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. 

Bald Eagles

Perhaps in your area; Bald Eagles are a common sight. Where I live; in Danville, Illinois; they are making a come back, but still not an everyday sight. Last winter, I spotted what I recognized to be a Bald Eagle nest. If not for the absence of leaves on the trees, I likely would not have seen it.

I went back to that area several times and in April was rewarded to see that the nest was occupied. I continued going back and taking pictures until sometime in June, when the nest was again vacant. I hope to catch them there again next spring.

Following are pictures I took this spring.


The parents.....

One of the eaglets in April. There were only two as far as I could tell.

A parent cruising the area. I learned that the female is the larger bird.

The nest in a Sycamore tree at edge of river.

The male perched in what came to be a common spot for me to see him. The parents tolerated my presence without much concern. That section of the river is busy with canoes and kayaks, so that may have let them be used to people; although any I see elsewhere, fly away as soon as they spot me.

I came to recognize that the male was the one normally watching the nest whenever I was there. Here he is leaping off a branch and starting flight.

Trying to stay perched on a very windy day!

May 17...the babies are growing.

June 10....the babies are much bigger. This was the last time I saw them at the nest.

Taking flight from the tree limb below it....

 ....banking into a turn....

.........and flying away....

I had a really great time watching this family of eagles and hope to have the privilege to do so next spring.

Thanks for stopping by..........and enjoy the nature in your area....

September 14, 2013 - Hike Along the Middlefork River

Well here it is the middle of September; and I see that this blog has not been updated since January. My goal is to get regular updates posted again. I had problems uploading pictures for a while, but that seems to be solved.

September 14

This is a memorable date for me. On this date in 1972, my grandfather Selby Hopkins passed away while hunting Ginseng in the Shelbyville, Illinois area. He was 77 years old. His doctor had told him he should no longer get out in the woods; hiking, digging ginseng, and the other roots he collected. He chose to do so anyway, and in my opinion passed away just where he probably wished.  Then on this date in 1986, our son was born. I did not realize the coincidence of that, until just a few years ago when I found information from my grandfather's funeral.

.........Now to get this latest post....and revival to my blog underway!......

What follows are just a few pictures I took when hiking along the river. These first three show the great love that beavers have for corn. They stripped this are, about 10 rows, pulled it down their well traveled path, and into the river. I found a den under tree roots just downstream from their path.

As I stepped from the brush along the river; I spotted this doe, downstream a bit and on the opposite bank. She spotted my movement, but I immediately sat down and after a bit, she ignored my presence. I eventually saw that there were two other does and a buck. I noticed that they are now getting their fall and winter color to their coat; losing the reddish hue that makes them stank out in the spring and summer. I watched all for a while, till they moved away, then I continued on my way.

...and as is not uncommon; I picked up the very distinctive odor of something dead. It did not take me long to find this deer carcass, that the scavengers are working on. Last year I found at least one carcass every time I was out. I believe if you go back to posts on my blog from that time, you will see those and reference to the Blue Tongue disease that killed so many deer last year, during our drought.

I picked a couple of clusters of these wild grapes to snack on as I hiked. They are a bit tart, but a nice treat.

Since I did mention at the beginning that I was hiking along the river; following are a few pictures of the Middlefork River.

There was still a morning mist rising off the water when I first arrived.

We are now beginning to get a bit of fall color.

A bend of the river. Heavy wooded area to the right. A nice restored prairie area on the left.

There are a few areas where you can just about cross the river without getting your feet wet. We have not had any significant rainfall here for a couple of months and the river is low. I kayaked through this area, over the now exposed rocks back in June.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by! If you are able, get out and enjoy the great outdoors in your area.