Beaver Diaries January 2024
In the heart of Norfolk lies the Hawk and Owl Trust Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve, a small but important sanctuary nestled in the Wensum Valley near Fakenham. Since April 2022, this reserve has taken on new significance with the arrival of a pair of beavers, thanks to a project supported by the UK Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. Over the past 18 months, both staff and volunteers have had the unique opportunity to observe and record the behaviours of these beavers, adding to the ongoing story of the reserve’s rich biodiversity.
After our beaver duo arrived – one from Scotland, the other from Yorkshire – they’ve been busy! In May 2023 they had two kits. The volunteers and staff have been monitoring them.
You might have seen our updates on social media or checked out our web post titled “Beavers At Sculthorpe Moor: Nature’s Engineers.” Well, we’ve got more news for you! Starting this new year, we’ll be posting monthly summaries of the family’s activities and any changes and new visitors that we capture on the cameras in their enclosure. Stay tuned for all the cute moments!
January 2024
In 2023, the reserve faced a tough challenge as relentless rain triggered unexpected floods, leading to temporary closures. As we welcomed 2024, the rain persisted, impacting our beaver enclosure, which nearly submerged under the rising waters. Despite our efforts, we had to remove two of our seven trail cameras due to water-related issues. Additionally, the cold weather caused the pools and scrape to freeze over, presenting further challenges for the wildlife.
Access to the beaver enclosure was problematic resulting in access only being viable through the scrape hide gate. Despite the challenges, we finally got access to our trail cameras and found some surprises. Among the floodwaters, we caught adult otters playing around with their young on camera. Plus, we had some new guests: a woodcock and, for the first time ever, a fox! They were first seen in the dragonfly meadow, then later roaming around the woods near the main lodge.
Dam Building Begins
Towards the end of the month, as the water levels dropped, something exciting happened. Our hardworking beavers began building their first dam near Oak Fen drain, whilst also sprucing up the main lodge. By the end of the month this had gained in height and was covered in mud. At one time the lodge was flooded, surrounded by water.
Strong winds caused a tree to fall and damage the beaver fence near the scrape. This was quickly sorted out. Although there was a lot of fallen trees in the beaver wood along Oak Fen Drain there was also fresh evidence of bark stripping, tree felling, haulouts and canals being built.
It’s amazing to see how resilient and adaptable our wildlife is in the reserve.
| Fox | Squirrel | Woodcock |
| Otters | Pheasant | Moorhen |
| Grey Heron | Hare | Wood Mouse |
| Muntjac | Stoat | Bat |
| Water shew | Mallards | Robin |