Chpmunk Time

Chipmunk Time Earl Plato

Elaine’s Aunt Ivy Williams from Bristol, U.k. stayed at our Sherkston farm some years ago. She had heard about our chipmunks and wanted to hear their chipping. Though she stayed a week she hardly ever saw or heard our farm chipmunks. We saw only a quick appearing and disappearing form and the loud familiar chipping we heard not at all.
Why I asked myself. After she left the striped rodents were all around the barn and the garage once again, As a nature nut I wondered why.
Here’s my observations that naturalist writer Ed Teale seems to confirm. When visitors come and when new forms, new clothes, unrecognized strangers arrive the wild creatures around the farm draw back. We noticed that they became less evident, more wary and more secretive. On those several years around this old farm chipmunks, rabbits and birds came to know us, We are part of their environment.
My observation that these wild creatures appeared to consider us harmless. Yet they never came too close for they need to maintain a margin for their continued survival. Yes, I fed our birds regularly but never the rabbits or chipmunks less they become too used to us. They live in an unstable world that can suddenly turn hostile. They are on their own as the Creator intended them to be.
After Aunt Ivy left to go back to England I was able to sketch one of our chipmunks. He posed for me.