Chipmunk Love!

I enjoyed watching several Eastern Chipmunks running through, over, and under a maze of fallen logs this morning. I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice to take a photo with 2 chipmunks in the same frame!"

And then this happened!!!

Chipmunk Love!

Male chipmunks are the first to emerge in the spring, as soon as patches of bare ground begin to appear through the snow. The females emerge one or two weeks later. Soon after, mating takes place near the female's burrow. Several males may compete for a female, and a male may mate with more than one female during one breeding season. Canadian Wildlife Federation, Hinterland Who's Who.

This image is what I had in mind when thinking about photographing 2 chipmunks in one picture! It was difficult to keep track of these incredibly quick creatures. There were at least 6 individuals, but could have been more!

I'm not sure if this "flying leap" was to jump toward, or to get away from another individual.

Young chipmunks are born naked and blind and weigh about 3 grams at birth. Their eyes don't open for a full month! When they are four to seven weeks old, the young chipmunks begin to leave the burrow to forage. The young grow rapidly during late summer and reach adult size before the end of September. Canadian Wildlife Federation, Hinterland Who's Who.