Two beaver youth personality profiles

Of all the beavers in our area (whose homes I can observe), I have had a closer experiences with two young beavers who can be called yearlings now (in May, 2024). I would like to honour our acquaintance by offering their personality profiles. Little scholar One of these yearlings lives on a range where riparian …

Beaver tail-slapping behaviour during the reproductive stage after parturition

Our local beaver population has altered its general behaviour, and I believe that this is the result of the females having given birth to the kits. I observed some mating activity in January already. If we assume that the courtship activity was commenced in about mid-January (but the actual mating might have occurred in late …

Beaver observation (Apr 19, 2024) – appropriating a log jam

Tonight I was further contemplating the creative non-traditionalist beaver family I dedicated a post to yesterday (Beaver observation (Apr 18, 2024) – do beavers take time to exercise?). I realized that there was another spot where these individuals are often met and which is of low apparent use to them because it lacks in riparian …

Beaver observation (Apr 18, 2024) – do beavers take time to exercise?

In this post I will be referring to observation I made tonight. However, tonight was simply the night I became conscious of a pattern in one family's behaviour. This is a rather special family. Their range is rather... well, crappy, due to human intervention. But they seem to be resourceful and innovative, and courageous. If …

Unusual night observations after a windstorm – beavers, roe deer, tawny owls (Apr 16, 2024)

This night was rather unusual. The species we encountered behaved differently than they behaved over the last week or over the last couple of weeks (but they did not behave in a wholly atypical manner for their species). It appeared to me as if something had disrupted their assumed routine and I will describe my …

Beaver observations (end of March, April) – enthused and adventurous youth

Ever since about the second half of March I have noticed that the last year's kits (now almost yearlings) have changed their behaviour. They have apparently begun taking their tail-slapping duty very seriously and I rejoice at their newfound sense of responsibility because their mommies are pregnant with their younger siblings and it is much …

Some thoughts on beaver foraging sounds

I have been observing beavers for some time now and as I am in no possession of any equipment that might assist during the dark hours, I often listen in on beaver activities. I believe that beavers make different sounds while: foraging on woody items that they have already harvested vs. felling woody items of …

Beaver observation (Apr 6, 2024) – long-distance leap-dive

This is a brief post to write down an observation of a beaver leaping forth about twice its body length to 'fly' into the water from the shore on fairly level grounds. Typically, I attempt not to disturb the beavers when I am observing them. However, during these years, there have, of course, been instances …

Regarding beaver foraging requirements and preferences

Recently I wrote a post (Do beavers prefer woodland edge trees?) in which I discussed why beavers might prefer trees growing in edge habitats (vs. mature forest interior within reach for the beaver). I realized that there is a paucity of studies dedicated to which specific nutrients and what type of woody plant structures beaver …

Beaver foraging activity peaks and lows (leading to hypothesis on functions of anal gland secretions)

As I have been observing our local beaver population (6 or 7 families, I am still not determinedly certain which), I typically leave home at a specific time - at around 2 am (to quarter an hour). However, sometimes I cannot leave at the exact hour and I delay the observations by 1 - 1.5 …