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| The First Signs of Spring | |||||||
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Spring Has Sprung!
Every winter I wait for the first signs of spring, and for me, the sighting of the first chipmunk heralds the coming of sunshine and warmth. I long for the reappearance of the fish pond long buried under winters mantle of snow and ice. I wait in anticipation for trees to bud, hints of green to burst through muddied earth, and the crocus and other spring blooms to push through the last fallen snow. Most of all, I wait for the birds to return from their winter homes and the emergence of our backyard animals, including our delightful chipmunks, still nestled in the safety of their burrows. There is an interesting story, albeit a sad one, about Chip E's. old burrow. Chip excavated and finished her den under the patio just before she had her last litter (Ears and Sweetie Pie). She basically stayed in the same area having been born under the stoop, and there is a myriad of tunnels running beneath the mud room, back stairs, and patio areas, each well stocked with enough sunflower seeds to feed 10 chipmunks. I caught an occasional glimpse of her as she worked on her new den, but the daily visits had stopped. It was obvious she was hard at work by the amount of dirt and stones she removed from the new tunnel. One day, as I was heading off to the market, I noticed something move in the small opening where the back stairs rest on the patio. I called Chip a couple of times and finally she appeared at the opening. She was no longer pregnant and seemed agitated that she had been disturbed from her work. Pictures are worth a thousand words and I wished I had my camera with me that day. The body language was unreal. The closest I can come to explaining her reaction is to have you imagine a mother, busy at work with her chores, being interrupted by a small child, for the fortieth time, who just wants to ask, "What are you doing?" That was the last time I saw my dear friend Chip. A few weeks later my husband was out in the yard and noticed a movement through a crack in the patio. When he went over to investigate he saw Chip. She had just laid down and went to sleep, but it was as though she wanted to make sure we found her. My husband carefully removed the cement from the area and gently removed Chip. We put her in a Shaker box and buried her in the garden near the patio. A place she had spent all of her life. Within the next few days, something very peculiar began to happen. Chipmunks began showing up on the patio and going to the spot where Chip had been found. Some would sit and just look at the spot, while the little ones would try digging at the earth around the cement. It was as if they knew she was gone and had come to pay their respects. I know that sounds crazy. None the less, the chipmunks were there and not one moved into Chips old den until Newbius came along. Newbius Amadeus deMunk (Newbie) was first to venture from his den. (You can see his baby picture by clicking here). He was born in the spring of 2006 and by mid-summer, 2007, had moved into Chip E. deMunk's old den under the stoop. Interestingly, no one had lived in this burrow since Chip died in 2005 and although other chipmunks ventured into the den during the two years, it remained unoccupied. That's not to say they weren't helping themselves to her stash of nuts and seeds, but that's purely speculation on my part. Newbie stocked up well on sunflower seeds over the course of the summer and fall so his early appearance in the spring was not from lack of food. In fact, he hasn't really been interested in the sunflower seeds we've been putting out for him. It seems he has other things on his mind. He is after all the only male chipmunk in yard, but to his dismay, the girls are all still tucked away in their burrows. Mr. Ballsnall, who will be 6 years old this spring, was the resident male. The last time we saw him was during the spring of 2006. He was really old and ragged looking but still spunky for an old chipmunk. We hope he made it through the winter, but unless he pays us a visit there's no way of knowing. (You can see his picture by clicking here).
Thankfully, this is just the beginning of the season and it won't be long before Newbie and I will be joined by the rest of the wildlife. Each year is a new adventure with different animals. Some stay while other are just passing through, but it's always a treat to see them all.
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