It was just supposed to be a late autumn walk to practice with an underused DIY parabolic microphone. I threw a few granola bars and a small video camera into my backpack and headed down the trail. This is a short trail that my wife and I walk most years in Autumn, although this time I was alone. The trail winds through several habitats, between small kettle lakes and beaver ponds; through aspen forests with birch and stands of old spruce, as well as some pockets of grassy meadow. I was only about 20 minutes up the trail when I came across a scene of apparent devastation, with fallen logs and muddy trails which at first glance seemed to be the work of a lumberjack who had been dipping too deeply into the spruce beer.
I continued down the trail until I met a furry obstacle. It was a big beaver, in the process of dragging a branch down the footpath. We eyed each other briefly, then I deftly (i.e. hobbling with excited anticipation) stepped up a side track and positioned myself between two drag trails that led to the nearby pond. At this point, I silently cursed myself. I was poorly equipped, without my usual camera and telephoto lens, an action camera, a tripod or even a monopod. I had to resort to the little, creaky and click-y handheld camcorder.
It was another of those magic moments that one comes across in Nature while walking quietly alone. From my vantage point, I could see and hear at least five beavers in the pond and woods around me, something I had never experienced before. I recorded their activity with the camcorder, handheld or leaning against a tree when possible. Sometimes it was difficult to choose where to turn the camera, because so much was happening. Unfortunately, I did not have enough range with the camcorder to get clear shots of the action near the beaver lodge, but I hope to remedy that with another visit to this location next week.
There is nothing fast-paced about this video. Beavers are not models of swiftness, but they can, when required, galumph along with gusto. If you look closely at some of the paddle-shaped beaver tails visible in this video, you will see that some are heavily notched and ragged at the anterior end. Whether this is from predators (in this park, it would be black bear or coyote) having a go at them in their sluggish moments, or due to the normal hazards of their lumberjack trade, I cannot say. If you have any idea, let me know in the comments.
Beavers are so unbelievably strong! I hope to see one one day.