Magical moments with a beaver

April 13, 2015 by Mike Powell

One early morning this past weekend I spent a few magical morning moments with this North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) at Huntley Meadows Park during that short period of time when the light is golden and extraordinarily beautiful.

There is a beaver pond in a fairly remote area of the park that is my favorite spot in the park. In the past, I have observed an otter, a fox, a racoon, deer, and multiple bald eagles and hawks from that spot, but until a week ago, I had never observed the beavers that live there. A week ago, in the early morning hours I was pleased to see a beaver swimming away from the lodge and then back to it. I got some ok shots on that occasion, but decided I’d return to that spot again to see if I would get lucky again.

On Saturday, I returned and stood and waited as I drank in the beauty of the location. There is something really peaceful and special about those early morning moments. Suddenly a beaver’s head broke the surface of the water and a beaver began to swim slowly around in circles. The beaver seemed to be simply enjoying itself.

I crouched down and began to take photos. The light was beautiful, though not abundant, and my subject was moving, so I struggled a little to get the right settings. At one point, the beaver started swimming right at me and grew larger and larger in my viewfinder to the point that I actually stood up and startled the beaver. The beaver dove under the water, bur soon resurfaced and continued its swim.

Time seemed to stand still and I don’t really know how long my encounter with the beaver lasted, but eventually the beaver went under water and returned to its lodge.

I am still sorting through my photos, but wanted to share a couple of my initial favorites. Perhaps you will see some more of them in a future posting. (I am also including a shot of the beaver’s lodge to give you an idea of the surroundings.)

Posted in Nature, Photography, Portraits, spring, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, beaver, Canon 50D, Castor canadensis, golden hour, Huntley Meadows Park, North American Beaver, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 18 Comments

18 Responses

on April 13, 2015 at 6:22 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Marvelous creatures. When they get to work on their den they can go for hours doing repetitive tasks. G
- on April 13, 2015 at 6:33 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I would love to catch them at work. For the moment, it’s a real thrill merely to see them.
  - on April 13, 2015 at 6:40 am Victor Rakmil
    
    Yes and in daylight. If you see them on land give them space. Those teeth are iron.
on April 13, 2015 at 6:24 am | Reply rennydiokno2015

Reblogged this on rennydiokno.com.
on April 13, 2015 at 6:48 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Brilliant! I’ve yet to see a beaver. They reintroduced some to a loch near where we lived in Scotland so I often saw signs of their presence but never once saw one – even when I went on a guided tour with a naturalist.
on April 13, 2015 at 7:04 am | Reply fluidicthought

Great photographs. How exciting to watch these little guys going about their business 🙂
on April 13, 2015 at 7:18 am | Reply Dan Antion

That second shot is precious Mike. I think he likes you.
- on April 13, 2015 at 7:49 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I don’t know for sure if he likes me, Dan, but he sure was willing to tolerate my presence. In the past, any beaver that I saw would disappear under the water as soon as it became aware of me.
on April 13, 2015 at 8:31 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I think they are sensing that you mean them no harm. It’s great to hear that you lost yourself in nature and that time stood still. It’ll happen again, I’m sure.
As Mehmet Murat ildan said: “If you are lost inside the beauties of nature, do not try to be found.”
on April 13, 2015 at 4:32 pm | Reply gaiainaction

Thanks for sharing your wonderful event with us, and your photos too, how magical!
on April 13, 2015 at 6:15 pm | Reply svtakeiteasy

Excellent shots Mike!
- on April 13, 2015 at 6:22 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. I am still in amazement that I was able to get close-up shots like that, even taking into consideration that my zoom lens reaches out to 600mm.
on April 13, 2015 at 7:04 pm | Reply enmanscamera

As usual you have posted images that are well worth taking the time to view Mike. Here you are again… slushing through the marsh.
- on April 13, 2015 at 8:11 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks so much for your kind words. This is definitely a muddy time of the year, the mud is not much of a deterrent for me. For the shots of the beaver, I was mostly crouching in some very soft ground, trying to get as close to the level of the water as I could.
on April 13, 2015 at 11:19 pm | Reply Lyle Krahn

It’s great when tolerate your presence. Enjoy.
on April 15, 2015 at 6:49 am | Reply Beaver in the light | Mike Powell

[…] out my previous posting to see more images of this beautiful […]
on April 15, 2015 at 4:03 pm | Reply Carol Dunnigan

Awesome creatures! I saw a couple in person in 2013 and photographed them.
- on April 16, 2015 at 4:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Carol. I’m hoping to catch them at work, but realize that will be a bit tough, given they are mostly nocturnal critters.