Chipmunk ????

Mole? Vole? Skunks dig holes looking for grubs but they do have a bottom. Nice rubber garden shoes, I got those too.

Thank you all. I'm just glad no one suggested it is an underground bees nest. [g].

Vgkg - I love my garden shoes, they're LLBean and I've been using them for probably a decade at least. Not the same pair, but as soon as they need replacing, I get another pair.

Could be a skink hole. I have one similar at the edge of one of my gardens near the house. I actually saw the skink go down it. They are good to have around a garden, too.
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-18_lizard_garden_skinks.htm

Cindy, where do you live? In my area, I haven't seen that kind of critter.

Prairiemoon - We're in Northern Virginia. Sometime it shows up with my name and sometimes it doesn't. That's Houzz.

Looks like a gopher backdoor escape/ or vent hole to me. But then, I'm in CA where gophers are rampent... and unrepentant.

Looks like skinks are in western MA.

Cindy, I made my zone part of my screen name and it always shows up that way. With Houzz you need a work around sometimes. :-)

Kate - Unrepentant - that is so funny - and here we have rabbits who are the same. [g]

Well, I'll keep my eyes open, I've yet to see anything attempt to go in or out of it. They happened to do this inbetween two pavers in a well used pathway, so maybe I'll have a sighting one of these days.

Prairie - I do have it as part of my name and it usually shows up. Just not this time for some reason.

In a duplicate post in another forum, I suggested that snakes make holes just like that.

My guess is voles or snakes. The gophers around here leave a big mound. I've had luck with sound emitters for gophers and voles. It takes them a couple of weeks to realize that that annoying noise isn't going to go away, but then they are gone!

Looks too big for bees. Holes I've seen bees come and go from are more bee sized.

My first guess would be chipmunk, but if you really haven't seen any chipmunks, I'd also consider a snake.

And you aren't likely to see a snake.....except when you aren't expecting it! Eeeeeek!

On the duplicate thread, I did respond that I don't have long grass or overgrown areas and haven't seen a snake in 30+ years, so I'd be surprised if that is what it is. It's also in a high traffic area, between 2 pavers near my back steps. I haven't seen a chipmunk yet this season, but I've seen one the past two seasons. If I spot something, I'll be sure to come back and clear up the mystery. Thank you!

Another thought, since it's right next to what appears to be a concrete slab then whatever it is may have it's burrow under there. Assuming that it's a mole or vole I'd place a mouse trap baited with peanut butter next to it. I've caught mine that way and to avoid hurting cats, dogs etc I place an upside down bucket over the trap with a brick on top.

I got my shoes at LL Bean too, over $100/pair is steep but they are good gardening shoes, I only wish they had them in loafer style rather than the leather string tie-ups.

VGKG - the cost has really gone up over the years. I used to think $80. was a lot to spend. I try to wait for a sale and the last time I had to replace I was able to do that with a 20% deduction. I start looking for the sale before my shoes have to be retired. [g]. I have looked around for a less expensive alternative, but I hadn't been satisfied with the choices. So, I've stuck with the LLBean shoe. I love your idea of a loafer style, the leather ties sometimes get in the way. I wear mine a lot, on rainy days and in the winter when there's snow on the ground, too.

Thanks for the mouse trap idea. I did find it odd that there are maybe 3 holes all about 8 inches away from each other, which made me think they were exit holes of some kind. And I've yet to see a chipmunk in the yard this season. I thought chipmunks like living in rock walls? I have a rock edge around a couple of my beds, and I wondered if that would be their preferred home.

I've had 3 rabbits but they live in my neighbor's yard. I lost about 6 mature clumps of pink bleeding heart a couple of winters ago and we suspected mole/vole [they ignored most of the white ones] and at one point I saw a mole/vole and a few tracks in the snow in March. Maybe this is an opportunity to see if they are still here. We had no snow cover last winter, so I thought maybe that would have reduced the population.

That hole was made by a mole. I saw him yesterday walking away from it.

Time for the ol' mouse trap under a bucket trick.