Beaver Prepared

Archive for the ‘BC Wildlife’ Category

You are here: Home » BC Wildlife

16 May 2013

Your official Beaver Prepared welcome to summer

Posted in BC Wildlife | Leave a comment

This is exactly why we love beavers, and why we have chosen to connect ourselves to them through our name and logo.  Everyone knows that they are a hardworking bunch, but just when you think that they have done it all, they always manage to go that extra step and surprise you.  They always do just that little bit more, go above and beyond the call of duty without having to be asked.  They do the little things and they do them right.  Like go out onto that busy road and make sure that everyone who comes here feels welcome.  That is why we love them.  Plus you’d have to agree that they are pretty dam cute as well.  Welcome to Canada.  Welcome to summer.

VIDEO: Welcome to Canada – Talking beaver on the highway.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

19 Oct 2012

Beaver Prepared – A tribute to our namesake

Posted in BC Wildlife | Leave a comment

Well it’s no secret that at Dam Good Logistics we like both beavers and puns.  Our slogan Beaver Prepared gives us license to talk about all things beaver related, and though we haven’t done so much on the blog yet, we are going to start right now with some a tribute to our furry, water loving friends.  We have included some of our favourite beaver facts.  Plus this cartoon from the Ottawa Citizen is great and deserves another reposting.  And let’s face it, moose and polar bears just don’t look that good in red, leaving the beaver the undisputed Canadian national symbol.

Fun Facts:
- A beaver’s teeth never stop growing…hence its constant urge to gnaw on your trees.  They are bright orange and rather hideous – definitely not the cute white chiclets you are accustomed to seeing.
- One beaver can bring down a 12 cm (5 in) wide tree in 30 minutes. The largest trees they usually bring down are around 30 cm (1 ft) in diameter.
- Beaver’s mate for life.  They usually have 2-4 babes (called kits) and are quite the cute nuclear family.  Kits stay with the parents a whole year and receive lots of attention.
- Beaver lodges are only accessible from under the water which helps protect them and their families from predators.  Imagine the Fort Knox that is created when the water freezes over in the winter.
- Beaver tails, besides making beavers look uniquely like beavers, have many uses.  They act as a rudder when they are swimming, a kick-stand when they are on land, a counterweight when they are dragging heavy logs, a noisemaker to warn of danger and my personal favourite, a soft, warm pillow to sit on while grooming.
- Beavers back feet are webbed, and their 5th toe is shorter and is used for grooming their thick coats to keep them waterproof and warm.


- Beavers are great in the water.  They can swim at 8km/h and can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes at a time.  They have valves in their ears and noses close when underwater and a clear lens protects their eyes.  Especially important given the murky, debris filled water they are often in.
-Beavers build dams in order to ensure a steady depth of the water, enough for storing food at the bottom of the water (which they often weigh down with rocks).  A single family has been know to store up to 80 cubic meters of food.  A steady depth also ensures that the ice won’t impede their access to their stores and that they can always access their lodge from an underwater entrance.
- One study done in Wyoming, researchers released 5 males and 5 females in an area where beavers lacked for a long period. When they returned one year later, the beavers had made 5 colonies and had built 55 dams!
- Beavers will eat aquatic plants (such as water lilies and pondweeds) but but their base food is trees, (favourites include: willow, poplar, birch and ash). Beavers also eat fruit and ground plants and will attack gardens if they are close to water (beets are their favourite). They take the food to mouth by using their extremely dexterous fore limbs. The fifth finger is opposable to the others.

Ever wonder what a beaver sounds like?

Next we’ll tell you why beavers are good for global warming.

Thanks to Dave Brown and the Ottawa Citizen for the great cartoon and inspiration.

20 Aug 2012

Paddling in Vancouver’s Big Backyard: Indian Arm

Posted in BC Wildlife, Kayak Trip Ideas | Leave a comment

I’ve written before Vancouver’s fabulous Big Backyard. There are great ways to get out of the city for the day, explore nearby wilderness, feel like you are a world away, have an adventure and still sleep in your own bed at the end of it. Another one of these great little escapes is Deep Cove (Indian Arm).

Indian Arm is a true fjord, meaning that it was carved by a glacier and is open at one end to the ocean. It is situated on Vancouver’s North Shore at the base of Mount Seymour and runs 22 kms from Burrard Inlet at its south end to the head of Indian River at its north end.  It is extremely deep and is over 200m in places.  It has a long and interesting history with many characters and players.  From the Tsleil-Waututh First Nations who first inhabited it, and who continue to call it home, to the Spanish explorer Valdez who first entered in in 1792, to Captain Vancouver who mapped it shortly after,to the boom and bust and fires of logging to the tourism and recreational site it is today.

The best places to start trips are from either the public beach at Deep Cove (north shore side) or Belcarra Park beach (on the Port Moody side).  Both have kayak rentals available.  Head North toward Jug Island  (named by HMS Plumper, a survey ship, for a rock handle that has long since dropped off).  There is a really nice beach on the mainland that faces the island.  Round the corner to the east and explore Bedwell Bay (named for HMS Plumper’s second captain, Edward Bedwell).  It is a WWII ship graveyard and has world class wreck diving.  It also has nice little bays and it is quieter than the main arm.  Pass Racoon Island (named by HMS Plumper after the HMS Racoon, a British warship), check out the Bunzen Lake power station.  Twin Islands allows for overnight camping.  Granite Falls is near the end of the arm on the east side and has a spectacular falls to explore and a big campground as well.  There are pictographs all along the west short of the arm as you head north from Deep Cove.

Go South towards Hamber Island (named after BC’s Lieutenant Governor, Eric Hamber, 1936-1941).  Continue to Boulder Island which used to have a massive boulder on it until was removed on a late night, under-the-cover-of-darkness mission, blown up and used for log-boom mooring anchors.  It was also the  traditional burial ground of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nations until they were converted to Christianity in the 1800′s.  Grey Rocks is another private island that has good shore-life viewing when the tide is down.  Continue down to the nice beach at Cates Park (west side) or head into Port Moody arm at the base of Burnaby Mountain.

You will probably come across Harbour seals, Great Blue Herons, Cormorants, eagles, jellyfish, starfish and the occasional river otter along the way.

One word of caution about the weather in the arm, in the summer it experiences strong inflow winds so keep that in mind when setting out.  It is also good practice to paddle against the wind/current/tide when you set out.  It can take twice as long to paddle against the current as with it.  Save the ride for the way back and ensure you don’t leave a big paddle for the return journey

Dam Good Logistics has BC tayak trips and summer get-away day trip packages that bundle kayak rental and lunch together  to make it easy for you to get out exploring Vancouver’s stunning Big Backyard.  You also get the benefit of local knowledge as well as: a weather report for the day, tides and currents for the day, route descriptions, maps, dry bags for your extra clothes and lunch, and a wildlife viewing guide.

Happy Paddling.

05 Apr 2012

Sea Lions of the Belle Chain Islets

Posted in BC Wildlife, Kayak Trip Ideas | Leave a comment

After writing my post last week about the Grey whale migration passing close to the BC coast I really wanted to get out paddling.  A friend and I took the ferry from Tsawwassen to Mayne island (Village Bay) and paddled along the north sides of Mayne and Saturna Islands.  The channel between Saturna and Mayne is littered with islands and the tides create some interesting currents around Boat Passage and Lizard Island.  A string of islets and rocks known as the Belle Chain (see map) runs along the north side of the channel, in the Straight of Georgia.  In the spring and fall the chain it is the throne room for hundreds of Stellar Sea Lions.

Seeing large marine mammals in the wild is a highlight of any trip, but seeing hundreds of sea lions gathered together is truly one of the most impressive wildlife encounters I have ever had.  Perhaps partly because it happened so close to home, so close to civilization.  There they were, an hour from Vancouver by ferry, a few hundred metres from a road.  Their simple existence in our complicated and busy lives makes you stop and think how we are all in this together.  And it is no small experience.  It is an all encompassing and intense encounter.  They are massive and noisy and smell like dead fish. The variety of sounds they make is somewhere between haunting and hilarious.  They are wonderfully social, they bark and howl and stumble all over each other.  When they slip into the water they become graceful and powerful. They are playful, assertive and a little bit scary.  It is an incredible and intensely memorable experience.

You should go and see them.  Go and sit quietly at a respectful distance and wonder at their presence. In the summer they will leave and return to the rookeries on which they were born to breed (in BC there are rookeries at Cape St. James, North Danger Rocks and on the Scott Islands).

Find out why it’s better to be a sea lion in BC than Alaska and learn why some populations are endangered.

Make sure to give them some space.  Read about proper pinniped (seals & sea lions) viewing etiquette.

29 Mar 2012

The Great Grey Whale Migration – 2012 Edition

Posted in BC Wildlife | Leave a comment

The 2012 Grey whale migration has begun and already there have been sightings in British Columbia. There is no better way to experience whales in their natural environment than from the cockpit of a kayak.

Thousands of  Grey whales (the Pacific Northwest migration estimate is about 18,000) swim from their breeding grounds in Mexico to their feeding grounds in Alaska and pass right by the BC coast enroute.  A small percentage of the migrants stay in BC for the summer.  Their migration represents one of the longest migrations of any mammal – they travel upwards of 9,000kms twice a year.  They feed on small shrimp-like animals called amphipods that live on muddy ocean floors and Grey whales are often found feeding in shallow water close to shore.  This makes them easy to spot and you can often see them from land as they pass close to beaches.  Grey whales also have a very predictable breathing pattern:  they will blow 3-5 times, raise their flukes, then submerge for 3-5 minutes so you can time them and spot them as they feed.

You can take in the Grey whale migration all along the BC coast from Vancouver to Alaska, the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, sometimes even near Vancouver.  Last year a young Grey whale was spotted in False Creek in downtown Vancouver.  You will be able to see whales all summer long on the BC coast: Grey, Humpback and Killer whales as well as other large marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, dolphins and porpoises.  Contact us to create your unique kayak and animal viewing experience today.

Some ideas for seeing the migrating Grey whales from land:
- Beaches in Pacific Rim National Park (on Vancouver Island near Tofino)
- Boundary Bay (in Delta, near Vancouver)
- Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna)
- North Coast (Bella Bella, Prince  Rupert)

Take part: Report a sighting.  Last year there were 65,000 sightings reported by people like you and me.  This sighting information is key to learning more about the distribution and abundance of species, understanding the status of the species (extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, at-risk or not at risk) and determining whether the population is improving, steady or declining.

Check out the 2011 sightings list and  learn more about these gentle giants and the ongoing conservation efforts on the BC coast.  Lots of links and information available.