Busy as a . . .

Certain creatures leave evidence that makes their presence pretty unmistakable; Roy just captured this fresh sign
just inside our main opening to the bay

Life has been particularly busy as of late. I simply haven't found the time to write much this last week. I guess that makes the subject of today's post particularly apropos . . .

Back in the spring, I posted about our most prevalent rodent at the marsh -- the muskrat. Just recently, Roy found fresh evidence of their much larger cousins -- the beaver -- for the first time within our boarders. We've had some old sign on the east marsh and neighbors have had to trap a couple over recent years, but this was our first confirmed visit since we've begun our work on the property.

Photo courtesy of the Ohio Division of Wildlife

Considering these waterside lumberjacks can reach weights surpassing 60-pounds (compared to 1 to 5-lbs for a 'rat), it's not surprising that beavers are the largest rodent in Ohio. And like all rodents, they have to exercise their teeth.

Roy got a kick out of the fact that our recent guest chose to fall two willows that were 6-8" in diameter and that he (or she?) was falling them into an opening 100+ feet wide -- at the mouth of our estuary where the marsh water connects with Sandusky Bay. If creating a dam was the goal, this ambitious critter bit off more than he could could chew. But that's apparently not unusual, especially with adolescents (<3 years old).

Had to slip in photo of our oldest son (10)
just before his first time in the tree stand;
I'll hopefully have time to re-tell some fun
stories from last Friday night's sit soon!

Based on annual estimates from statewide surveys (largely tallied with trapper input), Ohio can boast of 25,000-45,000 beavers in any given year. Or at least that's the range published by the Ohio Division of Wildlife since the late 1990s. The northeast counties are our hot spot.

Prized for the properties of their pelt (warm, soft, and water repelling), beaver were actually critical to early European settlement in our area. Fur traders made their way through the unforgiving Great Black Swamp largely motivated by this specific animal. Beaver pelts were literally a form of currency.

At their peak, there were 400 million American beaver in the United States. By 1830, they were completely eliminated (extirpated) from Ohio and numbers dwindled to isolated pockets throughout the Midwest. It wasn't until one hundred years later (1936 to be exact) that the first (four-legged) pioneers made their way back into NE Ohio.

It is obviously neat to see them back in marsh country. But as I've heard it said, they are best enjoyed "on the neighbor's marsh." These industrious creatures are powerful diggers and competent brush-clearers. We are hopeful that this visitor was a guest, and that he doesn't feel obliged to make our marsh home . . . to block any of our pipes or water conveyance structures or to dig through any of our precious dikes.

Back to one of my common refrains: time will tell.