So there he was, clambering up a rock wall near a woodpile. A chipmunk. In Suffolk.

I’ve seen my share of chipmunks, and he sure fit the bill. About five inches long — yup. Tail about four inches long — yup. Stripes on the sides and coloration — yup. That’s him.

We saw some years ago and looked them up casually. Nope. Couldn’t be. They’re restricted to the coastal plain. Nothing east of Petersburg or Richmond. That must have been a mistake.

This time we saw him again, descending a large beech tree. Nah! Couldn’t be. A chipmunk (basically a ground squirrel) climbing a tree?

Saw him again by the woodpile. Are we sure it’s not a flying squirrel (five inches with a four-inch tail) with a messed up circadian rhythm? (Flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal). Oops! No stripes on a flying squirrel.

So we started looking up the facts, the facts and nothing but the facts. But they differ. Some say coastal plain, but not coastal Virginia. Some say all the way to the coast. Since I saw one once in Seashore State Park, I’m going with the latter.

“Peterson’s Field Guide to Mammals” says, “climbs well and will forage in trees and on the ground.” (By the way, the Peterson’s map shows him all the way to the coast.)

The habitat guide says he lives mostly in deciduous forests of oak, beech, maple and some pine. Son of a gun! Our yard has oak, beech, maple — and some pine thrown in!

“Deciduous forest, brushy forest edge, gardens, and suburban areas.” Check, check, check and check.

Says here they like nuts, fungi, seeds, fruit — and they like areas with bird feeders. Check, check, check, check — and check!

Despite the naysayers who believe that they never come east of the fall line, I do believe we have a (family of) chipmunks in our side yard. In Suffolk. In summer. No wonder the foxes are happy — aside from the squirrels and geese.

The key to all wildlife spotting, analyzing, and identifying is vigilance. Sit on your back deck with a pair of binoculars and observe the yard around you. Listen carefully. Watch the food sources — berries, feeders, fallen nuts.

Research what you see and what you think you see, and don’t be afraid to say, “I definitely saw what I said I saw, and it was what I said it was.”

Late last November, my wife and I saw a white ibis in the Dismal Swamp. What’s he doing that far inland at that time of year, this far north? But there he was, with his unmistakable down-curved bill.

Again, some experts say there are no chipmunks this far east, much less at this time of year, much less in a tree, much less….

Wrong!

Susan and Bradford “Biff” Andrews are retired teachers and master naturalists who have been outdoor people all their lives, exploring and enjoying the woods, swamps, rivers and beaches throughout the region for many years. Email them at b.andrews22@live.com.