Adorable Belding's Ground Squirrel Kits at Diamond Lake

(+2 insets!)

Diamond Lake was the last place we stayed on our epic 25-day RV adventure and that's where we got to see these hopelessly adorable ground squirrels! In fact, there was also a group of bitty little chippers (chipmunks) that lived in a hole almost directly under our RV! All of these little guys were such fun for us to see and interact with.

One morning I needed to cut up some new bread squares for Pumpkin and just before I tossed the pile of crumbs in the garbage, a fine thought entered my mind…"Ooooooh, let's have some fun!" I popped out of the trailer and carefully poured the crumbs into the entrance of the little chipper's hole. I went back inside and realized that Pumpkin's nut and seed-treat container also needed refilling. "Oh my, look at all of these bits and pieces…whatever shall I do with them?!!" Out I went and I had to laugh because in the few minutes I was away, the pile of bread crumbs had diminished! "Busy little chippers, have some more!" Adding the pile of nut bits and seeds on top of the bread crumbs, I climbed back into the coach and peeked out the window. A little face was poking out of the hole, hard at work! I laughed and carried on with Pumpkin's food. A few minutes later Steve stepped inside, "HEY! There's a chipmunk out there eating a pile of stuff, it's so cute!" I told him what I'd done and we both looked out to see the cutie pie stuffing its cheeks with goodies! So adorable.

The little ground squirrels which I'm featuring today were really cool because we'd never seen them before. In fact, I couldn't be positive exactly WHAT they were. I figured they were some sort of ground squirrel but they were smaller than the ones that live on our property and actually, they looked totally different. Short tails, non-spotted coats, I wondered what they were.

Only, I couldn't tell. And I had no way to know. Why? No internet. Zip, nada, zilch. And that simply drove me batty! If there's one thing that I must have, it's the ability to do research on all of the things I'm curious about! And let me tell you, I'm a very curious little monkey indeed! I always have been and I always will be…the world is such a fascinating place with endless things to learn and discover!

When I was a kid I learned about the amazing place called the library. I would become so enchanted with this fantastic portal to knowledge that I started working at my school library in 4th grade and this continued through my senior year in high school. When the internet came to be, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! To think…a research library the size of the world, available from the comfort of my home. What a sweet deal. The internet immediately became my favorite resource for investigation and I have always called upon it ravenously. But now…to find that I cannot have it whenever I want…well, let's just say it's been extremely frustrating. The fact is that I just can't stand not knowing something and having to just deal with it. ARGH!

I will say that within an hour of having an internet connection again, I made a beeline for "ground squirrels of Oregon" and just like a hopeless junkie finally getting a fix...ohhhhhhh the RELIEF of finally discovering what this little guy was: a Belding's Ground Squirrel!! LOL, you probably think I'm a little off the deep end but I can't help it…I just GOTTA KNOW! :D

I am also including two insets with a couple of other views. These are all youngsters and totally adorable (in case you didn't figure that out yet!) :D. And the reason we've never seen them before is because they don't live in our county and are found in a fairly small area in comparison to the very common California Ground Squirrel, found all over the western U.S.

Pam, do you guys have ground squirrels where you live? Monstrous little fellows, they are always trying to dig under our foundation, the stinkers! Yes they are cute but my opinion of them is not the best because they are so destructive and eat all of my flowers! Well, they were here first so I can't complain too much! I hope all is well with you today my dear! :) *BIG HUGS*