By Daily Mail Reporter


This chipmunk wanted to see no camera, hear no camera - then a giant flash bulb drove him NUTS.

The tiny rodent settled on a comfy stump before being startled by a photographer in a garden in Delaware, Ohio, United States.

The Eastern Chipmunk was right at home in the garden of Mark Hardymon, 45, who caught his hilarious expressions on film.

Camera shy: This chipmunk covered up for his close up by Ohio-based photographer Mark Hardymon


A keen photographer, he tempts birds and other wildlife to the garden with seeds, the cute little thing's favourite food.

Mr Hardymon, who builds custom houses for a living, made his furry friend comfortable by constructing his own little perch.

He said: 'I have an old piece of a dead tree set up with a flat rock resting in the crotch of the branches.

'The chipmunks live nearby and will often scramble up the trunk of the tree and feed on the bird seed there.

The tiny rodent had settled on a comfy stump before being startled by the photographer in a garden in Delaware


'The little chipmunk on this day climbed up on the perch for whatever reason and as animals so often do proceeded to groom himself, which is what you see in the photo.

'At that point it was just a matter of pushing the button as quickly as possible.

'Because it happened so quickly I didn't even know if I had captured it. It was only when I looked back I realised it looked exactly like he was pulling, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil poses.

'Chipmunks can be pretty skittish but the bird food is a strong attraction.

'But once they find the food and realise nothing bad happens, they come and go comfortably.

'I will set up my tripod a fair distance away and just sit and watch, often for hours as the antics of these creatures are pretty funny.'


The 45-year-old Mr Hardymon, who builds custom houses for a living, made his furry friend comfortable by constructing his own little perch


Mr Hardymon, from Ohio USA, caught the photography bug in high school, and had a darkroom set up in his parents' basement.

He said: 'After college and moving out there was no room for that so it was put on hold until about four years ago when I discovered how good digital had gotten.

'I like to shoot wildlife and landscapes with a particular interest in bird photography. I find the birds fascinating and photographing them particularly challenging.'

Mr Hardymon's two pet dogs and cat don't make it easy though.

'They enjoy the wildlife but probably not in the way you might think,' he added.

'Their enjoyment comes mostly from chasing and occasionally catching, although that's not very often.'



source:dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Cheeky: The chipmunk pounced on Barbara Lynne's corn on the cob in her Ontario garden


This greedy chipmunk looks ready to explode as it stuffs its mouth - with a corn on the cob.

The cheeky chap pounced on the crop within minutes of photographer Barbara Lynne hanging it in her back garden for the birds.

It gorged as many corn kernells as possible, returned to its den to empty its pouches and then dashed back for another mouthful.

Within half an hour the wild Eastern Chipmunk had stripped the whole cob bare.

Barbara said the chipmunk has visited her garden in Ontario, Canada, for four years.

She said: 'We fastened the cob of corn to a snag in our backyard for the birds - or so we thought. I sat down to dinner and out of the corner of my eye noticed some movement on the corn.

'When I looked closer I saw the chipmunk was busy stuffing its cheeks with the kernels of fresh corn. I grabbed my camera and off I went to capture it for eternity.'


Hands up: An Eastern Chipmunk seen in the wild


She added: 'We call her Eleanor, however we are not sure whether she is male or female. Eleanor is always a pig and stuffs her cheeks until she looks ready to explode.

'She runs back to her den to empty her pouches - and starts stuffing them all over again. She is always entertaining to watch whether she stuffing her cheeks with corn, peanuts or sunflower seeds.

'She is quite tame although we don't feed her from our hands as we don't want her to think that all people will be as friendly toward wild animals as we are.'


source: dailymail