Feature Article March 4, 2004
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The Beaver Pond
Winter is a peaceful time on the surface of a beaver pond. The ice has been covered with an insulating blanket of snow, and only where the outlet of the pond is flowing will the water be visible. During the day there may be no activity on or near the pond, but some nights there may be some visitors, who leave their tracks in the snow as evidence.
Who are these visitors? The straight line track of a Red Fox may be seen crossing as it makes a circuit of its hunting territory. Smaller prints may be those of a Mink who is looking for an opportunity to search the mud in the bottom of the pond for sleeping frogs. Down the side of the bank there could be the elongated trough of an Otter slide. Or there may be one or two canine-like tracks of a pair of Coyotes where they have checked out the lodge that is protruding above the snow. Even though its roof is snow-covered, there may be the scent of animal life below, or the muted stirring of the Beaver family. But the food supply laid in by the Beavers in summer and fall is available below the ice and the animals will not be visible even when stirring. The lodge itself has been sturdily constructed of layers of logs, sticks and mud, and the Coyotes do not waste much time, but move on to other possible food sources.
Late in the winter, the Beavers have mated, but as spring and the breakup of the ice arrive, the animals stir to intense activity. This is the time to repair their dams, but even more importantly it is also the time to protect the territory - from other Beavers. Juveniles leave the home colonies in the spring are seek out new homes. On the shores of its pond an established colony will build scent posts - mounds of plants and earth marked with an odorous glandular secretion. These will let dispersing juveniles know the age and condition of the colony, and either discourage intruders or, if the colony has a vacancy, invite new members.
Spring is also the time the pond becomes the centre of activity for many other forms of life. The usually shallow edge of the pond brings forth fresh plant growth, and here the doe may bring her fawn for water and food. The now open water is a haven for many kinds of ducks, who will find nesting sites nearby. The Great Blue Heron will arrive to stalk the frogs now emerging from winter hibernation. Larvae of midges, dragonflies, and mosquitoes will be active in the water, and when emerging as adults become a feast for Tree Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, and flycatchers. The trees that died as the beaver pond grew and submerged their roots are now home to wood-boring beetles, and these attract woodpeckers who may excavate nests in the dead snags. The peace of the winter is replaced by the busyness of spring, the quiet of the snow-covered pond by the chirping of the birds and the buzz of insects, and the tranquillity of the winter scene by the life and death struggle of each species to survive - at the beaver pond.
Observations: Barbara Geddes, Sharbot Lake, has had several redpolls visiting her feeders, a number of timid sparrows visiting near dusk, chickadees feeding from her hand, nuthatches that nervously approach but are not quite as daring, and a shrike, most probably a Northern Shrike, which made a meal of a chickadee. And just in, the first report of a returning American Robin from Elaine Avison of Elmtree, seen on Feb. 26! Tom & Lorna Rae, Harrowsmith report a flock of 120 to 150 Cedar Waxwings on Feb. 15. What have you had visiting? Contact Jean at 268-2518; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
On Sunday, March 7, the Rideau Valley Field Naturalists' meeting, 2 p.m., at the Civitan Hall, Hwy 43, east of Perth, will have Terry Sprague from the Quinte Conservation Authority speaking on 'Changes in Plants and Animals in Prince Edward County over the last 100 years". All welcome.
