Bernie, the American beaver who visited us in September, is still here, still gnawing down trees, and still building a lodge. He’s raised the water level in two bog ponds, but there is no danger of flooding. Yet. We’re still watching Bernie with a mixture of awe and apprehension. This is an image of his ongoing lodge construction, as of yesterday.:
I think that we’ll have to let him complete his lodge. Trapping and transporting him to the North Woods now may not give him enough time to create a protective winter shelter. Here’s the architect, himself:
Bernie is at the first stage of lodge construction, which consists of planting tree trunks in the mud of a pond and continuingly piling more on top. If he follows good beaver practices for building affordable housing at our expense, Bernie will keep piling on the wood until there is a good-sized dome- or pyramid-like structure above water level, which he’ll plaster with mud.
He’ll hollow out passageways and chambers above the waterline in the home for food storage and lodging luxury and probably put in an air vent somewhere. Perhaps most important for his protection, Bernie will create underwater entrances and exits in his new home.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on November 4 [lodge] and October 7 [Bernie], 2025.)