ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512060005
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
I walked along the creek the other morning and there it was, a new beaver dam with a good-size pool of water swelling behind it.
I should have known. For several evenings I'd heard the squealing ``weeeeek, weeeeek'' made by wood ducks as they deftly threaded through tree branches to hit the water with a splash. They had found the pothole created by the beavers even before I had.
Beavers are about the best friend a wood duck has. Much the same can be said for shorebirds, frogs, kingfishers, minnows, turtles and aquatic invertebrates.
Beavers come along, and suddenly you have a miniature wetland. They slow the flow of a creek and broaden it. In time, the grassy bottomland becomes a series of pools held captive by dams. From a distance, they sparkle in the sun like a giant necklace.
Let's see now: Is this the second or third time the beavers have arrived? They have stayed for several months, changing the landscape, mostly at night, with their ``busy as a beaver'' traits.
On previous occasions, we've watched the height of their dams grow and the water back up until the bottomland looks more like a lake than a meadow. Then, a flood sweeps down the drainage. The dams are uprooted and the beaver lodge is shoved aside rudely to languish on dry land when the high water retreats. The beavers disappear.
I've never figured out where the furry critters go. Or why they come back months later.
The first time they came, we didn't know what to expect. The thought of having these wild and industrious creatures in our area was exciting. But when they threatened to flood the backside of our property, we began to wonder: How many hardwoods would they drop across the line fence? Would they use our Christmas tree planting as fodder for their dam?
The enjoyment of beavers can depend upon which side of the fence the animals happened to claim as their own. One thing is certain: When beavers arrive, there is no question who owns the land. It is not the one whose name happens to be on the deed recorded at the courthouse. The beavers are in charge.
That unnerves many deed owners, who go to war with the beavers. So far, we have accepted them, even welcomed them. That is easier to do when a colony spends most of its time on your neighbor's side of the fence.
We've even taken advantage of their handiwork by erecting wood duck nesting boxes, which look a bit like oversized bluebird houses. So far, the boxes haven't been occupied. We set them at the edge of the water, where the hen duck, in time, can call her brood from the nest and the downy birds will make a soft landing in the water. But by the time the nesting season comes around, the water always has been gone, along with the beavers and the ducks.
I question whether the beavers have made a prudent choice in their building site. There aren't many trees nearby. Once they have cut the willows that grow along the creek, they must climb a ridge to chop down pole-size trees, then drag them to the creek and float them downstream. Surely there must be a more convenient spot.
Maybe they are there for the same reason I am. It is a beautiful and desirable setting to call home.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 linesby CNB