Townsend’s Chipmunk (Tamias townsendii)
Townsendʼs chipmunks are found in southwestern British Columbia and western Washington and Oregon. In Oregon, they are found from the Cascade Range to the coast. Townsendʼs chipmunks live in dense hardwood forests and humid coniferous forests.
Townsendʼs chipmunks are shyer than other chipmunks, so watch carefully for them. Listen for their call—a fast, highpitched series of “chip, chip, chip.” It may sound like a birdʼs call muffled by bushes. Their call sometimes is used to warn of intruders such as people, predators, and other chipmunks. If you are lucky, you might see a chipmunk sitting on a stump or log. Townsendʼs chipmunks eat a variety of foods. In the summer and fall, they eat berries such as blackberries, salal berries, and thimbleberries. In the late fall, they eat acorns, huckleberries, maple seeds, thistle seeds, grain seeds, grass, roots, and conifer seeds. In the winter, they search for fungi, which they find by smell and dig up to eat. Chipmunks also eat insects, especially beetles.
Source : Oregon State University
Howard Prairie Lake – Cascade Mountains – Jackson County – Oregon - USA
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