It will be interesting to bring Hawk and Eddie down here next time. They notice when things change. Noticing comes easy to horses. Eddie is often quite skeptical that it is a good thing. He often has to stop and look at big changes – from a distance preferably. And he will look me in the eye – even if I am riding him and let me know that danger could be lurking ahead. He is particularly good at pointing out dangerous big rocks. Hawk is more likely to truck right on up and get right into the middle of it and then maybe decide that it is a bit more ominous that he originally thought. But both are willing to discuss whether or not I think we can survive this “big change”.

It is a healthy pond. You can barely see the beaver house now because of all the Bulrushes. The silence that from now until spring allows you to hear a dog barking from miles away is in sharp contrast to the continuous noise and activity that emanates from this area in the spring and summer when various water birds find places with the desired privacy and food supply to raise a family along the channels the beaver maintain through the rushes. Many are heard but not seen as they swim in the maze.

For the last decade I have watched the beaver develop a new pond out on the other side that is a long way up a channel from the original pond. Now they appear to be blocking off the channel to that pond and making channels over to this other side. There is a fairly steep little hill between the old pond and where they want to go. Not sure they will make this work but I wouldn’t have guessed they could make the other pond either.

Guess I’ll have to keep watching.