yesterday we had an up close and personal encounter with a huge beaver!  BEAVER! on a whim, we went to the fen after dinner, and the timing was perfect.  this beaver was just drifting along a channel where the boardwalk crosses it, heading for its dam, when it sensed our presence.  we all stopped, while i took photos like a crazy person, and then it decided we weren’t a menace, and continued drifting right under the boardwalk and on toward the river.  it was so exciting!  unfortunately my phone cam doesn’t zoom very well, but you can still make it out.  i also posted my fen tree, to mark the changing season.