So last night a few bundled beaver loyalists trotted down to the dam to watch for our furry friends. It was warmer than it had been, and not raining yet. Our efforts were not disappointed. Kit by kit made its aquatic appearance, three in all. I don’t know if you have noticed there is a haybail in the water. It was on the sheetpile side, but made its way over near the dam recently. How exactly did a haybail get in there? Best guess is that it was tossed in during the “snow event” downtown, when they used them on the borders. Lets just hope it wasn’t tossed at something.
(As if our beavers didn’t have enough to worry about with metal and netting. They have less room to swim at the moment and don’t need a huge haybail taking up their legroom. Of course it is water logged and impossibly heavy now, although two good men with waders could probably get it onto the bank.) The beavers had a few ideas of their own. One kit started biting off flakes and carrying them away to the lodge. Packing material? Or natural flooring?
The highlight came when our bravest kit scrambled up the side of the bail and struck a pose atop it, sniffing around and enjoying the new view. I cursed myself for not having a camera, but it looked kind of like this:
Next the large yearling approached who came up onto the dam for a full viewing, and finally the small yearling slunk over the gap in the shadows. For a magic moment there were 5 beavers visible in the water at once, and the traffic jam made for two tail slaps and some lovely mewing noises.
Not to be outdone, a muskrat made an appearance, and a rat of the more mundane variety swam by like Ester Williams with a tail. (What’s up with our rats being such good swimmers and divers anyway? Someone needs to do a research project).
When you hang up your stockings tonight, remember what our beavers want for Christmas!
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=SDYFKkR6GiY]
