Minnesota Wildlife: Beaver (original photos)
Howdy!
The beavers are making a "dam" mess of things at the state park, but it's fun to watch them do it! They're really skittish and, usually, I get to see them swim around in the water and slap their tails at me. Not this time, though! After getting a significant piece of a project done, I went out to the park and managed to sneak up on them.
They didn't notice me at first, because I thought they were further upstream and wound up on the muddy tree-lined bank where they couldn't see me. The breeze was coming from their direction, too, so I was "invisible." Slowly making my way along the squishy, slimy bank toward them, with only the occasional sucking sound from the sloppy ground, I managed to get within about fifteen feet!
At one point, this one (male?) saw me and smacked his club-like tail in the water, sending up a spray and making the characteristic "sploosh!" that signals danger. Then, while his mate continued chewing, he circled in the water.
There was also a family of young ducks on the water, but they kept their distance. I managed to get a couple shots, though, as they swam along the far bank.
And, of course, I had to try and get a shot of the bison! The gates have been closed for the better part of a month. The park had the road repaired, but it snowed and the runoff has softened the surface and allowing traffic would cause it to become a mess of ruts and holes again. The bison were at the front gate, though, and I got this great power pose! It would make great cover art for a bison band.
With another project finished (five hours straight of translation!), it's time to go get some sort of physical activity in before starting the next one.
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@fotosdenada
Hi @fotosdenada, I just stopped back to let you know your post was one of my favourite reads and I included it in my Paddling Nature Ramble. You can read what I wrote about your post here.
Glad you enjoyed it! I certainly had fun taking the photos, despite the mud. Now, if only I could get my hands on a kayak for some more close-ups of the beaver...
Nice beavers are cool, have you ever tried to pet one?
They are very skittish, but can be aggressive, too. They're almost always wet, too.
Way to be sneaky!! I really enjoyed the day-out romp with our beaver friends here. Amazing you could get so close. I used to canoe a creek here at night, and they'd sneak up on the canoe and "ssWHAAPo", scare the daylights out of me. Which was hard, as it was night. But I'm pretty sure they knew what they were up to. And it works pretty well as both a warning and a 'freeze, so I can escape' methodology.
The bison shot is pretty amazing too. They must be pretty docile, which is a good thing. Nice they close the road to keep habitat from getting trashed, and probably for less harassment on them during cold and wet days. Hard on anyone. Thanks for the nice day out with our bucktoothed friends. (Sorry, bison).
Thanks! It was just a perfect set of circumstances that let me get that close. It was fun to see them like that, though I hope to have another chance when it's actually warm out.
I never saw beavers while canoing, but the otters like to swim along with you sometimes! It sounds like they think it's funny, sneaking up on you and splashing! I like that characteristic "sploosh" they make.
The bison have about a three mile long enclosure with cattle guards at both ends. I call it the "Minnesota Safari." When it's open, the dirt road winds through their enclosure and, if you're lucky, you might see them. They tend to graze away from the cars, so they can be hard to spot. I wish I had a little extra cash to buy an older Land Rover, so I could give people "safari" rides through there.
I really enjoyed this post! Your photography is stunning. I love getting out to see the beavers here. Quite an ingenious bunch they are.... as well I loved the duck pics. Those are another favorite. Down near the north shore of Lake Erie there's a small river where a few different birds and ducks show up during migration. Those ducks are Buffleheads and I love watching them. My grandson calls them "Punk Rock Ducks"...LOL!! He's 11 what can I say. And that Bison shot!!! That is a great one! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! I hope to pay them another visit soon and see how the construction is progressing. Buffleheads, eh? That was the first time I had seen that species. We have a lot of mallards, usually. They do kind of look like punks!
Whoa!! That Bison picture is amazing! You got much closer to the beaver then I've ever gotten, must have been a special experience to get to watch them hard at work for a while. Thanks for sharing ;)
Thanks! Everything just sort of worked out for the beavers. The bison seem to be by the gate a lot, lately. They have a large area to roam, but the road through has been closed and it's almost as if they miss the cars... lol
Maybe they do, maybe they want to know what is beyond the gate. I wish the bison here were like that!! there is 800 bison hiding in a 200 square km park and sometimes they are impossible to find.
The park here is much smaller, but the herd is too. We have about twenty bison at most and they do manage to hide pretty well, too!
Great shots, glad I found your post.
Thanks for taking a look!
Some great photos and photography! Congrats on the spotlite!
Thanks! They were fun to take :-)
Great photography! I was planning of going out in some of the parks around London when I'm off work and take some photos of the wildlife. :)
Thanks! Sounds like fun. Are there any interesting birds on the river?
Well there’s a big variety and swans around this time. :)
The Bison stance would do a lot more to keep me leery than any amount of Beaver tale slapping but I here that Beavers can actually be quite aggressive when provoked. Some nice shots, Foto:)
Fortunately, the bison were on the other side of a fence and there was a cattle guard in the mix, too. I had some good luck with the pose, though! The beavers haven't come after me, yet. That might change when they have their offspring, though!
:)
Five hours of translation?? Yikes!! That does not sound delightful. Really cool pics and that park looks awesome with all of its wildlife. My kids would love to see that kind of stuff...or they might get bored in a few minutes...who knows. ;) Ha. Thanks for sharing some cool pics and I agree about the bison band!
Thanks! That park is pretty fun. The other side has a couple nice waterfalls and a picnic (I know!) area. :-) Everything is really muddy right now, though. I was about ankle-deep in squishy mud, trying to sneak up on the beavers.