Hoping for a Glimpse

Hey! I got another article published this week. It's in the Pigeon Lake and Area Visitor Guide published by Saley Publications. It's about my ongoing search for the elusive beaver. Here it is in part! Enjoy!

"So far, it’s been an incredible experience. I’ve explored city parks I’d never seen before, travelled to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, and so far East of there as to cross the border and explore parts of Saskatchewan. I’ve even seen places around my Dad’s small hometown that I had no idea were there in spite of a lifetime of visits.

            And in these varied places, I’ve seen many things I truly never thought I would, like a black bear momma and her two precious little cubs galloping across a field, or a moose with a broken antler peering at me from a ditch. I’ve stood in a park and gazed up at a fluffy white Great Horned Owl chick sitting high on a tree branch. I’ve even hunched over to watch a black and yellow snake slither across a dusty Alberta gravel road and disappear into the bush.

            And yet, no beaver.

            Of course, I can’t say there’s been no sign of the beaver. There’s plenty of that everywhere. We’ve seen beaver dams and lodges sometimes right in the middle of downtown city parks. Once, along a deep forest walk just outside the Town of Banff, I saw an intricate network of interconnecting canals built by these talented animals.

            Perhaps the most amazing thing I ever saw was a freshly gnawed tree trunk we happened across in the park, fresh wood gleaming white in the sunlight, chips scattered on the ground. Deep impressions showed us how the big tree had fallen into the long grass and was dragged, by this small mammal, about fifty feet to the water’s edge. The beaver had hauled the tree completely out of sight, leaving no trace."