Early Morning at the Pond

    I am totally confused by the behavior of the adolescent beavers this spring. This morning one large beaver came within fifty feet of me and slapped many times, swimming back and forth but never coming in for the apples that were floating by the dam. He slapped and slapped, each time, I wasn’t fast enough to catch it. He swam off towards the Lodge  leaving me frustrated and disappointed. Just as I was packing  up my tripod and camera, another beaver headed towards me. I unpacked my

gear and waited while she swam lazily towards me and the apples. She immediately grabbed an apple in her mouth with the help of her delicate front paws and swam to the dam where she daintily ate the apple, reached for another and polished most of the pieces off. Then she swam off, diving and bringing material to the dam but around the corner where I couldn’t see what she was doing. Usually in the morning after eating apples, they sit for awhile on the dam, groom and enjoy the sun. This has not been the case this spring. One of the factors I have changed is where I stand to photograph. There is a wonderful point of land at the end of the dam where I have a bench for people to sit and enjoy the pond. I have cleared out some old dead pines and spruce and made a clearing for the canoe and for  beaver observing. Sometimes I think that they may prefer the old  location which was a lot darker in the late afternoon. They may be confused but I am totally. Often I can see the ripples of their activity at the other end of the dam some five hundred feet away from me. The dam is curved so it’s impossible to see from one end to the other. Nature photography requires a lot of patience and persistence. Now I have confused them and me too. It’s much too difficult to make my way over to the other end of the dam , a hike with all my gear. I can’t decide whether to persevere in my new location or go back to the old one. It is the time of the year when the two year old kits move out and wander down stream to look for a suitable new home. Without the parents in residence, I don’t know if this will happen. Would they leave the sole one year old alone? I hope not. Obviously I have no control over the situation. I hope to be able to observe how it all plays out.