Mystery over chipmunk spotted in Upavon garden (From This Is Wiltshire)

Mystery over chipmunk spotted in Upavon garden

7:50am Saturday 20th March 2010 in

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Retired greengrocer Fred Hodges thought he was seeing things when he looked out of his kitchen window and spotted a chipmunk perched on his garden fence.

Wildlife lover Mr Hodges, 75, lives at Avonside at Upavon where his park home backs onto the Hampshire Avon.

He spends hours watching birds that visit his birdtable and was so amazed to see the chipmunk scampering about that he got out his reference books to double check what it was.

The former Pewsey greengrocer, who traded under the name of Marshall and Hodges, said: “I thought it was a chipmunk because of its stripes and the fact that it is much smaller than a squirrel.

“It was jumping about all over the place and it was hardly still for a minute.

“Luckily I had my camera handy and it did sit still for a moment so I managed to get a couple of shots through the glass because I did not have a window open.

“I live by the river and I see a variety of birds and wildlife including squirrels but this is the first time I have ever seen a chipmunk in the wild.”

Chipmunks are native to North America and Asia and many people in the UK keep them as pets and Mr Hodges said: “All I can think of is that this was an escaped pet. I heard that 15 were set free in Somerset last year but it seems rather a long way for one of them to travel.

“The odds are it has escaped locally and was attracted to my garden by the bird tables.”

Mr Hodges fears that the chipmunk will start to attack birds’ nests in the woodland around his home because they have voracious appetites and their diet includes birds’ eggs and baby birds.

He saw just the one chipmunk on Friday March 5 and has not had a sighting since.