Beaver Sightings
This is the story of a beaver dam and its builders, and how one of our game cameras got caught right in the middle of it all.
For the past couple weeks, Conservancy staff have noticed new beaver dams in the Cache Creek. After the heavy rains and high flows, many of the dams had been swept away, so it’s wonderful to see the beavers get back to work. They are extremely industrious and have made quick progress.
Staff have set up game cameras throughout the Preserve to monitor wildlife. On one such camera, we’ve observed beavers carrying small and large branches towards the creek, all in an effort to build their dams.
This morning, staff went to go check on the camera. It was gone! On a hunch, we walked along the creek to the dam, which was about a quarter of a mile downstream.
Lo’ and behold, we found the camera lying on the dam! When staff had set it up, the camera had been mounted on two wooden stakes in the mud (in retrospect, not the best choice on our end). The beavers had evidently decided the wooden stakes, and the attached camera, were the perfect addition to their dam. You can see the sticks circled in green in the 2nd photo above.
We were able to recover the SD card in the camera, which had recorded its final moments before it fell into the paws of the beaver.
In the video, you can see the clip right before the camera was requisitioned. At 2 am, a beaver walks past to collect building materials. An hour later, our camera goes for a midnight dip. We observed beavers passing through the area many times, but we never thought they would take a liking for our camera!
Lesson learned.