No, he doesn’t have a bad case of the mumps—he’s getting ready for colder weather. This golden-mantled ground squirrel is having his way with bird seed, packing away his winter supply. Don’t forget that bears are also preparing. If you live in bear territory, bring those feeders in when you’re not home, and at night.
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That looks like a chipmunk. Google it and you’ll find many pictures that look almost identical to this one. Are you sure it’s a squirrel?
Believe it or not, it is a squirrel! Love those cheeks, but not so much when they chew up your furniture. 🙂
Hi, Sherry, and sorry for the delayed reply! This is a golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis), which does look a lot like a chipmunk…but it’s roughly twice the size 🙂 The characteristic that’s easy to see at a glance: chipmunks have a striped head; this species doesn’t. You can read more about them here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden-mantled_ground_squirrel (Love all of these guys, even if they do eat up the birdseed!) -Sally Roth, North Forty News