Beaver » DFW Urban Wildlife

Beaver – Not So Shy Anymore

Mar 302012

Our neighborhood Beavers have become quite an attraction. People stop by the Beaver’s pond nearly every evening hoping to get a look.

There are at least two Beavers at this location and they are becoming more and more accustomed to to the attention they have been getting. As a consequence, they are much easier to observe and photograph now than when they were first discovered back in the early fall of 2011.

These videos were taken just before the sunset. They show one of the two Beavers as he repeated the same behavior over and over. The Beaver would begin by surfacing near a recently felled tree. He would then swim out toward the middle of the pond and stop. After a few minutes the Beaver would turn and then swim back to the felled tree. At the tree the Beaver would make a big production of submerging, before starting the whole process over again just a few minutes later.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	Mar 16, 2012
Time of Day	-	Dusk
Temperature	-	Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C)
Weather	-	Clear
Habitat	-	Water-Creek
Type of Behavior	-	Roaming
Gender	-	Uncertain
Maturity	-	Adult
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	Beaver	Observation Location

Beaver – Place of Ponds

Beaver, Mammals No Responses »

Mar 202012

On an early morning walk, I discovered two Beaver Ponds within just a couple of hundred yards/meters of each other. The ponds are located in a greenbelt that runs between a residential subdivision on one side and an apartment complex on the other. A small, intermittent stream flows through the center of the green belt and trees have grown up all around it.

Signs of Beaver activity became abundant as I approached the first pond. Freshly cut trees caught my attention first. Then the pond and the Beaver dam came into view.

I took a few picture from an overlooking embankment and then moved down to the pond for a closer look at the dam. The dam was a haphazard looking structure, with branches of various sizes strewn all around. The construction of this dam included materials typically associated with Beaver dams—namely, branches and mud. To this point, most of the Beaver dams I have encountered in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have been made of tightly packed mud and reeds. Evidently, Beavers are adaptable and will build their dams out of what ever suitable material they can find in abundance.

While I was taking pictures from near the dam, I noticed a line of bubbles tracing its way across the pond and headed my direction. I kept my eyes on the bubbles as they drew nearer. Sure enough, a Beaver surfaced just a few feet away from me. I must have startled the big rodent because he grunted, slapped the water hard with his tail, and then submerged. A few minutes later, he reappeared swimmingly by my location like it was no big deal.

A little further down the way, I encountered the second Beaver pond. This pond is marked by lots of felled trees, and lots of in-progress cuts. There is evidence that people have tried to discourage the Beavers from their tree gnawing, and evidence that the Beavers have defeated these efforts in a number of places.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	Mar 16, 2012
Time of Day	-	Morning
Temperature	-	Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C)
Weather	-	Overcast
Habitat	-	Undeveloped-Semi-Wooded
Type of Behavior	-	Various
Gender	-	Uncertain
Maturity	-	Adult
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	Beaver	Observation Location

March 1, 2009 – Rescue, Rehab, and Release

Journal 2 Responses »

Jan 242012

This past spring my daughter and I were invited to participate in an event that turned out to be quite a remarkable experience. Valeri Marler of the Wildlife Center at Crosstimbers Ranch, a wildlife rehabilitation and education center, graciously asked us to accompany her in the releasing of a number of her recently rehabbed animals. This was an invitation we eagerly accepted!

We met with Valeri and her husband Mike well south of Dallas in a remote area near the place where the East Fork merges with the Trinity River. This verdant landscape is the home of the South Forks Trinity River Mitigation Bank which is owned and operated by Mr. Johnny Mack Powers.

For those not familiar with the concept, Mitigation Banking is a government sponsored program designed to help protect our natural wetlands, while at the same time recognizing and accommodating the need for development and progress. Here’s how it works… If a company or government agency wants to implement a project that will damage or destroy existing wetlands, they can secure permission to proceed by purchasing an appropriate number of credits from a mitigation bank. These credits are then used by the mitigation bank to restore and protect wetlands that were lost prior to this program being enacted.

The land that is now the South Forks Trinity River Mitigation Bank appears to have once been home to some kind of major industrial operation. Evidence of its prior usage is all around. Contrasted against the background of the Trinity River’s lush riparian forest are large flat plains surrounded by retaining ponds and piles of moved earth. Rusting hulks of old machinery and pipes litter the landscape. Newly planted areas with tagged saplings and green grass offer evidence of the ongoing restoration efforts. It is exactly the promise of this wetland reclamation that makes this mitigation bank such an ideal place for returning the rehabilitated animals to the wild.

We arrived early in the afternoon and soon met up with Johnny Mack Powers and his friends and family at the location chosen for the first set of releases. There were a number of children present, and their excitement was palpable. We spent the rest of the day moving around the property releasing the various species of animals into the kinds of environments best suited to them. The afternoon wrapped up with the exciting release of three bobcats. What a special day!

A couple of weeks later my daughter and I followed up with a visit to the Wildlife Center at Crosstimbers Ranch, and its sister organization, the National Bobcat Rescue and Research Foundation. This beautiful location near lake Tawokoni, is the home of Valeri’s wildlife rehabilitation and education efforts. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon as Valeri provided us with a guided tour of her facility, and introduced us to the wide variety animals currently under her care.

The Release at the South Forks Trinity River Mitigation Bank

The Visit to the Wildlife Center at Crosstimbers Ranch

For more information please follow the links below:

South Forks Trinity River Mitigation Bank

The Wildlife Center at Crosstimbers Ranch

National Bobcat Rescue and Research Foundation

Beaver – Home Maintenance

Beaver, Mammals 4 Responses »

Nov 282011

These videos and photographs are from a series of Beaver observations made in Carrollton, Texas. The images were recorded over the course of two busy nights with a time lapse camera. During this time the Beaver made a considerable number of modifications to its lodge. It also briefly interacted with other wildlife, and it had to endure a raging thunderstorm.

The first video is the most comprehensive. It contains footage of the Beaver making repairs and additions to its lodge over the course of two nights. The video compresses around 12 hours into just a little over one minute. Playback is fast, so keep your eyes peeled. Watch for the the Beaver adding dark, fresh mud and new branches. Also keep an eye out for other visitors to the lodge (rats, Raccoons, and Mallards). Occasionally there will be something going on in the background. Reflective eyes are often the key to locating where the action is taking place. Finally, a powerful storm passes through towards the end of the video. Watch for the rising and lowering water levels in the Beaver’s pond.

The second video contains two nights of the Beaver alone. His activities over this time period are compressed down to just over three minutes. This video runs at a slower rate, so it will be easier see the Beaver’s behaviors. Watch as the Beaver works tirelessly to enlarge its lodge. Notable in this clip are a couple of instances where the Beaver can be seen walking semi-upright while carrying a load of mud in its front paws.

In the final video, a pair of Raccoons show up at the Beaver lodge and proceed to clown around. The Beaver continues working diligently in spite of his uninvited guests.

Be sure to watch the videos full screen so you can catch all of the details.

After the videos is a picture gallery containing interesting stills complete with detailed commentary. Enjoy!

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	Nov 20, 2011 – Nov 21, 2011
Time of Day	-	Night
Temperature	-	Cool (50-69°F/10-21°C)
Weather	-	Rain
Habitat	-	Water-Creek
Type of Behavior	-	Den Building
Gender	-	Uncertain
Maturity	-	Adult
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	Beaver	Observation Location

Beaver – Update

Beaver, Mammals No Responses »

Nov 202011

I have been trying to photograph this Beaver for almost 3 months now. Some times I have had my Scouting Cameras pointed at his lodge. At other times I have focused on a tree that the Beaver was working to take down. On several occasions there has been ample evidence that the Beaver was in front of my cameras for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, each time the cameras failed to trigger.

After this last set of photographs, I am more convinced than ever that the Beaver is somehow able to defeat the motion detectors on my camera.

In these pictures you can see the addition of fresh mud to the Beaver’s ever growing lodge. The mud was added over the course of a single night, which means the Beaver was definitely in front of the camera on at least three separate occasions. Still, no pictures were recorded.

It looks like I’m going to have to take another tack if I am ever going to get photographs of this Beaver.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	November 11, 2011
Time of Day	-	Night
Temperature	-	Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C)
Weather	-	Clear
Habitat	-	Water-Creek
Type of Behavior	-	Sign
Gender	-	Uncertain
Maturity	-	Adult
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	Beaver	Observation Location

Beaver – Like a Lumberjack

Beaver, Mammals No Responses »

Nov 112011

A few days ago our Beaver friend felled another large tree. He worked on this tree, off and on, for the better part of two weeks. Progress was sporadic, and sometimes barely noticeable. He did the majority of the work the night the tree came down.

The Beaver pond has changed dramatically over the last couple of months. The dam is more distinct and easier to see. Most of the small trees in the center of the pond have been removed, and the Beaver has made substantial progress removing reeds from the pond’s perimeter. Busy as a Beaver ain’t no joke.

As the Beaver’s efforts to clear his pond of of trees and reeds continue unabated, so too does his ability to evade my Scouting Cameras. When I first noticed gnaw marks on his most recently targeted tree, I set up two Scouting Cameras to monitor the effort. I had one set to take still photographs, and the other set to take video. It was my hope that I would record the actual felling of the tree.

Well, no such luck. In fact, I recorded no images of the Beaver at all. The cameras routinely capture images of the Mallards at this location, so I know the cameras are functioning properly. I’m starting to think that maybe the Beaver’s fur is such an effective insulator that the camera’s motion detector cannot recognize it as a heat source. Camera Trappers, any suggestions?

Beaver – A Suburban Pond

Beaver, Mammals 3 Responses »

Nov 022011

I discovered this Beaver activity sometime around mid-September.

This location is just just around a 100 yards/meters from the head of a small creek that flows through our neighborhood. Ultimately this creek continues on until it merges with the Trinity River a few miles/kilometers to the west.

Over the years a number of trees have grown up in the culvert that the creek flows through. Some had become quite tall. My first clue that there was something going on here was when I noticed that some of the larger trees had gone missing.

When I went to investigate, I found abundant evidence of Beaver activity. Several tree were downed. A pond was beginning to form. Reeds along the shore had been cleared. There was a dam, and a beaver lodge.

The Beaver can be reliably observed night after night at around 7:00pm. Most nights at this time he can be found sitting just outside the entrance of the lodge. He typically stays there for just a few minutes before entering the water and swimming off towards the dam.

Unfortunately, between the vegetation, and the poor lighting it is hard to get much more than a fleeting glimpse of him. It has been even harder to get a good photograph.

But, I continue to try. Currently, I have Scouting Cameras monitoring the site, and hope to get some candid photographs or video soon. Stay tuned!