{"id":3328,"date":"2014-03-10T15:39:27","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T19:39:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=3328"},"modified":"2014-03-11T12:57:32","modified_gmt":"2014-03-11T16:57:32","slug":"seeing-chipmunks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/seeing-chipmunks\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing Chipmunks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"chipmunk_JustinWhile it’s only a matter of weeks before we will be seeing chipmunks<\/a><\/strong> scurrying about, it’s not unheard of to see one before spring sets in.\u00a0Unlike woodchucks and bears, chipmunks are not true hibernators.<\/p>\n

Animals that hibernate spend the months leading up to winter bulking up on high fat foods. They can then live off of their body reserves for months on end.\u00a0Since chipmunks don\u2019t have the ability to put on enough extra fat to last them through the winter, they cache seeds and nuts underground in their burrows.<\/p>\n

Every seven or eight days, chipmunks wake up and munch down some of their food stash to keep them going through the winter. This irrupted state of hibernation is known as torpor. Torpor is a restless sleep that can last for days where animals lower their body temperature, heart rate, and oxygen consumption to conserve energy.<\/p>\n

This might sound like a life of luxury, sleeping and eating the time away until winter passes, but it\u2019s quite physiologically taxing for the chipmunks. It is a life or death balance between storing enough food and conserving enough energy.<\/p>\n

Come late March, early April, chipmunks emerge from their burrows ready for spring. When they do, you\u2019ll have a new appreciation for their survival knowing how they struggled through the winter (or how hard winter was).<\/p>\n

Photo \u00a9\u00a0Justin Miel<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While it’s only a matter of weeks before we will be seeing chipmunks scurrying about, it’s not unheard of to see one before spring sets in.\u00a0Unlike woodchucks and bears, chipmunks are not true hibernators. Animals that hibernate spend the months leading up to winter bulking up on high fat foods. They can then live off […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-RG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5070,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-chipper-chipmunks\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Chipper Chipmunks","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Right about now,\u00a0eastern chipmunks begin to\u00a0emerge from their burrows. Chipmunks spend the winter a torpid state, in which their body temperature and heartbeat decrease, but they wake every few days to feed on stockpiled food.\u00a0These industrious creatures provide endless opportunities for photographers, as these five images from past Photo Contests\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/370KatharineWall1187.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/370KatharineWall1187.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/370KatharineWall1187.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7321,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-chipmunks-redux\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Chipmunks Redux","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year around this time, we published a Take 5 on chipmunks, indicating they were just about to come out of hibernation. This year we've\u00a0been seeing chipmunks since around late February. Regardless of when you see them, do enjoy five more chipmunk photos from our photo contest. Have a great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/2015Colleen_Bruso11637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/2015Colleen_Bruso11637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/2015Colleen_Bruso11637.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13209,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-dont-get-cheeky-with-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":2},"title":"Take 5: Don’t Get Cheeky With Me","author":"Ryan D.","date":"October 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The industrious Eastern Chipmunk spends its days, especially this time of year as the weather is getting colder, gathering and storing food in their burrows, which will sustain them during the winter.\u00a0 Seeds, berries, nuts, and fruit are the mainstay of the chipmunk's diet, but they also eat insects, insect\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Eastern Chipmunk \u00a9 Susumu Kishihara","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/10\/161SusumuKishihara5211.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":863,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/five-great-things-about-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":3},"title":"Five Great Things About Fall","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"September 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The air in Massachusetts is feeling crisp, and the leaves are beginning to turn, just in time for the autumnal equinox (when the day and night are of equal length), which falls on Saturday, September 22 this year.\u00a0I love the first cool breeze, always eager to wrap myself in a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Outdoors"","block_context":{"text":"Get Outdoors","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-outdoors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/09\/488DebbieStone1557.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14401,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-one-in-the-oven\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":4},"title":"Take 5: One in the Oven","author":"Ryan D.","date":"July 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThere is a singer everyone has heard, \/ Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird, \/ Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again.\u201d \u2014Robert Frost, \u201cThe Oven Bird\u201d An unassuming warbler more often seen than heard, the Ovenbird's loud \"tea-cher tea-cher tea-cher tea-cher\" song is prevalent in forests across\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ovenbird \u00a9 Asli Ertekin","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/5334Asli_Ertekin26233.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/5334Asli_Ertekin26233.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/5334Asli_Ertekin26233.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/07\/5334Asli_Ertekin26233.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17267,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-blue-jays-favorite-snack\/","url_meta":{"origin":3328,"position":5},"title":"A Blue Jay’s Favorite Snack","author":"Kaylin D.","date":"November 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On the trunk of an Oak Tree, a squirrel scales the bark in pursuit of a treasured acorn, while a chipmunk nearby already has its cheeks stuffed. Squirrels and chipmunks are the usual suspects for acorn collection, but they have a formidable opponent: the Blue Jay.\u00a0 Blue Jay Acorn Frenzy\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Birds & Birding"","block_context":{"text":"Birds & Birding","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/birds-birding\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A jay on the ground near a tree trunk with a leaf in its mouth.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2022\/10\/KForesto.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3328"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3337,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3328\/revisions\/3337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}