At the beavers’ lodge a surprisingly lively activity goes on and the beavers have become steadily more active as May proceeds and reluctantly grows warmer. The beavers have been seen busy in camera view in daylight, dusk, at night and at dawn. Daytime seems mainly to be used for rest for the beavers. Four beavers at once in camera view is the current record.

What have the beavers done then? Most of all been swimming of course, made loud splashes with the tail against the water, climbed on top of the lodge, gnawed at trees.

We arranged a test with two aspen trunks,about 7-8 centimnetres thick, pushed into the ground. So would something happen, and when? For two weeks no beaver touched this bait, only a roe deer nipped a twig stump in plain daytime. On the night of May 4th however the thinking of one beaver resulted in action and in about 10 minutes the trunk was felled. Later, it was cut in two and brought away downstream. From the same date a second test is in progress: in front of the lodge a slightly thicker aspen trunk is visible, pressed into the mud. We will see from observing the camera when this will be handled and where it will be brought.

The beaver camera surprises with the great number of species, audible as well as visible. Steadfast beaver camera viewer Hagnat from the Netherlands has identified more than 80 bird species that have flown past and called, been singing in the forest or come into camera view. About the birds and about the frogs too in the surroundings of the beaver nest I will however write another time..

Furry animals – since the installation of the camera we have seen 6 species of mammals. At night bats fly above the water by the video image alone it is not possible to determine the species. A water vole has swum past the camera, the voles belong here quite as much as beavers, using the burrows of our largest rodent for living and shelter. Each night the pine marten on its hunting trail passes here. A fox has climbed on top of the lodge and sniffed at the edge of the water in daylight and darkness. A roe deer pair have their home territory here. Badgers and raccoon dogs have been caught on trail camera nearby but have not yet come into beaver camera view. They will make it too, in their own time.

P.S.

A nightingale can be heard for the third night, starting shortly before midnight until now.