I was paddling a small flooded tributary of the Connecticut River yesterday when a mother and cub beaver plopped into the water on the opposite bank. I stopped and waited. The cub vanished (into floatsam along the bank I think) but mom surfaced 30 feet or so in front of me and just lay in the water, perpendicular to my line of travel. I stayed where I was and after a minute or two she turned and swam directly toward me, taking up a position 5 or 6 feet off my bow, again broadside. After two or three minutes of this, she swam to the center of the creek, did a pro-forma tail-slap dive, and disappeared. I assume she was trying to decoy me away from the cub and when I didn't chase her, she figured I was myopic (I was wearing glasses) and moved in to be sure I got a good look. When that produced no reaction, she decided I was an herbivore and left. Of course, that is pure speculation, she might just have been curious, or for that matter, maybe it was a responsible dad beaver. How do you tell? (on second thought, never mind, that's definitely off-topic and potentially off-color). Any one else seen this kind of thing? Any beaver behaviorists out there? Clark Bowlen *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Clark, I have had several similar experiences in large streams and ponds - following are my theories (very similar to yours): Clark Bowlen wrote: > I was paddling a small flooded tributary of the Connecticut River yesterday > when a mother and cub beaver plopped into the water on the opposite bank. I > stopped and waited. The cub vanished (into floatsam along the bank I think) > but mom surfaced 30 feet or so in front of me and just lay in the water, > perpendicular to my line of travel. She was checking you out to see if you were leaving quickly or still a potential problem. > I stayed where I was and after a minute or two she turned and swam directly > toward me, taking up a position 5 or 6 feet off my bow, again broadside. > After two or three minutes of this, she swam to the center of the creek, did a > pro-forma tail-slap dive, and disappeared. Apparently you were still a potential problem. I had two adults and three small ones close by one time - the small ones watched from near the bank and mom and dad (I assume) slapped tails at me and politely checked me out as I sat there calmly for about 10-15 minutes. I was very non-aggresive (totally still) and feel they were more interested in checking me out than scaring me away (my psychic read of the situation). > I assume she was trying to decoy me away from the cub and when I didn't > chase her, she figured I was myopic (I was wearing glasses) and moved in to > be sure I got a good look. When that produced no reaction, she decided I was > an herbivore and left. Maybe we're imparting a bit too much humanity on her motives. > Of course, that is pure speculation, she might just have been curious, or > for that matter, maybe it was a responsible dad beaver. How do you tell? Forgetting the innuendos, I would also like to know how beaver parents split up the duties of slapping tail at kayakers? My favorite, though, was a group of otters on a small, overgrown cyprus pond, where a whole family gleefully played around my boat for quite a while. Regards, Ellis *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Last summer on the Tippecanoe river in Indiana I was going around a fallen tree, but not fast enough, and the current pushed me sideways into the tree's dried branches. So I got branches sticking under my PFD and everywhere else and I'm snapping them and trying to paddle away from the tree and am making quite a racket. Suddenly I heard two very loud ker-plooshes from the opposite bank. So loud it sounded like human bodies being dumped in the river. As a matter of fact, I sat still and looked and listened for a car to pull away (hey, I'm from Chicagoland!). I didn't hear or see anything after those splashes. I've heard turtles plop in the water before, but these splashes seemed too loud for even big turtles. My guess is they were otters spooked by my noise. They had an otter realease program in Indiana a while back. -Bob Matter Hammond, Indiana *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> > I was paddling a small flooded tributary of the Connecticut River yesterday > > when a mother and cub beaver plopped into the water on the opposite bank. I > > stopped and waited. The cub vanished (into floatsam along the bank I think) > > but mom surfaced 30 feet or so in front of me and just lay in the water, > > perpendicular to my line of travel. I've had an adult paddle along with me on a narrow river in North Jersey for 100 yards or so. Seemed to be curiosity rather than anything confrontational. There's also now one Beaver who lives along a canal in the middle of Lambertville. It's totally used to people and goes on feeding or whatever within a few feet of the tourists... Now, Woodchucks are a different matter. I never even thought of them as being associated with water in any way but there've been a few encounters. Once, paddling a rarely run stream, two young ones saw me from the bank, jumped in, and swam along with me until they were getting a little too far from their homeground. On another occasion I was ferrying across a river in flood and was surprised to see a woodchuck doing the same thing a few yards from me... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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