Close Encounter of the (Slightly) Unexpected Kind

This time of year (around Memorial Day) if I see a deer, I usually try to look for a fawn nearby.  So, when I saw a doe near the path to our swamp late yesterday afternoon, I decided that after dinner, I would check the area.   I didn't see a fawn -- (there could have been one but they can really hide!) but as I walked along the path, I saw something else pretty special.

Our beaver swamp has cycled over the years... we've had beavers (and a good beaver dam and lots of water) then the beavers have moved on and the area dries out a bit.  Then beavers move back in and repair the dam and on it goes.  This spring the water level has been pretty low and we weren't sure if we had any beavers.  Then my husband saw one, and I also had one slap its' tail at me when I was kayaking.  So we knew they were there. But they've been very low profile... not cutting trees and not working on the dam as "eager beavers" have in the past.  

Last evening, I saw several muskrats as usual.  Then, along came a beaver!  A muskrat (in the back) and the beaver (right in front of the muskrat) crossed paths in front of me.

 Muskrats can be kind of funny.  They will be swimming along merrily on their way, then they suddenly see you and make a quick turn and swim off in the opposite direction.  Beavers usually disappear pretty quickly once they see you, too.

Not this one!  It came swimming right over to towards me.
At first, I wondered if it could be an otter, because otters are curious and will swim towards a person to check them out.  We have had otters before in the swamp... and even on land, like this one I happened to catch in photo a few years ago.

 It quickly became apparent that what I was seeing was a beaver though, by the way it swam.  (Muskrats are smaller and their tails go from side to side.  Otters undulate thru the water, beavers swim flat on the water, but you usually can't see their tails like muskrats.) 

This beaver came right over to near where I was standing, and started posing for photos.!

"Want to learn why I have orange teeth?  Click here."

At first I stayed still, but it really didn't seem to care that I was there.  I moved around a bit for some better photos.  

"This is my best side... photograph me from this angle, please!"

It swam around in circles a couple of times, and slapped its' tail at me twice.

"Are you still there?"

 But for the most part, it just watched me.  I guess... since I've read that beavers have very poor eyesight!  They are supposed to have much better hearing and sense of smell.  Click on this link to a very interesting website about beavers if you'd like to learn more about them.

Maybe it has a lodge along the bank under this pile of brush, but usually they have a home back farther in the swamp.  At least the beavers in the past have.  I can't get back to that area now with the kayak, so it's hard to say.  

This is how close I was standing while I was watching:

Finally, the beaver even seemed to get tired of watching me and was just lazily floating, with its' tail visible.

"Here I am pretending to be the Loch Ness Monster!"

Okay, Mr. or Mrs. Beaver, good night!