08.04.24: Eating a blackberry

Most of my photography experiences involving chipmunks go something like this: My eyes see a chipmunk and my brain says “there’s a …” (the chipmunk drops into hiding) “… chipmunk."

It's not easy to get shots of chipmunks. They don't spend much time in the open. Their color allows them to blend with their surroundings. And they are quick to head for cover when threatened. This skittishness is an important survival behavior because there are a lot of animals hanging around the woods that eat chipmunks, including owls, hawks, coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, foxes, weasels, cats, dogs, snakes and possibly others. An inattentive chipmunk can become a snack.

But I've managed to get some good shots through the years, lucky accidents when I'm in the woods or fields photographing birds. 

For this shot, I was heading for some fields in a local park, hoping to find some birds to photograph, when I found this chipmunk eating a blackberry while sitting on a fence post. The morning sun was providing excellent directional light. It was a perfect scene.

But I knew that one wrong move by me would send the chipmunk scurrying down the back of the post.

I slowly turned my camera in the chipmunk’s direction, hoping it wouldn’t detect the motion and scamper away. But it was so focused on its breakfast blackberry that it didn’t notice me.

I grabbed a few shots of the chipmunk as it examined the blackberry and nibbled on it a couple of times. Then it stuffed the entire blackberry in its mouth.

And I had my shot.