One of the things I enjoy about my vantage point as a former beaver watcher and current guardian is that I get to hear the stories of other beaver watchers and remember what it felt like for that world to unfold before me. This latest post from Jenny Mann of the Beaver Trust in the UK brings it all back to me.
Beaver Watch
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working at Loch of the Lowes Nature Reserve as a Beaver Interpretation Officer. The beaver population here was growing, and as many may know, this population was not part of the official Scottish reintroduction project. Therefore, in order to alleviate the concerns 
that many local people had, I delivered ‘Beaver Watch’ events. During these sessions we discussed everything from the beavers’ brutal history, to the behavioural differences between Eurasian and American beavers, and of course the positive impact that these amazing animals can have on the environment.
The evening event, hosted in a special “Crannog” wildlife hide, culminated in a spotting session looking over the loch. Each night we watched mesmerising sunsets with Ospreys overhead and red squirrels in the trees around us; only a beaver could top this truly wild experience.
I have many fond memories from this time, not least of all the way my volunteers treated spotting the beavers like an undercover operation. Fuelled with tea and biscuits, they donned their radios and binoculars and made sure every single visitor caught sight of a beaver during our sessions.
Ahhh that’s fun. Of course we didn’t need secret agent maneuvers in Martinez but I certainly understand your excitement. It’s fun to hunt beavers, but even funner to find them. Or better yet, let them find you.
It’s a magical experience to watch any animal in the wild, but considering their 400-year local extinction, spotting a wild beaver in the UK is A BIG DEAL. You won’t forget the sight of a beaver swimming easily… alright, you might be fooled by the odd duck, but there’s really nothing that compares to the smooth and purposeful wake made by a Best Dadbeaver heading for an evening feed.
I can remember the excitement building each night and my failed attempts to contain the oh’s and ah’s of my visitors as they caught sight of their first wild beaver. Occasionally our subject would dive down (and they can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes), but this would only make the group more determined to see another. Being able to help them connect with their local nature was a true privilege, and I know that I ignited a love for these wonderful animals in many people throughout our Beaver Watches.
Here you might be thinking, A love? Really? Is that exaggerating? And I will show you something precious and you let me know the answer. Tell me what your heart feels after watching this moment of dad beaver and his newest son in Martinez in 2010 after he just lost his partner of many years.
[wonderplugin_video iframe=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Best-Dad.mov” lightbox=0 lightboxsize=1 lightboxwidth=960 lightboxheight=540 autoopen=0 autoopendelay=0 autoclose=0 lightboxtitle=”” lightboxgroup=”” lightboxshownavigation=0 showimage=”” lightboxoptions=”” videowidth=600 videoheight=400 keepaspectratio=1 autoplay=0 loop=0 videocss=”position:relative;display:block;background-color:#000;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%;margin:0 auto;” playbutton=”https://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/wonderplugin-video-embed/engine/playvideo-64-64-0.png”]
Well, is that love? Did the earth move for you, too?
