Springtime beaver dispersal
It's springtime, and beaver families are adjusting to the new year ahead. Some may be relocating to a second den area for safety as springtime waters expand and can flood out the primary lodge. (Here's a short story on PBS, of a beaver family's movement to a downstream location.)Young adult beavers are striking out on their own, as its time to make room in the den for the arrival of new kits. Spring is a fraught time for these young beavers, often traveling for miles and weeks or even months until they can find suitable, unoccupied habitat and a mate of their own.
In eastern Oregon, where water and vegetation is scare, few make it. We admire those who do, for their resourcefulness and adaptability. Listen to a young beaver's story of this journey (in Colorado), narrated in a delightful reading from a classic book about the west.
Listen to this delightful ~20 minute reading of a young beaver female striking out alone (in Colorado) to find a mate and new denning area.
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