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Beaver Blog

Stephen Oliver

Dorset's beavers have really got to work on making themselves at home and, using trail cameras, we are able to share wonderful footage of the beavers hard at work constructing dams to create the deep water in which they feel safe. Steve Oliver reports on how the beaver project is progressing.

Dorset's beavers get to work

At our enclosed Beaver Project site in West Dorset, we are studying the impacts that beavers have on their environment at a local level. They are famous for being industrious with the ability to change a landscape like no other living thing in nature, and I have been blown away by just how much our two adult Eurasian beavers Castor fiber have achieved since they were released onto the site back in February 2021. The pair took no time at all in getting to work, starting on their very first dam on the third night of being in their new Dorset home and have now constructed a total of four dams to date. 

During my routine checks, I have discovered these dynamic 'leaky' structures at an early stage and watched them evolve using trail cameras (aka 'beavercams') to capture footage of the beavers in action. Watch our 'ecosystem engineers' adding freshly cut willow branches, a favourite material in the early stages, followed by vegetation and even large rocks! Sediment and mud are then added to help plug any gaps.

Stephen Oliver

Beavers are active between dusk and dawn and so the 'beavercams' are the only way to discreetly capture their unique activities - it's wonderful to be able to share that experience with you now.

Beavers build dams to create deeper water in which they feel safe and can easily swim up to their food or at least feed near to the water’s edge where they can quickly dive and submerge themselves in the event of danger. The most dramatic change to our Beaver Project site to date is the significant amount of water that the four dams now hold back. Below you can see 'before and after' pictures showing just how much the beavers have adapted the landscape to meet their needs.

Photo showing beaver site before the beavers arrived

Stephen Oliver

Beaver enclosure

Stephen Oliver

We have a team of scientists from the University of Exeter and Wessex Water monitoring exactly what the impact of these dams and the wetland created by the beavers is having on water quality and flow. They are also monitoring the effects on biodiversity on the site and we look forward to bringing you future updates on their work.

Want to know more about the Dorset Beavers Project?

Watch the Beavers in Dorset talk given by Project Officer, Steve Oliver

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