Boy is it hot out there! According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, June 2021 was the hottest June ever on record. At this point, in mid-Summer, our daytime temperatures continue to be well above average. This report comes from a new monitoring location, a small spring-fed tributary that feeds into the Crooked River …
Earlier this year we traveled northeast Oregon to check on the progress of a 4 year long restoration project along a tributary of the John Day river. The spring-fed creek had disconnected from the valley floor through decades of accumulated erosion, and now sat at the bottom of a dramatic 15 foot high, wide valley …
After a week of wintery weather, where beaver channels and food cache ponds froze over and beavers seemed to stay in the dens for 48 hours, we now see a beaver out in the daylight across from the scent mound site. This is the first time I’ve seen a beaver live in the Deschutes River! …
Mid-Winter Dietary and Harvest Observations Beavers being the mighty herbivores they are, commonly behave as energy-maximizers — choosing food that is of high quality and low-search/handling time. All three Middle Deschutes River monitoring stations are showing this consistent browsing activity with a couple of curious and unique observations. Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/fGF2e8_a3rY Similar …
Daily trips to the discovered scent marking mound discovered early November proved interesting- even if less beaver activity. The river rose over much of the mud markings. However, the castoreum deposited seems to live on as the deer ducked many low branches to visit this tiny cove to sniff and sniff. One doe even added …
It’s been a balmy winter so far here in the high desert Deschutes river basin so I’ve been able to continue monitoring the beaver sites by packraft. The beaver activity seen from a packraft is the absolute best way to observe where beavers may be bank denning and what trees they are browsing. At the …
In all 3 Beaver Response Team sites we’ve been monitoring over the year, off the Middle Deschutes it’s hard not to notice the increase in more winged wonders this fall/winter. November ushered in the migratory ducks, geese, coots and more uppity robins than I remember last year. Our magnificent local yokels: herons, kingfishers, ravens, crows, …
It’s Transition Time for Beavers in the Deschutes River Basin – Winter 2020 A Report from the Field Beavers around Central Oregon spend much of their lives moving mysteriously up and down the Deschutes River unseen. Even on hot summer days as we float just past their hidden “bank dens”, humans are more likely to …