Hidden camera at beaver dam reveals several surprising visitors

A beaver dam at the edge of a remote forest proved to be a very busy spot, as shown by footage recovered from a hidden camera. It's no surprise that a quiet pond in the woods, away from people and the noise of city life, would be home to a lot of wildlife. But it wasn't clear just how much activity there was until somebody decided to post a camera at the dam and check the video footage to see what was really going on.

Beavers will dam water in their surroundings to raise the level of a pond or small lake. They love to build a lodge and create home under the densely packed collection of sticks and mud and then raise the water level to make the entrances inaccessible to predators. The deeper water makes it easy for them to move around since they are very accomplished swimmers. This gives them access to food, such as the tender new branches of trees growing along the shore and it also allows them a means of quick escape from bears and wolves. A beaver in the water is almost impossible to catch.

Beavers are nature's engineers and their construction is always sturdy and solid. It's no wonder that these dams attract other wildlife. The structures can provide solid and level walkways from one section of forest to another. Sometimes, these trails becomes so heavily worn that a trained eye can recognize that animals are using them often. That was the case at this dam and a nature enthusiast became curious to see what was happening.

It might be no surprise that a bear or two would cross the dam, but in a very short period, this dam was frequented by a solitary, full grown bear, a wolf, a porcupine, a lynx, and a mother bear (or two) with young cubs. Most of these animals are very reclusive. It is a rare sight to see a bear in the woods as they will almost always shy away from contact with humans. Their ability to smell and hear a person gives them enough warning to leave the area before a human gets close. Wolves and bobcats are even more likely to use their keen senses to avoid being seen. Porcupines, although much slower moving, are also a rare sight, even in remote woodland spots as they will climb a tree or hide from people.

The cameraman was delighted with the images that he captured here, showing that his secluded walking spot is also shared by many interesting and beautiful forest creatures. It is a reminder that we might be less alone in the woods than we think we are.