A while back I stumbled onto a delightful read about the work of beavers on an attractive website called Tamia Outside. It encourages no-octane exploration of the outdoors through cycling or paddling, and had some lovely things to say about watching wildlife. Tamia and I connected around a series of intriguing photos taken by a contact of hers who thought they might be beavers at the beach. (!) This prompted her to work on an article about telling beavers and muskrat apart, and to ask permission to use my movie about the task.
Yesterday her efforts were displayed with outstanding results. I thought I’d encourage you all to go over and check out her success, which has things for all of us to learn from. She even has rare photos of beaver scat, which it took me three years to find online. She says lovely things about our website and we had 15 visitors from her site yesterday, so pay back the favor and click on the link right away! Pause while you’re there to rewatch the movie because it’s actually one of my favorites. It was my third effort ever and used windows movie maker no less (that kept shutting down and dumping things every five minutes)! I actually think the beaver whose tail slap you see in that footage was an early yearling. I don’t recognize the size or head now and I was told by someone that they saw three beavers on the bank in early 2007. I think this beaver was our very first “disperser”
Nice work Tamia, we appreciate your research and the resource. You might add this fun clip for a up close demonstration of size difference!
Mom and kit seen last night and our third arrival merited a “tweet” at the Contra Costa Times.
If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
“I hate to say it, but I’m surprised something like this hasn’t already happened.” This, tragically, was the death by suicide of a charter boat captain hired by BP to take part in oil leak cleanup or protection efforts in the gulf.
The quote comes from Jason Bell, who worked for William Allen “Rookie” Kruse, 55, for three years as a deckhand and pilot. Kruse put a bullet [1] through his head this morning at a marina in Fort Morgan, Alabama. His boat was about to launch today and he was reportedly upset with the oil leak, the cleanup efforts and loss of income, and wondering how he would be paid for taking part in the Vessel of Opportunity program.
The newspaper related that Baldwin County Coroner Stan Vinson “said witnesses told investigators that Kruse had been upset about the loss of business caused by the closing of fishing grounds and public perceptions of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.” Perhaps ominiously, Bell said, “He wasn’t any more aggravated with the whole situation than any of the rest of us.
