Now I have a beaver?

[oosik]

Well over 60 years ago the beavers ate all the trees they seem to like - aspen, birch, popular, willow(perhaps). All that remains now are Ponderosa pine. I've watched the beaver on my lake. They pull up the cattails and eat the bulbous root system. FANTASTIC - there is five acres of cattails for them to munch on - on the far end of the little lake. I was thinking of getting some grass carp and see what they could do about cleaning up the far end of the little lake. Now - I'll wait and see what the beavers can do.View attachment 550280 The beaver house/lodge in out in the center of the cattails.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I walked thru the woods and swampy areas below the pond, this evening. I saw no signs of beaver. I sat in my truck on the bridge overlooking the pond for the last hour of light. I watched the bats dance around the sky and saw that my triploid carp have survived yet another winter. No beaver. Possibly he was just passing thru? Where do traveling beavers come from and where do they go? Im perplexed.

 

[MossRoad]

I think it goes like this... the beaver pair has babies. The babies eat them out of house and home. The parents chase the babies off. The babies head up or down stream to look for a place that has food and water and hope a mate shows up. Repeat each spring.

 

[EddieWalker]

I walked thru the woods and swampy areas below the pond, this evening. I saw no signs of beaver. I sat in my truck on the bridge overlooking the pond for the last hour of light. I watched the bats dance around the sky and saw that my triploid carp have survived yet another winter. No beaver. Possibly he was just passing thru? Where do traveling beavers come from and where do they go? Im perplexed.

If they see you, or feel threatened, they will go nocturnal. The first sighting was luck, and even though you didn't threaten it, the beaver still might have decided not to come out so early to avoid being seen again. I'm not saying your wrong and it was just passing through, but this is the wrong time of year for them to be exploring new areas. Now is when babies are being born, and they are looking for fresh growth for nutrition.

 

[MossRoad]

I think it goes like this... the beaver pair has babies. The babies eat them out of house and home. The parents chase the babies off. The babies head up or down stream to look for a place that has food and water and hope a mate shows up. Repeat each spring.

I just read somewhere that the babies live with their parents for two years.... maybe they come back after grad school.

 

[oosik]

I don't know about traveling beaver but - every winter I get a pair of river otter passing thru. If not bothered by humans - me - they will stay as long as a week. I have NO IDEA where they would be coming from nor where they would go when they depart. The nearest river that flows year round - Spokane R - is over thirty miles to the north.

I think they may have "converted" from being river otters to lake otters. In any case - they are a real pure blast to watch. They will make a toboggan run down the snowy cliffs and out onto the ice of my little lake. Up and down for an hour or more at a time - just like kids.

Then they will take a snack break - dive under the lake ice via one of the many spring holes on this end of the lake - catch and eat a bass. I would guess they each eat 15 to 20 bass per day. In the evening I stand out on my porch, which overlooks the little lake. Can't see them - its too dark. But I can hear them - squeaking and squawking - they sound like a kid eating a dry piece of toast. I just can't imagine standing on an ice covered lake - 15 inches of snow on top of the ice - diving into frigid water - enjoying an ice cold bass.

All this while I've got my down jacket on and enjoying a steaming cup of hot cocoa.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't know about traveling beaver but - every winter I get a pair of river otter passing thru. If not bothered by humans - me - they will stay as long as a week. I have NO IDEA where they would be coming from nor where they would go when they depart. The nearest river that flows year round - Spokane R - is over thirty miles to the north.

I think they may have "converted" from being river otters to lake otters. In any case - they are a real pure blast to watch. They will make a toboggan run down the snowy cliffs and out onto the ice of my little lake. Up and down for an hour or more at a time - just like kids.

Then they will take a snack break - dive under the lake ice via one of the many spring holes on this end of the lake - catch and eat a bass. I would guess they each eat 15 to 20 bass per day. In the evening I stand out on my porch, which overlooks the little lake. Can't see them - its too dark. But I can hear them - squeaking and squawking - they sound like a kid eating a dry piece of toast. I just can't imagine standing on an ice covered lake - 15 inches of snow on top of the ice - diving into frigid water - enjoying an ice cold bass.

All this while I've got my down jacket on and enjoying a steaming cup of hot cocoa.

Watching those otters sounds like pure enjoyment!

 

[/pine]

We live on a mountain river and get some irregular guests after a typical flood (+ 5' is typical and only considered "action" actual flood call is +20' )
Sometimes after a "flood" we will get a (displaced) family of otters...likewise with beavers but they are more common than the otters...