish in
our pond, and our resident frog.
Sugar Plum
Making
friends with a wild chipmunk or any other small wild animal takes time
and a lot of patience. When we see them gathering sunflower seeds
beneath bird feeders or taking a cool drink from a bird bath they look
so cute we want to get a closer look. We don't understand why they
scamper off when we approach them. The reason is that humans are a
threat. We're big, loud, and scary in the minds of these small
animals. It's also important to remember, that like any animal who
feels threatened, chipmunks and other wildlife can bite and scratch.
From
my experience, whenever I see a new chipmunk in the yard, I keep my
distance but let it get use to seeing me. I always speak to it
softly so it knows the sound of my voice. Most importantly, I
always have a supply of sunflower seeds I put in the same place in the
yard every day, so it associates me with the food. (No respectable
chipmunk would ever pass up a free meal).
At
first, the chippy will hide as you approach, but within a week or two,
it will come out to greet you. It will still scamper away with any
sudden movement or loud noise, so remember to stay as quiet and still as
you possibly can. If you are patient enough, it won't be long
before you will have it eating right out of your hand.
Chip E. deMunk
Putting
this site together has been a real treat for me. I get so much
enjoyment from my chippy friends and other wildlife and I am happy to
share their stories and pictures with you. I
try to update the site periodically so you might want to add Chippy
Tails to your favorites.
I
hope you find this site both interesting and entertaining and that it
will inspire you to set up your own backyard habitat.
Don't
forget to check out our Chippy
Store. In
our store, you will find pictures of our chipmunks (and a few of
our own designs) on apparel for everyone in the family as well as a nice
selection of gifts, and home and office decor. We are very proud of the
quality offered and try hard to keep our prices affordable. We
hope you'll take the time to browse.
Thanks
for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed your visit. Please
come again and have a happy "chippy" day.
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