For us, we drive fifteen or so minutes through the forest to get to the nearest "village". It's interesting to note that most forest creatures are a bit shy and stay back from the roadsides. However, the chipmunks seem to be playing "silly bugger" with the cars as they go by.
If you see a deer by the roadside, they look worriedly at you, then bolt into the trees, hidden within moments. If you see a squirrel, they dart hither and yon in a panic, trying to decide where to run and hide. The grouse(grouses?)suddenly flutter noisily out of the roadside bush and scare the crap out of you.
The chipmunks however, sit at the roadside and wait until you're almost to them, then they dart across the road, tails pointed straight up, to the opposite shoulder. I really believe they're little thrill seekers who are addicted to the adrenaline rush of trying to get across before you squash them. I imagine they sit at the roadside with all their little chippie friends giggling and playing a chipmunk version of russian roulette.
Here you see one poised at the side of the road, ready to make the mad dash. At he last second, he'll grab a lungful of air, point his tail skyward and dart out, wide-eyed, racing for the other side of the road.I think the more often they get away with this reckless behaviour, the more frequently they'll try it. I don't know what the solution is ... time out, gounding, perhaps a really boring lectures in that "clicking" language they use?
Does anyone have any suggestions?
3 comments:
Drive very slowly and cautiously!
Maybe the OPP are training them to cut down the incidence of road racing. If they start running across the 400 we know that it.
There seems to be a chipmunk population explosion in Newmarket. They have taken over our yard
Maybe running into traffic is their way of controlling the population or maybe it's just sport.
Oh Wendy, how could you not figure it out.....you even mentioned it in your blog...
They use their tails to point in the direction of travel. Remember at cross walks when we were kids. You would stop and point before you crossed the street. While the little furry fellows are doing just that. They just haven't figured out that they are supposed to go to the cross walk first.
I agree with Jojo, slow down and drive with caution.
Yes I too have noticed them dashing across the road. No soluton though. The other day I was sleeping under the tree next to the river, a chipmunk appeared and just dozed off with me. Pretty cool though.
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