On my recent kayak outings, I have noticed a lot of recent beaver activity. Several trees have been downed by these constant-gnawing rodents:
And in this next image, you can see recent activity on a standing tree. The tree is currently being “girdled”, which will eventually kill the tree. And a close look at the base of the tree (righthand side) will show mud being packed along the bank, along with some cut branches … sort of looks like a group may be building a new lodge (into the bank), covering it with sticks/mud, a common practice along creeks in this area:
This kayaking route is one where I made many beaver images over the last couple of years. This past year, the Conservation Department put out some traps in this area. I don’t really understand why they were trying to eradicate them (the area is a state conservation area and does not see much activity by the public … one of the reasons I love to kayak here). But it looks like either they were not very successful, or perhaps a new group of beavers has moved in, following last year’s drought that caused the area to totally dry up!
Speaking of drought, below is an image I made this past November while checking out the conditions of this area in the local drought:
In the above image, you can clearly see the waterline of where water normally is in this area (the light/dark line on the foreground tree). Also visible are two entrances to the lodge, one a couple of feet to the left of the tree and the second on the far right of the image. There also happens to be at least two other entrances on the other side of the lodge.
