My Own Punxatawny Phil

I was focused on taking pictures of a Brown Thrasher when this big guy came lumbering across my yard.  It's a Groundhog, aka woodchuck, land-beaver, or whistle-pig.  It's a rodent, a big honkin' rodent, that is in the squirrel family.

Check out those front teeth!

I'd never seen one in the yard before and wonder if the warm, dry summer has spread them further out in search of food.  Another possibility is that a first-year male set out in search of new territory outside of dad's territory.

Groundhogs are mostly herbivores, so I don't have to worry about him bothering the birds.  Groundhogs themselves can fall prey to coyotes, foxes, bears, large hawks, and dogs.

Besides eating grasses and other vegetation, they'll also eat insects.  When I observed him, he ate mostly greens from my yard and didn't seem too interested in seed fallen to the ground.

He's likely beefing up for hibernation.  After the first frost (which could occur this month), they'll tuck themselves into a burrow below the frost line and won't emerge until March or April.  Or maybe we'll see him in early February for his annual spring prognostication!

Check out my previous post, Groundhogs by the Numbers.

Sources: Wikipedia and NationalGeographic.com

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Ellen, my groundhog said to say hey to Grover/Greta. That apple escape must've been memorable!
Barbara, I'm lucky that he didn't become a nuisance, as they definitely have the capacity to be.

[Barbara]

Groundhogs have been drastically reduced in numbers here in Ontario by farmers. We used to see them all the time poking heads out of large burrows in hay fields. But not recently. Great shots of this amusing creature.

[Ellen]

We have a resident groundhog, too: Grover (or Greta). I can watch him from inside the house, but he's easily spooked.

Grover seems to enjoy chowing down on the grasses that grow near our bird feeders. He also likes fruit. I was in the yard one day when I saw Grover out of the corner of my eye, racing across the lawn with a big green apple in his mouth!