Home sweet home

When we last caught up with the Scottish Beaver Trial, the final pair of nature’s best engineers was being introduced into Knapdale Forest, Mid-Argyll. It the months since, they’ve been – er – busy beavers building their first lodge. During a routine site visit to record beaver activities, SBT Project Manager Simon Jones was delighted to find the structure – the first beaver lodge to be built by wild beavers in Scotland for over 400 years!

“The beavers’ construction of their own lodge is a fantastic sign that the family has settled into the area,” says Jones. “They are following their instincts and acting as beavers naturally do. Until now our beaver families have been using burrows along the sides of their release lochs.”

Built from branches and mud, the lodge is an impressive structure – measuring 5 metres long by 2 metres high by 7 metres wide. Inside, the beavers build two chambers: a smaller one to dry off in and a larger, cosier one further in. “The lodge fits in really well with its surroundings and has been built in a secluded part of the forest,” said a spokesperson for Forestry Commission Scotland, the host partner of the Scottish Beaver Trial. However, “there are no designated trails or paths to the site so we would ask people to not try to visit the lodge as any attempts to do so would only disturb the beavers and other wildlife and habitats in the area.”

Those interested in visiting the general area of the trial are advised to visit in the early morning or early evening to get a better chance of seeing beavers or signs of beaver activity. You can find out more on the Scottish Beaver Trial website, where you can now Adopt a Beaver or other furry creature for just £15 – the perfect gift for your nature-loving friends and family this holiday season!