Beaver Tree

A very cold walk around the Oxbow Trail Loop on the Nashua River. The river was frozen over in several places and we could here the ice creaking and singing to itself in the frigid air. At one point we disturbed a herd of deer hiding in the wood, but of course "wrong lens". It was fun to just watch them leap through the woods effortlessly. 

The oxbow has the makings of beaver dam and as you can see, he has been busy. There was plenty of evidence in the area of tree damage, coppicing and gnawed stumps. 

Now considered to be beneficial to the environment, beavers are making a comeback in North America so beaver dams are a common site on ponds and rivers. No sign of the actual beaver today though,  he was probably safely hidden in his lodge getting some rest after a hard night of chewing.