Chipmunks have been a problem ever since they arrived in our north Chicago area about a decade ago. They are like mice except that their excessive tunneling is a real problem. The other problem is that they are so darn cute.
My daughter, Tiffany tells me that one neighbor has trapped 10 of them and they're still around. We knew we had at least one fellow who considered our house his private domain. He greeted us every time we returned from an errand.
Tif and Ed finally realized they had to relocate this fellow before he and his family turned their yard into Swiss cheese.
Tif called the village to ask if they had a solution, but they just laughed. Therefore, Tif and Ed decided to set the trap themselves. What a surprise when we set the trap and left for the Apple Fest and returned home in the afternoon. There he was... or was it a she?
We took the chipmunk to the local forest preserve and let him loose. I was going to take a photo of him scampering away, but he was too quick for me.
Later in the evening Tif went out on an errand and was shocked to find something big and furry in the trap! It was a gray squirrel! Good grief! I guess he likes Brazil nuts too.
Art went out and freed him. We can co-exist with squirrels so long as they don't damage the window screens.
Squirrels are cute too.
We didn't see the persistent chipmunk this morning. I'm hoping he's not like Lassie and can find his way back.
When I looked out the window this morning, look who I saw. Another cute creature. Ever since the West Nile disease killed off so many of the crows, the rabbits have flourished. They are everywhere since they don't have many natural predators in the area. Tif says they are annoying because they eat all the grass in spots until they kill it then move on to another spot until they managed to create another dead patch of grass in the lawn.
There are also opossums who aren't all that cute, raccoons, SKUNKS, etc... The wildlife in this area is quite a bit more interesting than in Hawaii. Then again... there are no termites here. Then again, there are carpenter ants. Sigh...
My daughter, Tiffany tells me that one neighbor has trapped 10 of them and they're still around. We knew we had at least one fellow who considered our house his private domain. He greeted us every time we returned from an errand.
Tif and Ed finally realized they had to relocate this fellow before he and his family turned their yard into Swiss cheese.
Tif called the village to ask if they had a solution, but they just laughed. Therefore, Tif and Ed decided to set the trap themselves. What a surprise when we set the trap and left for the Apple Fest and returned home in the afternoon. There he was... or was it a she?
We took the chipmunk to the local forest preserve and let him loose. I was going to take a photo of him scampering away, but he was too quick for me.
Later in the evening Tif went out on an errand and was shocked to find something big and furry in the trap! It was a gray squirrel! Good grief! I guess he likes Brazil nuts too.
Art went out and freed him. We can co-exist with squirrels so long as they don't damage the window screens.
Squirrels are cute too.
We didn't see the persistent chipmunk this morning. I'm hoping he's not like Lassie and can find his way back.
When I looked out the window this morning, look who I saw. Another cute creature. Ever since the West Nile disease killed off so many of the crows, the rabbits have flourished. They are everywhere since they don't have many natural predators in the area. Tif says they are annoying because they eat all the grass in spots until they kill it then move on to another spot until they managed to create another dead patch of grass in the lawn.
There are also opossums who aren't all that cute, raccoons, SKUNKS, etc... The wildlife in this area is quite a bit more interesting than in Hawaii. Then again... there are no termites here. Then again, there are carpenter ants. Sigh...
Such a variety of wild life right on the doorstep:-)
ReplyDeleteOh da cuuuute!!! I want one! Nah! hahaha!
ReplyDeleteKay, it is like a wildlife refuge at Tif and Ed's House!!! Chipmunks are cute but destructive, squirrels have demolished my gazebo birdfeeder twice, rabbits eat everything in the garden but I still love the wildlife-I just learn to co-exist with them! Hope the pesky little chipmunk doesn't return!
ReplyDeleteWow, chipmunks and squirrels and rabbits are cute, but skunks are a bit too much for me.
ReplyDeleteWe have rabbits here, and the Richardson's Ground Squirrel they call gophers.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
Odd. Chipmunks usually relocate themselves once or twice a year. They have or make a complete tunnel home system. One tunnel is food or kitchen. One is sleeping. One is toilet. When the toilet is filled they will often dig another near the first but that is it. Then they will move. Here, we have had several families the same year but living in different locations. I think they are special creatures and lots of fun to just watch.
ReplyDeleteI'm just back from Chicago, and what fun to find you there and chasing the beasties. I've had a great time catching up with your entries too. Here I am nodding my head thinking, yes, we too got our flu shots before leaving, no coffee, and not enough pants packed tho. :)
ReplyDeletegood job on trapping the chipmunk, and relocating him.
ReplyDeleteChipmunks are cuter than squirrels. Observing wildlife is fun as long as it is possible to coexist with them. Unfortunately, their best interests conflict with those of the humans nearby. I need to buy stock in companies that make insect repellent. I can't go into my yard without spraying OFF to keep away mosquitoes and deer ticks. I had a traumatic run-in with a skunk as a teenager--long story.
ReplyDeleteI learned something about chipmunks. Like you said, they are so cute and a nuisance. What a combination. Should we be glad we don't have chipmunks in Hawaii? I'd take chipmunks over roaches and termites anyday.
ReplyDeleteL.
Yes, Hawaii does suffer from a dearth of cute furry mammals. Well, I guess one could consider rats cute if they weren't so destructive, and mongooses we know mostly as road kill.
ReplyDeleteWe do love our cat!
Chipmunks., I love them. Who can forget Chip and Dale? How did you explain the removal to your granddaughter? Chip would miss Dale I think. Diannd
ReplyDeleteNo chipmunks here, but we have the rest of the furry friends. squirrels and raccoons can be quite damaging in the yard.
ReplyDeleteDianne: KC knows how the chipmunks undermined the concrete walkway and need to be moved. They dug another tunnel close by so we know they'll be doing it again. We told her we have to take the chipmunks to a better place to build their home. She gets very excited when she sees yet another chipmunk in the trap because we're taking another trip to the forest preserve where Chip or Dale can be with his or her family.
ReplyDeleteI don't like chipmunks or squirrels. I know they're cute, but they're such a nuisance! A bigger concern, though, is woodchucks. We haven't had one on our property yet, but our nearby friends have. Woodchucks can pretty much wipe out a vegetable garden.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have chipmunks here, but they do look cute. Apart from a range of garden birds our garden is host to squirrels, pheasants, hedgehogs, fox and moles. And then there's the ponies in the field next to the garden, but thankfully they don't show any inclination to migrate into the garden.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels can become such a problem. I guess that is why I really miss my dog. He ruled the yard. Other creatures did not venture into his domain. Little did they know he was the sweetest golden retriever ever. He just loved to chase them off.
ReplyDeleteI'm back from my blogging break. I have some catching-up to do.
My husband's first live-trapped chipmunk escaped from the trap. Oh, and I forgot to mention...the trap was in the back of his 4x4 and the great escape happened while he was transporting the little chippie to a nearby park.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you have a variety of critters like we do. Trouble is they are all so darn cute. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteCute Creatures, humanely handled, Kay
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki;
Comfort Spiral
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just returned from santa fe, my dg-in-law's dog got entangled with a skunk then the dog ran in doors and rolled on the rugs to get the smell off him-result the house smelled like skunk. She was able to wash the dog and clean the rugs but it was lots of work-not fun!
ReplyDeleteYour story makes me glad we have so many jackals around here. None of those pesty animals like you describe.
ReplyDeleteHey, and it's World Animal Day!
when you think about it, people are living on the animal's land, former.
ReplyDeleteI will pass this along from my wildlife rehabber friend who passed away this summer. Regarding relocation. Relocation is not a good idea or a kindness instead of killing the animal. A relocated animal may introduce some pathogen to another population and/or be killed when introduced into a new territory. In most cases you get another animal back into that territory as it is the habitat for them. Also you need to check with the local DEC as in many cases it is a violation to trap and relocate. I say this as my friend told me to always pass on information when possible...Michelle
ReplyDeleteMichelle: I did read that online yesterday. Sigh... What to do? I'm thinking it's not illegal here since my daughter called the village to ask what to do. They didn't have an answer. The neighbors are all relocating the animals on their own also.
ReplyDeleteKay..you and your neighbors need to call the Department of Natural Resources and apply for a permit because what you are doing is illegal in your state. I just talked with a rep from the agency...Michelle
ReplyDeleteMichelle: No kidding? Wow! Thanks for letting me know. That's why it's good to blog! I guess our village person didn't know.
ReplyDeleteI just contacted the Illinois DNR and this is what they said:
ReplyDelete"With the exception of the Franklin’s Ground Squirrel, chipmunks and ground squirrels are not protected by the Illinois Game Code. All other species are considered a nuisance species like mice or moles, thus they can be removed. The Franklin’s Ground Squirrel is a classified as a ‘threatened” species in Illinois.
Officer Roy Maul
IDNR Law Enforcement
Springfield, IL."
Kay..will you have them check to see if they are nursing Mothers as it would be leaving the babies to starve to death if the Mom was relocated.
ReplyDeleteOK..well I don't know who I talked to. Did they mean relocated or killed? 'removed' is nebulous. Sigh.. Check their teats to see that they aren't nursing as they do have a brood in fall. This kind of stuff and the misinformation surrounding it just drives me crazy. Here you can kill them, you can't relocate, yet you can't fire a gun in the town. So you could use your car to euthanize with Co2.
ReplyDeleteMichelle: Check their teats? Ummmm... I have no idea how since they are bouncing back and forth and don't turn upside down. I've also read that they can bite and might carry a kind of rabies. I really don't want to try to handle them. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave this problem with my daughter since we'll be returning to Hawaii in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteWow -- I feel such guilt. We have jillions of chipmunks -- they are cute rats -- if I hadn't taken care of their population, my house would sink, the concrete pad under my a/c already tilts because of the previous "cuties" and two large patios are buckled because of the cute little rats. Alvin and the 3 chipmunks were nothing compared to reality.
ReplyDeleteHawaii has doves, birds, and Kauai has chickens galore, bugs, geckos and monk seals: varying degrees of cuteness and protection. DrumMajog