The First Hatch

I drive my canoe to the lake for the first time in many months, only because today is busy and I do have to chart the bog island motion. Today, I make a careful counter clockwise circuit around the east marsh bay, taking coordinates every 10 meters or so. This way, I will be able to determine where bog stuff has ended up should the bog island break up. There has been more movement in the southern corner where the "land" bridge has formed. The 20 foot wide "bridge" from two days ago is now only 5 feet. Some of the bog edges are quite broken up and bob in the water when the canoe bumps against them.

The big lodge and nest site (just below the shadow)

Done with my map points, I race over to the big lodge and find the nest empty. I get out on the beaver lodge and examine the egg shells and take photographs. The eggs have all hatched - a raided nest would have egg yolk and egg white left behind - and they haven't been gone long. They may have finished hatching yesterday. I don't see the goslings, but there are so many places for them to hide.

This nest has done it's job - note the eggshell at the bottom of the photo

A man calls to me from the nearest dock and I paddle over to explain my project. He has a project also. It turns out that this last bit of land next to the marsh is city property and he heads up a group of volunteers that are restoring it. I get an excellent tour of the strip of land which has had most of the invasive plants removed and replaced with berries and trees. It's a fantastic bit of work and I am thrilled to see it being done so well. We talk for an hour and his wife and some more friends show up. We set plans for a tour of beaver sites by canoe. As I paddle off, back to my put in, I see the goslings (6) closely watched by the parents. With a pair of eagles in the nearby vicinity, it is feather to feather contact as they swim in the lake.