Builders in the Bogs

I have always struggled to capture the beauty of beaver lodges and dams. Sometimes my efforts didn't meet up with my intentions. Nevertheless, I have kept photographing the work of my kindred spirit, the beaver. While I am a lover of nature, I am also, by nature, a builder, so I have always been amazed by the accomplishments of our little furry friends. They can reshape a landscape, changing a deep mountain stream into a sunny, wide open bog within a few seasons. Standing dead trees, gray with weather, gnawed limbs, squishy ground, narrow canals, all are the direct result of a family of beavers moving in.

At this location, the entire area was so boggy, even during the dry-spell this year, that we couldn't walk without sinking to our knees in muck. But, we could easily walk along the meandering top of the dam. The mud-packed branches made a sturdy bridge out into the middle of the bog where I was able to catch these and other images. The only problem I had was trying to get the tripod setup on the narrow top of the dam. As a matter of fact, on several occasions while I tried to look through the viewfinder of my camera, I almost fell off the dam into the pond--talk about faux pa .

We didn't see the builder during this visit. They tend to avoid public appearances, especially in broad daylight. We will need to return to try to catch the little family at work, as they maintain their homestead in the highlands.