A Beaver and Pond Hockey in Downtown Vancouver (PHOTOS)
byI didn’t think that my winter walk on the edge of Downtown Vancouver could get more quintessentially Canadian than when I spotted a beaver after watching some pond hockey players adorned in toques glide around Lost Lagoon.
A Beaver and Pond Hockey in Downtown Vancouver
Around the western side of the Lagoon, toward Ceperley Meadow I came across of very silent photo-takers and as I approached their subject was revealed. There, finally, after seeing so much evidence of the creatures for years, I saw a beaver at Lost Lagoon.
Chris, a beaver expert from the Beatty Biodiversity Museum UBC told the Stanley Park Ecology Society:
The beavers’ work can easily be seen on the walk, from the trees which they have knocked down to the lodge which they have built. Looking out onto Lost Lagoon, Chris explains how “lots of people call them dams, but the one here is actually a lodge. The beavers here actually don’t really make their dams as much because it doesn’t really freeze, so they don’t have to worry about creating deep water.”
Beavers usually try to create deeper ponds in areas which are much colder, so that when it freezes, it doesn’t freeze all the way to the bottom. They will dig trenches, which makes a great
habitat for both them and lots of other animals.
It’s always fun to see wildlife in the park (except for coyotes, I want to avoid those), and having the ice skaters on the lagoon in the background as the sun set on the city was such a highlight lovely afternoon.
Related: Winter Sunrise in Vancouver (PHOTOS)
