bird-show

beaver toes! — Yearling Beaver Working - Cheryl Reynolds

Check out this lovely photo taken yesterday morning of one of our debutantes on his way to work. The water is so clear you can actually see his toes! He did a round of mud, and pulled a clump of tules and then retired for the day. This morning at 5:30 I saw our littlest beaver demonstrate more fine behavior…

Perfect execution and form, solid entry and dismount, and very beaver-like in his performance. In both instances he looks exactly like a beaver should look and did entirely what a beaver should do. Once. I waited an hour for part two and saw nothing. Our beavers have learned the aesthetics of dam building and the intricacies of laying mud.

They just haven’t learned the value of repetition.

Take, for example, last weeks excellent mudding demonstration on the secondary dam. Just what junior needed to do. He did it very well. One might even say he did it perfectly.Once.

They all need to keep doing do it about 1000 more times. And another 1000 on the primary.

As a rule, the value of repetition in our culture is vastly underrated. We tend to look for new ways to work and new things to amuse us and we forget that sometimes we need to do just what were doing before only over and over again. Learning to walk, tie your shoe, write the letter ‘A’, color in the lines, play by the rules, list state capitals, swing a bat, and do your multiplication tables only happen because you repeat them again and again, even when they get boring and fail to hold your interest.

At a certain point the child learns that “going to work” isn’t just dressing up like your parent and doing whatever they do for five minutes. It means getting up everyday and repeating the same job over and over again regardless of whether anyone helps you or praises you, until the job is basically finished and you’re ready to start the next job. Repetition increases skill, reduces anxiety, and familiarizes individuals with the various demands of the job.

It also builds dams.

Today is the initial round for the Scripps National Spelling Bee and finals are tomorrow. None of those remarkable children would be there without massive repetition and rehearsal.

Let’s hope the beavers get ESPN.

gathering tules — Gathering tules - Once Photo Cheryl Reynolds

And the street light’s white glare

The pipes bursting in air

Gave proof, through the night

That our dam was still there!

Last night a host of beaver friends showed up at the dam. All were interested to see how they had fared in the storm, and wanted to check out the dam-age for themselves. We were pleasantly surprised that much of the structure of the primary dam had survived. The “gap” was leaking and a lot of the wood from the top had been whooshed downstream, but there was definitely still a “dam”.

The second dam had taken more of a hit, and was spilling water all along the surface. The fourth dam was half washed out and nearly collapsed, but the third dam! Voila! It looked like an issue of “Beavers Better Homes and Gardens”. Mind you, the first two dams are in a very straight channel, almost a flume. While the third dam lies after the creek has been allowed to bend a little, so doesn’t get the same flow force. Remember that streams like to naturally meander, and that our creeks used to be more curvy and less downcut because there were beavers and dams all over them. Those lucky beavers had dams that survived the downpours because they didn’t have to endure such direct hits. Like number three.

After we checked out the dam-age and the massive tree trunk that had flowed down, we settled in to watch the star performers. Two yearlings made an early appearance (7:30) and started right away on repairs to the “gap”. There was mud carrying, stick laying, and some shifting of resources. A favorite moment was when a yearling brought a nice long branch to snap into place, but paused to take a nibble from his building materials, and then decided this particular specimen was too tasty to use in construction. He pulled it back off the dam and swam back towards the lodge to eat it! Returning later with something less inviting.

We watched for a better part of an hour, and in that time the gap was almost entirely repaired – first things first. I’m sure they headed down next to the second dam, where their labor was definitely needed. It was lovely to see them “being beavers” and to watch so many people caring how they fared. Jon’s photo of the main dam made the front page of the Gazette today, and I’m sure there’s plenty of repairing left to do if you have time to stop by tonight.

Update From Jon This Morning:

Construction Zone! No other way to put it! Heavy work going on at primary and secondary dams, saw at least 4 beavers, could not get an ID on mom but think I saw her up on the secondary dam with a yearling following her around. When I left they had moved back to the primary dam, the gap area has this huge pile of mud and sticks on it. They basically rebuilt both dams overnight! Did not have time to go down to the other dams, but I will tonight. Shortly after I got there, in the pitch dark the green heron flew in to the primary dam, squawking away, guess he was still hungry! Saw lots of raccoon activity at the edges of the dam where they were working, maybe they are dredging up food items with all the mud.