Summer beaver diaries

Beavers stay with their parents for a couple of years and it will be 2027 before these kits start to disperse, so they have plenty of time to perfect being a beaver! As soon as they emerge from their lodge or burrow the kits are very independent and will start exploring the local area on their own after only a couple of weeks. By one year old they are exploring further afield and leaving their parents' territory for a few days to see what is out there. 

One such trip led to a beaver ending up in Fochabers, it now seems to have moved down to Garmouth and was spotted swimming in the Spey underneath the railway viaduct. There is a huge area of perfect beaver habitat there, but unfortunately no other beavers. He may stay put or he may swim back up to the National Park where all the beavers are. The chemicals that beaver use for scent marking, and that are contained in the waterproofing grease in their fur, travel in the air and in the water. Beavers have an exceptional sense of smell, and this is the main way they find each other. 

• Beaver watch in action Jonathan Willet

  

  
• Using equipment to look for beavers Jonathan Willet

  

  
• Getting involved in the beaver watch Jonathan Willet

  

  

As we now have beavers that are two years old and sexually mature, they are getting ready to leave their parents’ territories to find a mate and a territory. There are three females in the group of eight that have or should disperse this year. Beavers tend to settle down in the autumn, so we will be keeping a look out for new territories appearing. However, not all two-year-old beaver leave their parents' territory as sometimes they like the comforts of home a little bit too much! Or in some cases they leave and then return home... boomerang beavers.

An average of two kits per family being born this year shows just how great the habitat is for beavers in the upper part of the Spey catchment. It has been hugely exciting and encouraging to see kits on camera, along with a whole host of other species, check out this video on our Facebook to see more. 

With kit watches almost over we are getting ready for the year three releases (how time flies!). We have now secured landowner permission to release on some sites and will keep you updated with more information in due course, watch this space.

Looking for signs of beavers Jonathan Willet

In the meantime, if you are out and about in the National Park and see any new signs of beavers, please do let us know on [email protected]. Our team are keeping a close eye on where the beavers move to, and your help is really appreciated.