During one of my recent early morning forays to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was thrilled to spot several beavers. I had seen plenty of gnawed off trees in the area around this pond, so I knew that there had to be some beavers nearby. You generally have to be really lucky to see one, because they are mostly nocturnal creatures.
There were three beavers when I initially spotted them swimming towards me. Two of them seemed to sense my presence as they got a little closer and dove underwater. One kept approaching and I was able to capture the first image, a head shot of a handsome North American Beaver (Castor canadensis). The second image shows the beaver as it was swimming and gives you a better sense of the environment in which it was found.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Destructive little creatures they can be, yet so cute. Glad one swam around for his photo!
At the wildlife refuges that I visit, the beavers are allowed to be themselves without interfering with human plans. It’s tough when they are active in densely populated areas and I have heard of cases in which beavers had to be relocated.
What fun to see, Mike. The second shot is neat with the wave of water pushing ahead of the beaver.