Beaver Diaries June 2024
Unlike May visits, where we managed only two trips to Sculthorpe Moor, June has been better with three trips. Our aim was to capture footage from the trail cameras and live footage of new beaver kits in the evenings. Although water levels have started to normalize, the ground around the Dragonfly Meadow remained very marshy. It soon became clear that the beavers’ engineering skills were at play. The dam holding back the water was now diverting excess water from the wooded areas across the meadows. Beavers, doing what they do best—modifying their environment.
First Visit of the Month
We entered the reserve through Gate 1 and saw three red kites flying overhead and a buzzard calling.. As we walked the familiar trails of the reserve it was clear the beavers had been busy. They were working around the newly constructed Dam 5 at what we now call Poplar Wood and Dam 1. Their initial dam-building effort. The beavers had reinforced Dam 1 and it was now holding back all the water in the main drain. In other areas where we had previously seen activity, there seemed to be little new evidence of beaver work.
The spring flowers were now in bloom with forget me nots, white clover, daisies and buttercups along the track and a dog rose in bloom at Dragonfly Gate. A heron flew over us and two woodpeckers were at the top of a tall silver birch tree. Insects were busy collecting nectar. A thick legged flower beetle rested on a buttercup while nearby was a sunfly . Blue damsel flies, beautiful demoiselles, large red damselflies and a black tailed skimmer dragonfly flitted through the rushes. An elephant hawk-moth was resting in an alder tree and speckled wood butterflies were flying through the irises.
On the scrape most of the black headed gulls had gone. Leaving only a pair with their chicks. Mallards, oystercatchers, a little egret and a gadwall were present. At the Wensum Sluice at the end of the OFD irises had been uprooted by the beavers.
Evening
With the longer daylight hours, we can extend our stays in the reserve. This allows us, hopefully, to capture live footage of the beavers, which helps us assess their health and condition. Respecting their home, we observe them from a distance, in their natural state. In the afternoon, we collected the SD cards, replaced batteries, and reset and sometimes moved the cameras. We returned to the reserve with our cameras and settled in our spot from last year where we had first seen the kits emerge.
It was a Wednesday, and Alan and Tim, two other volunteers, were there. They were conducting the regular fence survey and recording any new beaver activity. Despite not seeing any beavers ourselves, we were surprised and delighted to hear they had clear views of a beaver. They had photographed an adult swimming along the main drain channel towards Dam 4. We saw no signs of it swimming past our position.
After a couple more hours of watching without any luck, we decided to head back to the car. Just as we reached the Dragonfly Meadow, we caught our first glimpse of the evening. It was an adult heading along the small drain towards the IDB. Suspecting it might head to the main sluice at Gate 2. We walked down and found the female beaver sitting on the bank, grooming herself. Oblivious to our presence, we captured some film and photos. Reviewing the footage, we noticed she was still feeding kits but had a problem with her left eye. It seemed like something was in it, or her nictitating membrane was closed. This is a concerning issue as there’s very little we can do for wild animals, even in a 56-acre enclosure.
June Beaver Diaries – Second Visit of the Month
Tonight, a private tour was scheduled for visitors to the reserve, offering them a chance to glimpse the beavers and marvel at their engineering skills. To avoid disturbing the beavers and give visitors the best opportunity to see the family, we decided to quickly collect the SD cards, check the battery status, and reset the cameras before leaving the site.
Surprisingly, despite the lack of recent rain, the water levels in the meadow had risen again . The reason soon became clear: the dam in Poplar Wood had been partly dismantled. It had been replaced overnight by a much larger structure, Dam 6. This blocked the main drain to the meadow. Additionally, the beavers had blocked the IDB drain at the exit sluice, holding back significantly more water.
There was little activity on the scrape Mallards swam in the water and three little egrets flew over and then landed. In the distance a cuckoo was calling loudly.
Upon reviewing the footage from the trail cameras, there was evidence of the otters using the area again. We captured footage of the yearling play fighting in the pool above dam 6 on two occasions.
June Beaver Diaries – Third Visit of the Month
Despite the decreased rainfall and some good warm weather, the areas around the various drains remained very marshy This was a stark contrast to our experiences in the previous two years. The cause of this appeared to be Dam 6 which had more mud and branches added, causing flooding in Poplar Wood. Near to Dam 6 there was a large haul-out area with access into Poplar Wood. There seemed to be little fresh activity around Dam 4.
Along the OFD track brambles were in flower and wild raspberries were fruiting. More spring flowers had appeared like self heal, ragwort, bird’s foot trefoil, hemp agrimony, thistle and wound wort were in bloom. Meadow brown, peacock, and speckled wood butterflies and a burnet moth flew around searching for nectar.
Second Evening watch
We decided to stay late, hoping to capture footage of the new beaver kits.. After collecting the SD cards from the cameras, which we had left in the same positions for weeks to get regular views of the beavers , we settled down in our usual spot. This spot offers clear views towards the main lodge and the area where we suspected the new kits would emerge. Last year, it was easy to spot the adults swimming away from the lodge. This was because they created a bow wave which appeared about 50 feet from the entrance, as they swam underwater to avoid predators.
It was a a long wait with no signs of any activity. However, we did see a kingfisher fly along the drain into Beaver Wood. We decided to take a walk back down to the meadow and heard the distinctive sound of beavers chewing. The flag iris proved to be a popular choice of food. Although hidden by the foliage, we managed to capture a few fleeting images of at least two beavers in the meadow. There was also one swimming out of a bridge pipe into the clear water This gave us a head-on view of what appeared to be a yearling.
This visit highlighted that for our next trip, if we want to capture clear views of the family, we need to focus our efforts in the evening near the dams and the flooded wood. The parents seem to have adopted very different behavior from last year. They may have possibly relocated themselves into the densely wooded areas they have now flooded. Hopefully, over the next few weeks they will bring the new kits closer to us. That would help us to establish whether it is one, two or three kits this year..
| Otters | Hare | Muntjac |
| Hedgehog | Greylag Geese | Jay |
| Heron | Mallard | Rat |
| Squirrel | Magpie | Moorhen |
| Blackbird |