"Happy New Year" from all of us at the Scottish Beaver Trial

Beavers bed down for winter

As many people can appreciate the weather hasn't been that great lately so beaver spotting has been more difficult. Beavers do not hibernate but they can reduce activity around the winter time, spending more time in or near the lodge and relying on their food caches. So before SBT staff head on their Christmas break we are making an extra effort to account for all the beavers.

Camera traps are a valuable tool to enable us to cover a larger area over more nights than through visual observations, which can be much harder in heavy rain and windy weather. We are keen to keep an eye on the two newly formed pairs on Loch Buic and Lochan Beag, where we can confirm that the males have swapped locations and partners. Elaine and Christian now reside on Lochan Beag whilst Trude and Eoghann are now the pair present at Loch Buic. We do not know what has sparked this exchange but hopefully the fact that the beavers have exercised some choice over their mates is a positive sign for breeding in the future.

Both pairs seem to be doing well and have been active caching food and building their lodges. Although sometimes they can bite off more than they can chew.....

We managed to capture this footage of Elaine and Christian grooming each other.

And of course it's always exciting to get a glimpse of another native species at night

The next blog will be updated in January, as staff will take a break for the festive period. We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A huge thanks to all that have supported the Trial so far.

Loch Linne Family Caught on Camera

Over the last 2 weeks we have moved the camera trap to focus on the Linne family to try and get further visuals of the body conditions of each individual. We have combined this with observations from a boat, but due to the long nights and poor weather experienced recently these sightings have been brief and are often from a distance. The camera traps have enabled us to get a good view of the beavers on land so body condition can  be determined as they prepare for winter and if we are lucky to get glimpses of more secretive behaviour.

The footage above shows the adult female, Frid looking in good body condition, if still a bit unsure of the trap. This footage unfortunately enabled us to see that she has managed to remove her new GPS tag. You can see the Bavarian trap in the back ground which has been recently placed at this Loch. This trap is currently not set but secured open and randomly baited to encourage the beavers to get use to it as they will each be trapped briefly and re-released as part of their annual health checks.

Here we can see the adult male, Frank appearing undisturbed by the presence of the trap. You can see how beavers process sticks by holding them in their forepaws, using the outer digit like a thumb and rotating to remove the bark .

We were delighted to catch this years new born kit on camera twice, one where it's looking a little wary of the trap and the other tucking into some bracken. We are happy to report it looks healthy and in good body condition and will aim to trap it in the new year to determine sex and carry out some veterinary checks.

Animal Antics in Knapdale

The camera traps we are currently using are providing us with a wonderful insight into the private nocturnal lives of the beavers and also the other residents of Knapdale Forest. We have these cameras on loan from Forestry Commission Scotland- thanks very much to them.

The footage we have obtained so far has shown us that the Knapdale beaver families are very busy caching food for winter and collecting materials for making lodge improvements (See previous blogs).

The camera traps have also caught glimpses of Knapdale's most secretive inhabitants...otters...pine martens and sika deer....

The above video shows an otter swimming across one of the Knapdale lochs in broad daylight!

This video is quite short and unfortunately very foggy but it does however show a pine marten walking across a beaver dam.

This video shows a male sika stag at the edge of a loch. It is clearly quite suspicious about the camera, regularly moving its head and looking at the camera to try and work out what it is.

Our cameras are also catching glimpses of Knapdale's more common inhabitants such as this male blackbird...

We will keep you regularly updated when we obtain more footage of Knapdale Forest's exciting inhabitants.

Good Hair Day

We have been very lucky to capture this footage of one of the adult beavers grooming whilst sitting on the edge of their lodge. This activity is very important for beavers as it maintains the fur and ensures that the coat remains waterproof. You will see that the hind foot is being used on which there is a specialy adapted grooming claw.

Annual Health Checks

Last week we managed to capture this footage of one of the trial beavers being re-released after having been caught up for its annual health check. The animal you can see here is an adult male called Eoghann and has gained 2.5kg since April this year and is in good health. The wound that he previously recieved treatment for has healed very well and is almost unnoticeable. During his catch up we attached a new GPS (Global Positioning Satelite) Tag which we hope will remain in place for 2 weeks in order to construct a more detailed map of how he is using his available habitat. You can see his new GPS tag and ear tag in this video clip.

Who's been in the traps?

From the end of September onwards we have been setting these specifically designed beaver traps at some of the lochs were boat access is more difficult. We are currently trapping and re-releasing the beavers as part of their annual health checks and to replace missing tags. The traps are baited with root vegetables and apples, and set during the night. We regularly check them in hope that the beavers have been tempted inside. Sometimes we have other visitors!

 
Mille, the sub-adult on the Dubh Loch appears quite releaxed, grooming outside of the trap.
 

 
The traps are securely tied open for the weekend to encourage the beavers to come in and out as they please for some food. Of course this is when they come in for a good look and eat all the food!