We were seeing more muskrats than beavers last week so I couldn’t resist. Rumor is someone saw a mink below the secondary so that may change for now. I am ashamed to say how long this took me to make with lots of conversions and tutorials along the way. It’s hardly the opus I envisioned, but I do think it conveys the general idea. The one priceless shot I didn’t get was a moment last week where a hard-working beaver put willow on the secondary dam and an opportunistic muskrat waited until he left and swam away with it for a snack. Neighbors!
This morning one of our just-barely-yearlings came back with the typical branch at 6:00. I expected him to toss it hap-hazzardly in the direction of what was once a dam as he’s been doing, but them I noticed there was an actual DAM at the secondary and I started to pay closer attention. I didn’t know if an adult had done this during the night after despairing of JR’s abilities but I didn’t expect much from the little one. They haven’t show many ‘busy as a beaver’ qualities just yet. I have an unproven theory that GQ is near by but not residing with our three, and every now and then he dumps off a bundle of willow and does some real building in the hopes that he’ll inspire some action. Looks like he succeeded.
Bob Arnebeck told me once that beavers find work ‘irresistible’, and that when one’s doing it the others are compelled to join in. I think that it might be true that another beaver working is irresistible, but also that a single beaver can find his OWN work irresisitible! So that once a beaver does it once, mudding or carrying or pulling, they are likely to do it again. That was certainly true this morning, as this pattern happened several more times with blackberries, willow, reeds and mud before he finally picked his way back up to the primary dam to sleep for the day.
With all the new willow around I figured something must have been taken during the night. A homeless man pointed me in the direction of the nearest target, one of the willow we planted behind Bulldogs BBQ. I had thought they were all gone already but the cut trees are all coppicing like crazy and there is tons of new growth. I know our three are old enough but I can’t help but wonder proudly whether one of our ‘babies’ took this down? Sniff. They grow up so fast.
It’s supposed to rain this weekend. I swear if it floods out this little dam I will personally march down there with a sump pump, an umbrella and sandbags. I guess that’s pretty extreme. They’re beavers after all. Okay, maybe not the umbrella.
This morning’s high tide made the creek look like old times. it was 50 degrees at 5:45 and less in the wind. I watched silently as this furry sea monster floated out from under the bridge. You can actually see his feet under the water. I was hoping for a long languid beaver watch but someone crossed the bridge at JUST that moment and made him swim away. Grr. Some times I wonder if our kits aren’t confused by the tides. One morning the creek is full, and they are comfortable in watery luxury, the next it’s empty and they need to build a dam ASAP, then its luxurious again .
Cheryl was able to get this picture last week, look at his beautiful beaver body under the water! I have often said that our kits get ‘wide’ before they get ‘long’. The 2010 batch is clearly no exception.
Just in case you’re still confused about telling muskrats and beavers apart, here’s a lovely comparison. This little fellow is even carrying a reed like a beaver! But look at all that tail action:
We also saw a very stealthy beaver (adult?) carrying a big branch who dove like a navy seal and wouldn’t let us watch him much. I got some video I’ll try to enlarge and see if it’s worth posting. Hmmmm…..
Let’s end with a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to some COURAGEOUS BEAVER FRIENDS who will be installing their first ever flow device today. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
This kit (four days away from being called a yearling, brace yourselves) was swimming muddily under the footbridge at 5:45 when I arrived. I thought I just saw the tail end of him but he kept right on swimming down, scouping mud, and going into the hole under the tree there. I have no idea what he was doing, but he was making a trail of mud under the water. At one point he swam to the secondary dam, and looked at it, touched the banks and then swam back.
Beaver over pipe - Cheryl Reynolds
In the meantime it seemed like an army of muskrats were on the move in every direction. One followed the beaver into his mudded hole and another clambered over the primary dam. I could not begin to explain why we seem to have no muskrats at all some months and millions the next, but this is definitely muskrat madness month, so enjoy.
Muskrat- Cheryl Reynolds
After a bit more of this mudding drama the kit started to head upstream towards the primary dam. It is so shallow it riffles and this was a march. He was discouraged once by walkers on the bridge, but eventually made his way up the gravelly bed. It was terrifying to see him walk through what should be a swim, he is so vulnerable in so many ways, but lets hope it’s MOTIVATING to this little — umm — slacker.
Well, he hasn’t been completely slack. The dam does look better. More work on both sides of the pipe, although the right side is still running through with water and gaps so large a muskrat went through it. Hey guys, remember all that mud you were playing with at the footbridge? Just a suggestion but how about trying that on the sticks?
There’s way too much news this morning, but Jon’s hummingbird photo is up at the Cornell Urban bird website and facebook page, let’s praise the power companies when they get it right! I am also working on Cornell to start an “Urban beavers website”….but don’t hold your breath. I’m told they’ll blog about the relationship between beaver dams and songbirds soon!
Have you noticed our recent kingfisher pair at the beaver dam? You’ve probably heard their rattling call if you’ve been down recently. The belted Kingfisher is a jewel of a bird that chooses a perch with a view of the water and swoops down like a bullet to capture a fish with its great beak before flying back up to its perch where it enjoys its labors.
Belted Kingfisher- Cheryl Reynolds
The Cornell birding sight tells me that it is one of the few species where the female is actually more colorful than the male. It is sometimes thought to be the origin of the mythical bird the halcyon who the Greeks believed would create a floating nest at sea during winter solstice, calming the waves with its magical purpose. In fact the Kingfisher nests in holes in the bank so we are very curious whether we will have a family soon in one of the new exposed banks the washed out dams left behind. This should give you an idea of what to look for:
Feeding Sequence- Jamie Stewart
And this should give you an idea of the fishing behavior, this was filmed on the Albion River, but it looks exactly the same on Alhambra Creek!
Halcyon Days
By Walt Whitman – 1819-1892
Not from successful love alone,Nor wealth, nor honor’d middle age, nor victories of politics or war;But as life wanes, and all the turbulent passions calm,As gorgeous, vapory, silent hues cover the evening sky,As softness, fulness, rest, suffuse the frame, like freshier, balmier air,As the days take on a mellower light, and the apple at last hangsreally finish’d and indolent-ripe on the tree,Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of all!The brooding and blissful halcyon days!
