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<\/p>\nWhen I’m out in nature I think of myself as a ‘watcher’ as I try to take in all the small details of my environment (remember Tyler. the biologist in Never Cry Wolf?).<\/p>\n
But as Tyler found out, sometimes the watcher becomes the watched.<\/p>\n
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Yesterday morning I found this Uinta Ground Squirrel staring at me from atop an old, split tree trunk that ‘he’ appeared to be using as a chair. He was leaning back against the upper part of the trunk as if it were the back of the chair. He was high above the ground, as evidenced by the out of focus, horizontal fence rail in the background at lower left. The rail was the upper rail of the fence so he was more than 4′ above the ground. As I watched him I had to wonder if he thought of the “chair” as his personal, elevated throne.<\/p>\n
He appeared to be so comfortable he didn’t want to move and he didn’t, not even a whisker, for over five minutes. He just stared at me, giving me what might have been the most inscrutable look I’ve ever been the recipient of from a wild critter.<\/p>\n
After a while I had the feeling I was being watched by someone or something else.<\/p>\n
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And I was. A young chipmunk had been sitting on the upper fence rail about 5′ to the right of the ground squirrel and watching me watch the squirrel. Before I got my lens on ‘him’ he scurried to the top of the closest fence post and that’s when I finally got this first photo of him.<\/p>\n
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Then he scampered down the post and sat on the upper fence rail for a moment before disappearing in the thick vegetation below the fence.<\/p>\n
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When I looked back at the ground squirrel he still hadn’t moved, except for a slight turn of his head that prevented me from getting light in either eye. I waited a while for him to do something interesting but when he didn’t I eventually drove on down the road.<\/p>\n
As I drove away I had to wonder how long he’d continue to sit on his throne.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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When I’m out in nature I think of myself as a ‘watcher’ as I try to take in all the small details of my environment (remember Tyler, the biologist in Never Cry Wolf?). But sometimes the watcher becomes the watched. (4 photos)<\/p>\n