While making a radio documentary about beavers I recorded audio at this beaver pond in Alberta The sounds included birds singing frogs calling insects buzzing and beavers slapping their tails PIERRE BOLDUC
INTRODUCTION Beavers are kind of goofy-looking They have big orange buckteeth front feet that don’t match their back ones and a tail that looks like it was run over by a tractor Yet those odd features are all part of what makes this animal so remarkable The beaver is North America’s number one ecosystem engineer and an essential keystone species I’m always excited when I get to see beavers in action One of my most memorable beaver-watching experiences took place in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario Evening is a good time to spot beavers so I set off along the Beaver Pond Trail just before sunset My destination destination was a massive dam that curved across one end of Amikeus Lake halfway around the trail loop Earlier that day I had hiked past the dam and seen a trickle of water flowing over it No beavers were around then but I thought they might come to deal with that trickle in the evening When I reached the dam I found a comfortable seat on a log I knew I might be waiting for a while Five minutes passed And then five more minutes Suddenly I noticed the V-shaped wake of a small dark object moving across the lake As it got closer I started to make out its features First the knobby ears Then the 11
A swimming beaver is like an iceberg most of its mass is hidden underwater GARYSFRP GETTY IMAGES 2 The beaver was also observing me and maybe it was talking to me Several times it emitted a low rumbling sound like a cross between a growl and a purr It was too bad I didn’t speak its language My new acquaintance then swam over to the dam and clambered onto it It waddled along the top of the dam seemingly unconcerned by the trickling water After pausing for a moment to munch on a bush it belly flopped back into the lake and paddled away small black eyes And finally the flaring nostrils When the beaver had paddled almost to the shore it started cruising back and forth in front of me Peering down into the water I saw how it steered with its tail and propelled itself with slow kicks of its big webbed hind feet first one foot and then the other When the beaver reached the shore opposite me it emerged again It sat upright on the bank with its tail folded underneath its rotund body and began to groom itself I watched through my binoculars as the beaver ran its front paws down its chest belly and sides pressing water out of its thick coat Once it had dried off it spent several minutes rubbing waterproofing oil from its oil glands into its coat Now and then it paused for some vigorous scratching
This was the first time I had ever watched a beaver groom itself so I was excited It felt like sneaking into my favorite singer’s dressing room and watching her do her hair and makeup before a big show Eventually the beaver slipped back into the pond and glided away By then it was almost dark I put on my headlamp and made my way back along the forested path to the parking lot Over the years I’ve heard a lot of beaver stories Stories about encounters with beavers Stories Indigenous Peoples have handed down from generation to generation Stories told by scientists who study these animals Stories about how the fur trade almost drove beavers to extinction and how they were saved And stories from people who are working to figure out how we humans can get along better with beavers in the modern world Maybe you have a beaver story too Or maybe yours is still out there waiting for you to find it Beavers often dive immediately after slapping their tails Water fountains up as the beaver kicks its hind feet in the air and plunges below the surface CHUCK GARRETT
