There are a wonderful amount and variety of birds here by the river and I have been enjoying waking up to their song each morning.
My first thought when I noticed all the shavings around the base of this tree was that the beavers had been at work again but not this time.
An obvious clue was this perfect whole in the tree trunk - obviously someone's home but much closer to the ground than I would have expected.
The shavings were much finer than those left by beavers as well - amazing that all this was done with a small beak. The inside of the hole is quite large and perfectly carved out. I tried for a photo of that as well but it didn't come out.
I think that the hole I found is the nest of a sapsucker. I thought it was a woodpecker but my husband has corrected me and he is more of a birder than I am.
Looking at this photo, you can see why I usually think beavers when I see any wood shavings at the base of a tree.
The beavers have been at their handiwork in spite of our best effort to wire as many trees in the park as we can manage.
The beavers tend to take the tree almost down and then lose interest for some reason and off they go, leaving a very weakened tree that will succumb and fall during the next big wind.
Yes, beavers have to live too but it becomes a concern when these trees start falling on the hiking trails or near someone's campsite.
Even in a park where people appreciate a natural setting, the safety of hikers and campers must be considered.
One close call of a weakemed tree falling near a group of children was all it took to convince me that the beavers are a cause for concern. Hopefully the wiring of the trees will convince them to move along the river a little farther away from the campers.
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