Beavers - Nature's Civil Engineers

I can remember a time in my area, when Beavers were almost non-existent. In the last 30 years though, their numbers have rapidly increased. It is now very common to see remains of their activities....cut trees, well worn trails down into the water, and corn fields near the streams with large sections of corn completely wiped out. I was quite surprised a few years ago when I first came across a corn field with evidence of the Beaver's activity.

The above is not meant as a condemnation of the Beaver. I am happy to see their return. In my lifetime, the White Tail Deer, Turkey, River Otter, and Bald Eagles have also returned to my area.

I have numerous pictures in older posts in this blog, showing Beaver activity.

Following are a few recent pictures. For any new visitors; if you click the picture, you can see it full size.

Our streams have been quite low since late summer. Hiking along the Middlefork River, the other day, I was surprised to see a Beaver dam the full width of the river. I have seen lots of dams on smaller streams, but this is only the second I have witnessed on this river, and this one is the longest.

In this first picture, taken from downstream far enough to show it all; you can see how shallow the water is on the down stream side and the pool of water behind the dam.

The dam is perhaps only about 2 feet high, but creates a nice pool for quite a distance upstream. Here you can see my dog Emma swimming through the "reservoir" toward the dam.

The dam construction is very sturdy. The expected material is there; branches from trees they have cut and in addition there are corn stalks from a nearby field. I was surprised at the large numbers of rocks that were used on this dam. That section of stream is full of rocks and the Beavers took full advantage of that resource. It would be really interesting to witness a dam construction and in particular the placement of those rocks.

The following two pictures were taken at a different location; in a marsh about a mile from the dam. I went there in the evening, sat on the bank, and was able to see several Beavers swimming about. I took several pictures in the evening light, including the one of the large splash made by a Beaver when it submerges quickly, sensing danger.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by! Feel free to share this blog with anyone you feel might enjoy it. 

New Year's Day 2013

Yesterday I was able to continue a tradition I started several years ago; of starting the year by spending time out in the woods; prairie areas; and streams.

We have a bit of snow cover this year, probably just a couple of inches right now. Further west and also south of us, they got up to 12 inches of snow.

The temperature started in the low twenties yesterday and only rose to perhaps 26 degrees, before falling into the single digits by this morning.

I picked a location that is quite easy to get to, provides some nice views, the opportunity to hike through the woods, river bottom, and along the river.

I have taken quite a number of pictures from here, and will likely continue to do so. This high bluff above the Middlefork Vermilion River, showcases a nice view out over the river bottom and wooded areas beyond.

New; over about the last year, is a group of wind turbines in the distance. This picture is cropped and zoomed tighter to show them better.

Red Cedar tree and saplings in the snow.

The Oak leaves will hang on to the branches, sometimes until the new buds force them to drop in the spring.

After spending time atop the bluff, looking about and taking the above pictures; I began working my way carefully down the steep hill to the river bottom. The leaves laying on the ground, covered with snow, can sometime provide treacherous footing. I planted my walking stick carefully to stay on my feet.

At the bottom of the bluff and near the river is the remains of what was probably once a very nice cabin in a nice sheltered location. I often wonder at it's history, who built it, how long it was used, etc. It is perhaps 12 feet x 16 feet; not large, but would have been a nice manageable size. It appears that there had been a small fireplace built into one side of the brick wall.

A view of the bluff, from the river near the old cabin foundation.

The bare woods, especially with some snow cover added, has it's own unique beauty. You are able to see off through the woods, quite easily.

Of course Emma accompanied me. She spent lots of time roaming about, inspecting every hole and hollow tree or log....searching for that elusive raccoon or possum. I hope she never finds a skunk. Many years ago, I had a Black and Tan Coonhound that caught a skunk and it was not a pleasant experience. My parents would not let me back in the house when I got back that night, until I left my clothes outside!
Emma spent considerable time covering a lot of area. I did not know where she was most of the time, but she would eventually come snuffling along following my trail.

Passing through a corn field, the snow cover provided evidence of the activity that had taken place. There were lots of deer tracks, that I did not think to photograph and areas where they had dug up the snow to get to green plants under the snow cover.

An Opossum had also passed along, leaving it's very distinctive tracks.

There were also Turkey tracks. I wish that I had laid one of my gloves down to show how large they are.

I came across very large patches of Goldenrod in the river bottom. If you do some research, you will learn that this is an important medicinal plant. I presently have a nice supply of leaves that I collected about one month ago, just before they dropped from the stalks. I use them to make a tea, which I find very helpful when I have a cold. Please do your own research and learn about this remarkable plant.

This plant and several like it, were out in the open corn field. I do not know it's identity, but feel I should. Perhaps if I saw it in the growing season, I would know it.

The Middlefork River is not a very large stream. It is popular for canoeing and kayaking, but this past summer, we had quite a drought, and it was so low there was not much of that activity, unless you felt like walking and pulling your water craft. I have a kayak and enjoy spending time on this river.

This past summer, I was able to easily cross the river in spots such as this. It was very convenient and a nice opportunity to cross back and forth whenever I wanted, without wading; but I am happy to see the river back at a normal level.

This bend in the river holds a lot of memories for me. It has changed a lot over the last 25 years or so. It is fairly easy to get to from another parking location than I had used today. Our daughter used to go fishing with me here; and caught a catfish that won first place in a fishing contest in the Indian Guides and Indian Princess program that we were members of. Our son later came with me for quite a number of fishing expedition here and all up and down the river. We often waded. It is a great area for Smallmouth Bass.

This tree, whose roots can be seen in left hand side of the above picture, once stood just at the inside of the sharp bend. We often sat on the sandbar (no longer there) across the river and cast our lines into the deep water at it's base. It washes out several years ago as the river changed course and has been pushed up alongside the bank. Over the past summer, it provided a nice seat as I took a rest.

Also this past summer, I was very delighted to bring my 4 year old granddaughter to this location. We walked along the sandbar visible on the right hand side of the river; picked up rocks, looked at small aquatic life, and had a snack and water break....quite a fun day!

And thus concludes my somewhat disjointed, rambling, and out of order description of my New Year's Day; as well as my trip down memory lane.

Happy New Year to all readers!