So last night a pair of Berkeley beaver supporters took amtrak to our shores to cash in on their “private beaver tour” purchase at the silent auction. Worth A Dam was there to meet them, explain the habitat and introduce our beavers. They will be cycling over the new pedestrian portion of the Benicia Bridge when it opens. Phil is the thoughtful author of the Bay Area Bird Blog, and I met Juliet through her work with the Sierra Club back when the were drafting their position statement on the Martinez Beavers. She is also featured on our video letter to the mayor from last year’s beaver festival. The couple are avid environmentalists and have restored their Berkeley garden as a native plant oasis. They gave us a crash course in willow care while we toured the 3 and a half dams.
The beavers were very obliging last night and made a charming and intimate appearance, even giving them a stand-up view of their ambered bottom teeth. A pond turtle and a slider were seen at the lower dams. The banded green heron displayed boldly by fishing at the end of the pond leveler pipe, and a wiggling little muskrat made a dash on the dam before giving a longer display at the edge of the grass.
All in all the animals were in fine form last night, and the human visitors were all polite, curious and helpful. One of the things I loved at the start of the tour was someone stopping us to explain where to look for the beavers and their general habits. It was no one I recognized, just someone doing their part to introduce our famous residents!
Here’s hoping the ride across the bridge gives them great views! We know you have sharp eyes and won’t miss a single bird sighting on the way over!
