Before doing that I decided to inspect the lower pond. As I reached the culvert cage, the first kit of the season showed his/her hide. We took each other by surprise and I only got about 7 seconds of shaky video, but it was obvious the little critter was only a few weeks old.
The situation at the far end of the lower pond is status quo. Jeff has his trail cam out and tells me that there has been inspection by the beavers, but not damming activity. There is a constant flow through the dam and the pond level won't get higher until they secure the dam. I'm confident that they will do just that.
As I think about it it's not surprising they are not working at the far end. Since they moved to the upper pond after last year's dam breach, their focus in the spring will be the upper pond. They will make sure that dam is secure first. Once that is done, they may head toward the lower dam.
The ducks are loving the lower pond. The shallow water makes food easier to reach.
We've has at least three otter sightings. That's good news and bad news. It's good news because they are fun to watch and are a sign of a healthy pond ecosystem. It's bad news because a hungry otter could easily see a baby beaver as a meal.
I hate the gym, but love working out in nature. It felt great to get out and do some physical work, because I just can't "become one" with a treadmill.
