Neither did I. But the Oregon Live OREGONIAN apparently has the scoop. Just look at their cover photo yesterday!
International Beaver Day: 7 ways to honor Beaverton’s namesake, Oregon’s state animal
Guess what? April 7 was International Beaver Day. As the beaver is Oregon’s state animal, as well as the namesake for Beaverton, take some time this week to honor the water-loving rodent.
Beaverton? Are you sure you don’t mean Nutriaton? My goodness, why aren’t newspapers in the beaver state, that have been duped over and over again in very public ways, even a little wary about posting a picture of a “beaver” that doesn’t show its tail? There should be a memo somewhere in every news room that looks like this:
If you have any doubt in your heart, take a ruler and measure the distance between eye, nose and ear. And then look at this:
Now maybe you’re thinking, oh but there’s a webbed foot in the right hand corner? It MUST be a beaver! Remember that Nutrias live an aquatic life too and therefore have webbed feet also. Look at mom’s delicate black whiskers blended into her overall fur. Beavers have fewer whiskers because there’s are more sensitive and do more work. Want to compare to a baby beaver? Also tiny black whiskers – not a sea of stiff white ones.
I have an idea of how to celebrate beaver day! Lose the rat! That might be a good start.
UPDATE: Hey, guess what? They corrected their photo! I’m not wild about this one either but I love that they listened!
______________________
Good beaver auction news yesterday from Steve Zamek, the reformed software engineer behind FeatherLight Photgraphy. Steve really got all my attention with this amazing cover of Bay Nature, which is among the finest photos I have ever seen. (Below, along with the very smartest caption!)
Thinking that donating prints which we would have to frame would be a costly donation for us, he generously offered a gift certificate to his gallery so the buyer could chose exactly what s/he wanted. He also says I should tell him as soon as the kits are born, and he’ll come to photograph! Thank Steve!
