If you go down to Mill Dam today…you’re in for a beaver
surprise!
Regular visitors will have seen fallen trees, lying
forlornly next to jagged, bright orange stumps, cut to a sharp 45 degree angle.
Look more closely and you can see numerous teeth marks, where (in particular) alder and downy
birch trees have been comprehensively gnawed by
newly resident beavers!
These architecturally-minded rodents moved into Mill Dam in
the autumn of 2013 and the signs of their activity are visible all around the
loch. Experts in engineering, beavers fell the trees not only for construction
of their burrows, dams and lodges, but also to munch on juicy bark (they enjoy
the cambium layer between the outer bark and heartwood), which is central to
their vegetarian diet.
A feeding area, with stripped twigs and bark
It’s amazing to see the hard work of these native animals as they make themselves at home! As a keystone species, beavers have a big impact on
the survival and abundance of other members of the ecological community in
which they live. Whilst the initial impacts of beavers' endeavours may seem drastic, as they coppice and dam wetland areas, the results of their labours can be hugely beneficial for other wildlife and wetland systems as they regulate water flow and improve water quality. Otters, water shrews, water voles, birds, invertebrates such as dragonflies and fish are just some of the species which may be helped by the presence of beavers.
Beavers are crepuscular, so the best time to catch a glimpse of them is at dawn or dusk. We’re keeping a close eye on beaver activity at Mill Dam and
feeding the results of our monitoring into the Tayside Beaver Study Group monitoring programme. As time goes on it will be interesting to see whether the beavers are here to stay!
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