{"id":16024,"date":"2021-07-12T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=16024"},"modified":"2021-07-09T17:46:06","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T21:46:06","slug":"take-5-eager-beavers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-eager-beavers\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: Eager Beavers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aside from humans, beavers<\/a> are the only mammal that alters their habitat to meet their needs, which they accomplish by damming streams to form ponds. This behavior actually benefits other species (including people) as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of the flooding beavers create, trees often die off and the dead “snags” provide nesting sites for Great Blue Herons, Wood Ducks, Tree Swallows, and other birds. These new ponds and wetlands become homes for amphibians, turtles, fish, otters, muskrats, and other animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beaver-created wetlands also enhance human habitat by storing and slowly releasing floodwater, which controls downstream flooding. They improve water quality by trapping, removing, or transforming excess nutrients, sediment, and pollution. These areas can also recharge and maintain groundwater levels, providing flow to streams even during droughts, which are expected to increase in frequency due to climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking to spot an industrious beaver, the best time of day is dawn and dusk, as they are crepuscular animals. To learn more about beavers (including how to tell the difference between beavers and muskrats<\/a>) and how to handle various beaver-related issues,\u00a0check out our all about beavers page<\/a>. If you\u2019ve got some great wildlife shots of your own, we\u2019d love to see them!\u00a0Enter the Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Beaver
Beaver \u00a9 Lee Millet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Beaver
Beaver \u00a9 David LaPointe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Beaver
Beaver \u00a9 Lori Lynes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Beaver
Beaver \u00a9 Sherri VandenAkker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Beaver
Beaver \u00a9 Rachel Perry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aside from humans, beavers are the only mammal that alters their habitat to meet their needs, which they accomplish by damming streams to form ponds. This behavior actually benefits other species (including people) as well. Because of the flooding beavers create, trees often die off and the dead “snags” provide nesting sites for Great Blue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":16026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/07\/178Lori_Lynes20709-2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-4as","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8040,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-busy-beavers\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":0},"title":"Take 5: Busy Beavers","author":"Ryan D.","date":"August 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"It's common knowledge that beavers build dams, but do you know why? It's so they can survive the\u00a0cold of winter! Beavers build dams to form ponds that are deep enough that they won't freeze at the bottom. That way, the beavers can store a cache of edible branches on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Beaver \u00a9 Karen Riggert, Photo Contest 2015","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/3426Karen_Riggert12637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/3426Karen_Riggert12637.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/08\/3426Karen_Riggert12637.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3650,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/muskrats-and-beavers\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":1},"title":"How to Tell a Muskrat from a Beaver","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 16, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though muskrats and beavers are only distantly related, they can be hard to tell apart. They\u2019re both brown, rotund animals with bare, fleshy tails. They both swim, often paddling at the surface. And those famous dome-shaped lodges that industrious beavers build for their families? Muskrats make lodges, too! Here\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Muskrat","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/muskrat_richard_johnson-e1402933828157-300x234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10904,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-focus-on-land-conservation\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":2},"title":"A Focus on Land Conservation","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"April 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"As the largest private landowner in Massachusetts, you may wonder why we continue to seek out additional open space to protect. When it comes to conserving land, we look at many characteristics of a property, especially if it contains priority habitat, acts as a wildlife corridor, or will be resilient\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Land Protection"","block_context":{"text":"Land Protection","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/land-protection\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lime Kiln Farm","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/04\/Land600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/04\/Land600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/04\/Land600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14642,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-you-musk-be-joking\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: You Musk Be Joking!","author":"Ryan D.","date":"September 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"While they do belong to the order Rodentia), muskrats are not, in fact, rats at all (i.e. members of the genus Rattus). Plus, they're actually more closely related to lemmings than they are to their look-a-like cousins, beavers. The latter is a case of what is known as \"convergent evolution\"\u2014two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Muskrats \u00a9 Sylvia Zarco","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/2851Sylvia_Zarco10205.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/2851Sylvia_Zarco10205.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/2851Sylvia_Zarco10205.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/2851Sylvia_Zarco10205.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7557,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/5-fun-facts-about-wachusett-meadow\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":4},"title":"5 Fun Facts About Wachusett Meadow","author":"Hillary T.","date":"May 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Located in the bucolic Central Massachusetts town of Princeton, Wachusett Meadow is a remarkably peaceful yet diverse wildlife sanctuary. Here, you can explore 12 miles of trails that traverse more than 1,000 acres of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows. But there\u2019s more to Wachusett Meadow than meets the eye. Teacher Naturalist\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sanctuaries 100"","block_context":{"text":"Sanctuaries 100","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/sanctuaries-100\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/west-trail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/west-trail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/05\/west-trail.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1917,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-western-greenway-project\/","url_meta":{"origin":16024,"position":5},"title":"The Western Greenway Project","author":"Hillary T.","date":"April 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont is proud to be part of the Western Greenway, 1,200 acres of interconnected open space in Waltham, Lexington, and Belmont. This corridor is a valuable and increasingly rare resource in our region, providing natural, cultural, and recreational benefits. 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