How dare you call me a chipmunk!

What caught my eye: When we first moved here I thought it was a really large chipmunk, but the stripes were wrong. If you’re interested in learning about golden mantled ground squirrels, you can click here. Unfortunately they don’t tell you how to keep them for digging under every rock on the property or your front steps, short of sending them to the great beyond. (All species of chipmunk have a black stripe through their eye.)

Shot On: Nikon Z8, with Nikkor 600mm, f/4

Camera Settings: 600 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO 2200

Date: June 19, 2025

Update: shortly after taking this photo, we stopped seeing ground squirrels and chipmunks took over. I’m thinking a fox or some other predator wiped out one species allowing another to move into the area.

They’re so cute! If only they weren't so destructive.