Beavers

Beaver chewing branch in hole in ice, Snug Harbour, Toronto Islands

Beaver Chew

A beaver chews apart a heavy branch from a hole kept open in the lagoon ice. Click image to view larger.

Snow dusted beaver, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Snow Dusted

Snow dusts the face of a beaver after a freak spring snow squall.

Large beaver on ice, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Bruiser

A large beaver rests on the ice near the RCYC, feeding on branches close to holes kept open in the thick lagoon ice.


Beaver jawbone with teeth, Franklin Island, Georgian Bay

Beaver Pull

So, just how long are a beaver’s front teeth?  Almost six inches, as it turns out.

Beaver couple, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Happy Couple

A pair of large beavers sit on the bank of the lagoon near the new fire hall.

Beaver, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Waterline

A beaver swims past the shores of Algonquin, its face perfectly reflected in the calm waters of May.


Chewing beaver, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Sandy Hands

A beaver eyeballs the camera on Ward’s Beach, its wonderful little hands treating a tasty branch like a cob of corn.

Beaver teeth, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Beaver Teeth

A beaver displays bad manners chewing with its mouth open and covered in food, tasty branches pulled into the waters off Ward’s Beach.

Winter beaver, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Snowface

A beaver, awkward on land, pushes its way through the snow on Ward’s beach.


Stained beaver teeth, South Island, Toronto Islands

Surprising Teeth

A beaver, teeth stained red from a winter diet of nothing but bark, floats in a hole kept open in the ice off of Snake Island.

Beaver in moonlight silhouette, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Backlight Moon

Reflected light from the rising full moon frames a beaver in silhouette on Ward’s Beach.

Beaver walking upright, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Missing Link

Walking upright out of the water, a Toronto Island beaver carries mud and vegetation in its arms to build a scent mound, territorial markers to let other beavers know that this area is verboten.


Beaver reflection, Snake Island, Toronto Islands

Mirror Mirror

A beaver swims in an opening in the lagoon ice, still partially frozen in early March.

Beaver in ice, South Island, Toronto Islands

Shaken, Not Stirred

Like an olive in a martini, a beaver floats in a hole kept open in the ice off of the RCYC’s south island in the winter of 2009.

Chew Baby Chew (audio)

[audio:Chew-baby-chew.mp3] If a beaver chews on branches and there’s nobody to hear, does it make a sound?  As it turns out, yes it does (265KB MP3). Note:  if the audio player doesn’t appear, click the title (Chew Baby Chew) to view the actual post.


Beaver in winter, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Canadian Hero

A true Canadian hero:  a beaver, doing what it does best, hauls a branch out of the Ward’s dunes through a winter blizzard, back to the water where it will swim with it through the breaking surf to its lodge. Absolutely epic, for the amount of nutrition that the underbark of dogwood contains. This is […]

Beaver in winter surf, Ward's Island, Toronto Islands

Canadian Hero II

A Canadian epic:  a Toronto Island beaver hauls its catch through winter storm surge off of Ward’s Beach in the late January twilight. A definite B-roll shot, this is only of interest within the context of this photograph.

Beaver, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Lagoon Snack I

A beaver enjoys a snack on the shore of the lagoon by the new firehall.


Swimming beaver, Algonquin Island, Toronto Islands

Waterline

A beaver swims in the reflected colours of June, keeping its nose just above its own bow wake.

Swimming beaver, Doughnut Island, Toronto Islands

Lagoon Snack II

A beaver has a floating snack of a tuber of some sort in the waters off of Doughnut Island

Beaver, South Island, Toronto Islands

Almighty Branch

Floating in the kayak beside the RCYC’s southern island (what do they call that island?), I came across a type of beaver behaviour that I’ve never seen before.  Usually they chew on things that they can reach easily, but these branches were just a little too far out of reach.


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