I have been trying to get pictures of this little fella for weeks now.
At the beginning of Summer we began to notice wood slowly being piled up just before the bridge at The Pond at the bottom of The Ridge. People call it the Beaver pond but we had yet to see any signs of beavers there. Throughout Summer the shallow pond seemed to be getting higher and higher as the Beaver piled more and more wood, building himself a nice little Beaver Dam.
Apparently beavers hate the sound of running water and that’s what stimulates them to build. Although the Dam is the beaver’s home they are often trapped by the forest rangers and taken else where if their dams cause flooding and property damage. I’ve been hoping this won’t be the case for our Beaver, the water is quite high right now but I think he should be ok as long as he doesn’t decide to put an addition on.
Beaver Dam’s are beneficial by restoring wetlands. Wetlands are beneficial for water animals, salmon, frogs, toads, wetland birds as well as providing meadow land around the pond area providing grazing lands for animals who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Eventually the beaver dam will break the water will drain and the cycle will begin again. Truly an amazing process!
I think Mr. Beaver liked my company. He pulled out a snack of twig, or he just might have been busy at work chewing that twig for a special spot in his Dam. Nevertheless he chewed away happily while I snapped some pictures of him. Look at his little paws holding onto the stick, isn’t he adorable?
Then just as I was getting up to go he looked right at me as if to say “You’re leaving already?” So I told him I’d really like to get some shots of him swimming and as if he was obliging he swam back and forth in front of the the Dam making sure I got both sides!
He then swam up onto the bank for a rest. I wasn’t able to get a picture of his tail but I’ll be back again to visit and hope to get one then. I drive by the pond when we come down off The Ridge and I make sure to have my camera with me just in case.
T was sleeping in the truck when I took these pictures but she LOVES looking at them over and over.
She says “See Beeva again!”