You Know I Can't Hear You When the River is Running

Look who I found today!

Swimming in the rapids of the Oxtongue River, this pair of beavers entertained Jacquie and I for quite some time.  Taffy had to go on leash so she wasn't tempted to jump in and join them -- very dangerous, that, with the river running fast and cold.

The pair were busy putting the finishing touches on their winter lodge and food supply.  It is carefully located in the middle of the river, where it is well protected.  It amazed me that they had been able to fix their food supply securely near this lodge, in the midst of the river flow, but they had...

A trail of snipped off trees along the shoreline, all neatly sharpened to pencil points, tattle-tales their presence.

This was one big beaver -- we know, because he swam very close to us along the shore, hanging in the current for his 'close-up'

He had a careful eye on us all the time, however, and frequently punctuated the river with a big tail slap.   I was able to capture one of these on this video-- it is a little shaky in spots, where I was trying to keep Beav in the viewfinder while not finding myself in the river next to him! Enjoy!