Beavers make impressive progress

We recently had a fantastic excursion to Longleat, where we saw an impressive beaver territory, under the expert guidance of Dr Tom Lewis, Conservation Manager at the Estate.
 
We observed a series of dams and ponds, feeding stations and food caches, a lodge, a coppiced area… all the result of beaver activity since 2020, when these mammals - once extinct in Britain - were recorded in the area for the first time in hundreds of years.
 
Tom explained how beavers interact with the environment and each other and the transformation of the landscape since their arrival. We had heard beavers are ecosystem engineers and we saw how well they live up to the name!
 
A once temporary stream which used to dry up in the summer now has a permanent flow of water, thousands of tadpoles were swarming in the ponds, groups of spotted fly catcher families congregate in autumn to feed on the insects and the high canopy woodland now supports openings of freshly coppiced trees which provide lots of grazing opportunities for herbivores.
 
We felt very privileged to be there and see it all and we are very grateful to Longleat and Tom for letting us visit and guiding us there. We hope to be able to visit again in future to witness further beaver progress in the landscape!
 
This trip was not advertised on social media as numbers were limited and spaces were quickly filled from our mailing list. If you missed out, get in touch so we can add you to our mailing list and be the first to find out about our activities!

Inés López-Dóriga
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