Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lake

/ Peter Klopp

Wednesday’s Photos

A Moment in a Chipmunk’s Life

While camping at Taite Creek we had a daily visit from a chipmunk. The chipmunks (Streifenhörnchen in German) are undeniably the cutest squirrels in the forest. Intelligent enough to know that we human beings at the campsite generally pose no danger to them, they are, however, constantly on the alert for any threatening move that might signal the need for a quick escape. I was lucky to snap a sequence of photos showing our chipmunk friend eating a morsel of food he found in the fire pit. Enjoy.

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26 thoughts on “Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lake”

  3. I always get a kick out of seeing little animals eating bits of human food. Looks like he has stripped the outer cheese off of a Cheeto. He must be loving that! Good shots, Peter, that is a cute little critter.

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  7. I never thought of chipmunks as a category of squirrels—I thought they were a separate species. And I’ve always thought they were really cute—as my cats (who watch from inside the house).

    Great photos!

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  11. The Google translation for the Hörnchen in Streifenhörnchen is ‘croissant.’ I understand how a croissant can be described as ‘a little horn,’ but the connection of a squirrel (Eichhörnchen) or a chipmunk (Streifenhörnchen) to a horn is puzzling. Wiktionary explains the origin of Eichhörnchen:

    “Diminutive of Eichhorn, folk etymology based on Eiche and Horn, but actually from Old High German eihhorno, from Proto-Germanic *aikwernô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *aig- (“move quickly”), cognate with Old English acol (“frightened”), and Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“squirrel”).”

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    • Hörnchen by itself means little horn and is a favourite pastry in German pastry shop. But the word is unrelated to the squirrels. I admire your thoroughness with which you look at things, Steve.

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  12. Amazing photos and very talented photographer :)!!! It is not only thanks to animals but also other creations of God that we have the chance to see what an amazing planet we live on. There are so many things we can notice and learn from animals and we should always remember how lucky we are to share this place with all the beings around us. It is sad when I see so many people in this world destroying and killing….and so much violence in the mass-media… I hope that such amazing blogs can inspire more and more people and create many positive energies for a better world of tomorrow. Thank you Mr Peter for this amazing lesson of humanity and tenderness!

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  14. There must be many varieties. We have squirrels running around outside our apartment in Gurgaon. They are quite bashful and reticent. They run away as they see a human approaching. During a recent holiday, driving from LA to the Bay Area along the Pacific Coast, we stopped at a ‘scenic point.’ There were squirrels, larger than the ones we have at home, who seemed very social and did not think twice before approaching the next human, raising themselves to their full height on two hind legs, and stretching out their hands asking for food (I presume, not money to go and buy nuts with).

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