Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
Click on Mark Twain to jump to Troutbirders book review blog

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Leave It To Beaver

In a karst region of fractured limestone, we here in Bluff Country, have many sinkholes, disappearing rivers, springs and even a few caves where water emerges to form beautiful trout streams. Two, within ten miles of the Troutbirder home, are Canfield Creek and Forestville Creek. I visited Canfield several times last week. Once troutfishing and twice birding. Take a look.... Both streams tend to be quite small as they began to flow down to the larger Root River, which then wends it was sixty some miles to the Mississippi. The trout were biting quite well the day before. No, Baron doesn't get to come along. Mr Rambuncious would scare the fish away. As I turned to head back to the truck a small brown warbler flushed out from a tangle of roots along the bank. I couldn't identify it without my binoculars, so intrigued, I went back the next day. Bingo! There he was in the same tangle. A not very common Louisiana Waterthrush at the northern extent of his range As we headed upstream, I noticed some rather pronounced beaver sign. Mud trails into the water from the woods and well chewed tree stumps. I had never seen beaver sign on Canfield in some forty plus years of fishing there. Around the next bend, there it and a magnificently constructed dam. A team of top architects and engineers couldn't have done any better. Checking out the warbler migration a few day later, Mr Science (Gary) & I located another pioneering beaver families work. The moral apprently is in Bluff Country if your looking to build a small dam... Leave It To Beaver







18 comments:

  1. Have you fished the ponds formed by the dams? Some of the tributaries of the Big Hole have beaver dams, and some nice brookies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fascinating ... what a lovely place to live. Did you see any beavers as well as the dam?

    ReplyDelete
  3. My farm is on a karst landscape. Beautiful, but crazy with the sinkholes and caves. We have those crazy beavers too! Nice shots!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have had good luck in one area where the beaver built a dam and it constricted a small population and soon restocked for some fun hold over fish.love the warbler, I have heard a few but no sighting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ha - Leave it to Beaver...love it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Are those yellow flowers along the stream Marsh marigolds? I have not seen them since I was a young girl in New Hampshire-

    ReplyDelete
  7. I find Beavers so facinating. They really are the engineers of the animal world.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great post. I love beavers and find them to be intelligent and great engineers. Lovely photos!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beaver dams are amazing! I've been delighted to see them several times. Happy Mother's Day to Mrs. T.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have enjoyed browsing several of your recent posts, TB--always fascinating. Especially liked the information about the karst landscape around you and the lovely photos of trout streams. Nothing like water in nature, in my view.

    ReplyDelete
  11. They are wonderful builders..lovely place to spend the day! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Real beaver are definitely the architect kings.
    Glad you got out on the streams for fishing and birding. I love how green everything is there.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I spotted a wood thrush a few days ago at our feeders... what a thrill! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You have so many nice places to go scouting out wildlife! I think we need more trees in Saskatchewan... then perhaps I would see a beaver. ;)
    xo Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  15. More great shots by you! I always enjoy traveling along.
    We have no beavers here.
    Have never seen any around our place in PA either.
    Lucky you!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very enjoyable post. Lovely country you have there. Excellent that you found a Louisiana Waterthrush!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nice to see the beavers return. Their dams are a great water conservation mechanism, and create good habitat. The best ruffed grouse hunting in the Alleghenies was around beaver dams, thanks to the "clear cutting."

    ReplyDelete