David Stevens and Joel Paschall send this footage of last friday’s egg laying eggstravaganza…enjoy!
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gb0MMiU5jCY]
Thanks David and Joel for being there, catching the moment and sharing it with us.
Later check out this article “who speaks for beavers” and the beaver float in the Canadian Parade. Happy 4th and if you’re on your way to fireworks tonight stop by the dam and celebrate our beaver independence.
New kit seen Tuesday morning in the water and that evening atop the lodge. Footage will follow soon but for now, unwrap that cigar. We’re a family again! Stop by our booth at the farmer’s market Thursday for details and tips of how to spot your own baby beaver.
Update: TWO CIGARS
5:30 this morning saw a baby swimming under the bridge, and another baby coming out from the lodge. Too early to photograph, but Moses caught one last night and generously offered some footage. Enjoy!
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=YwyAA6i_g7k]
A summer thriller was filmed this morning. Our beavers do an admirable job of defending their territory from…well…see for yourself. Enjoy.
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=-dyk4Z5jlfE]
Anyone who’s ridden the London underground or British rail will recognize this reminder to use caution in stepping onto the train. The famous female voice of Emma Clarke warns travelers all across the countryside to pay attention as they step from the platform into the railcar. Although she was ultimately fired for maintaining a blog of the same name, the phrase persists.
It takes on a whole new meaning when applied to our beaver dam…
“The Gap” at the primary dam is the narrow depression to the east of the pipe over which animals pass to get from one side to the other. Beavers, muskrat, otter, geese and even ducklings use the space to haul themselves up and over the dam. It is very heavily trafficked and in fact you see everyone approach with the same caution we might use to cross a busy street or approach a blind intersection. Because of the height differential of the waters there is no way to tell what might be coming from the other side until you’ve moved into position. Even Mama beaver stops, listens and probably scents the air before she makes her lumbering climb up and over.
It’s not exactly a toll road, but if we could track for just one day the number of webbed or furry feet that cross that gap, I think we would be would be very surprised. Residents and passers-by use the same route, and its a great place to train your eyes to see the most possible wildlife. If you’re at the dam this Memorial weekend, check it out and remember to “Mind the Gap”.
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=b0XvagaqORI]
Several of us watched the show today of mom eating stalks of green leafy fennel under the footbridge. She’s still enormously pregnant and we must be days away from the blessed event. It turns out trappers sometimes use anise in beaver lures, so I guess that makes sense in terms of pregnant beaver cravings. Check out her fragrant concentration in the fennel video. I’m including today the letter to the city sent by resident Jean O’Neil, avid beaver supporter.
I’ve been a Martinez resident for 33 years. I raised my two children in this wonderful town. The beavers are absolutely the neatest thing that has happened in Martinez since I’ve lived here. It’s so much fun showing them to out of town friends, my visiting daughters, nieces from Portland and their 4 young children. It’s always an event. To take them away and destroy the beavers way of life here and all the enjoyment received from the beavers to the people of Martinez would be a cruel and sad thing to do. I’m very much against any action taken to remove them. And it would be an unfortunate statement about our city and a blight on our history.
Thanks Jean, for your concern and perspective! And here’s hoping Mama enjoys a good days sleep. If you need a little reading before bedtime, you might recognize this familiar story.
