{"id":72541,"date":"2020-08-08T06:13:49","date_gmt":"2020-08-08T12:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=72541"},"modified":"2026-02-25T06:28:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:28:45","slug":"least-chipmunk-feasting-on-ripe-serviceberries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/08\/08\/least-chipmunk-feasting-on-ripe-serviceberries\/","title":{"rendered":"Least Chipmunk Feasting On Ripe Serviceberries"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LeastLeast Chipmunk feasting on a ripe serviceberry \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Birds aren’t the only creatures feasting on the ripe serviceberries in the Wasatch Mountains right now, Least Chipmunks are also gorging on the juicy berries too.<\/p>\n

Four days ago I stopped to take photos of an immature Gray Catbird in a serviceberry bush when two Least Chipmunks in two different different shrubs caught my eyes. The chipmunks were eating the serviceberries even before they were ripe and now that the berries have started ripening I am seeing more of these furry little chippies snacking on the berries.<\/p>\n

When I see the chipmunks I can’t resist photographing them.<\/p>\n

\"LeastLeast Chipmunk eating a juicy serviceberry \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This Least Chipmunk was more out in the open than the other one was so I focused my attention and my lens on it more often.<\/p>\n

It was close enough to me that there were times I clipped the tip of its tail in some of the frames where the tail of the chipmunk was straightened out.<\/p>\n

I was glad when it curled its tail slightly for a few frames because that meant I could take photos of it chowing down on the juicy berry without clipping its tail at the edge of the frame.<\/p>\n

\"LeastLeast Chipmunk tasting a ripe serviceberry \u2013 Nikon D500, f9, 1\/800, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

With our very warm temperatures right now in northern Utah it almost seems hard to believe that these diminutive chipmunks are already getting ready to hibernate by fattening up and by gathering food to store over the winter in their burrows but they are.<\/p>\n

Usually by the middle of September I stop seeing Least Chipmunks in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains so I plan on taking as many photos of them as I can before then.<\/p>\n

With the ripened serviceberries and thistles going to seed in the mountains I should have plenty of opportunities in the next five or six weeks.<\/p>\n

When I can get up there.<\/p>\n

Yesterday I had hoped to go up into the mountains but a wildfire prevented me from going. I have to drive up I-80 to get to where I wanted to be but the interstate was closed down most of the day due to proximity of the wildfire.<\/p>\n

See here for more information on the Parleys Fire<\/span><\/a>. Utah has already had 1000 wildfires this season<\/span><\/a> and 750 of those were human caused. We are in a drought and the hillsides and canyons in the high country are dry as tinder. People need to be more careful.<\/p>\n

When I can get back up into the mountains safely I hope to photograph more birds and other creatures enjoying the serviceberry banquet that is currently going on.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. Stay safe.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Least Chipmunk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Birds aren’t the only creatures feasting on the ripe serviceberries in the Wasatch Mountains right now, Least Chipmunks are also gorging on the juicy berries too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":170371,"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":""},"categories":[5922,1731,26,773],"tags":[4004,6523,10286,6605,6666,3940,4383,5352,4286,7555,4040,5370,10285,10287,5351,6583,4069,2264,7283,7671,7289,6698,6188,3827,2315,6522,1770],"class_list":["post-72541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-least-chipmunks","category-summit-county-utah","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","tag-adult","tag-amelanchier-utahensis","tag-banquet","tag-berries","tag-berry","tag-canyon","tag-chipmunk","tag-chipmunks","tag-eating","tag-feasting","tag-feeding","tag-forest","tag-gorging","tag-juicy","tag-least-chipmunk","tag-leaves","tag-mountains","tag-tamias-minimus","tag-ripe","tag-ripening","tag-serviceberries","tag-serviceberry","tag-shrub","tag-squirrels","tag-summer-3","tag-utah-serviceberry","tag-wildfires"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-eating-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-7108.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-iS1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71300,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2020\/06\/28\/least-chipmunk-eating-a-serviceberry\/","url_meta":{"origin":72541,"position":0},"title":"Least Chipmunk Eating A Serviceberry","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains photographing birds I had a Least Chipmunk pop into my view while it ate a serviceberry.","rel":"","context":"In "Least Chipmunks"","block_context":{"text":"Least Chipmunks","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/least-chipmunks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Least Chipmunk eating a serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":104956,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/08\/12\/least-chipmunk-and-serviceberries\/","url_meta":{"origin":72541,"position":1},"title":"Least Chipmunk And Serviceberries","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Warning: More cute Least Chipmunk photos ahead plus serviceberries high in the Wasatch Mountain Range. I just can't resist them and I don't want to.","rel":"","context":"In "Least Chipmunks"","block_context":{"text":"Least Chipmunks","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/least-chipmunks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Least Chipmunk chowing down on a serviceberry, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-2591.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-2591.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-2591.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Two mornings ago I had an absolutely fantastic time photographing a Least Chipmunk family feeding, cuddling, grooming and playing high in the mountains.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Least Chipmunks"","block_context":{"text":"Least Chipmunks","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/least-chipmunks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Least Chipmunk family, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-family-mia-mcpherson-0323.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-family-mia-mcpherson-0323.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/least-chipmunk-family-mia-mcpherson-0323.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Serviceberries","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"While up in the high country of the Wasatch Mountains yesterday morning, I was delighted to photograph this immature Lazuli Bunting with ripe serviceberries.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Lazuli Bunting with ripe serviceberries, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/lazuli-bunting-immature-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-7396.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/lazuli-bunting-immature-serviceberries-mia-mcpherson-7396.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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