Monthly beaver update - October 2025

Beaver Update Octo­ber 2025 Jonath­an Wil­let (3 Novem­ber 2025)

Beaver Pop­u­la­tion Sum­mary Year 1 releases – 18 Year 2 releases – 15 2024 wild-born kits – 2 (from two fam­il­ies) 2025 wild-born kits – 18 (from eight fam­il­ies) Total = 53 (includ­ing 1 beaver out­with the Park boundary)

Note The 2025 beaver sur­vey of the Spey is being final­ised and will be cir­cu­lated in November.

Activ­ity

• Rothiemurchus (Lily Loch): Beavers still act­ive on the site.
• Wild­land 1: Fur­ther Aspen have been felled, around 10% of the total num­ber of trees in this area (n=117) and a fur­ther 10% are being fed on. At the nearby loch, 2 mature trees have been felled and 2 are being fed on, there are approx 10 mature Aspen in this area.
• Wild­land 1. The dam that has been built on out­flow burn of a large loch. The dam has remained intact and has not been added to since it was first con­struc­ted. Nor­mal winter water levels have been main­tained. The rain of the final week in Octo­ber has caused the dam to over­top, drain­ing the loch.
• Wild­land 2: No change on site.
• Insh Marshes. Beavers still act­ive on the site and have explored nearly all of the reserve.
• Wild­land 3: No change on site, no sign of a lodge or burrow.
• Wild­land 4: Pos­sible second bur­row found, the beavers are still act­ive on the site.

• Inshriach: Beavers are still act­ive on the site.

• Loch Mor­lich: Beavers are still act­ive on the site.

• Aviemore: Very few feed­ing fresh signs seen this month, down­stream of the B970 bridge.
• Kin­gussie Graz­ings: Some fresh feed­ings signs, one beaver was seen on cam­era twice this month.

Sites out­with Kin­gussie to Aviemore

• Crom­dale beaver kit. Seen in early Octo­ber, more recent feed­ing signs recorded.
• Gar­mouth beaver. No new reports.
• Lag­gan Bridge. Fresh feed­ing signs found on 31/10/25, a beaver was also heard submerging.

Mon­it­or­ing and Mit­ig­a­tion Plan Actions

• Monthly patrols of release sites undertaken.
• Weekly patrols of high impact areas have been undertaken.
• Beaver dam remov­al site. No recent activity.
• River Druie from The Spey to Coylumbridge: No beaver feed­ing signs were seen.

Rais­ing Aware­ness and Understanding

• 27/10/25. 8 stu­dents, 3 teach­ers from Glen Urquhart High School, at the CNPA Office. Talk on bene­fits & chal­lenges of beavers.
• 29/10/25. 12 folk. Lochaber Mor Group. Vis­ited 3 beaver sites to talk about the oppor­tun­it­ies and issues relat­ing to beavers.