Hi Jr,
The smacking sound is a tail slap. It's like an alarm call. One
beaver sensing danger will smack the water to warn the other beavers
to be aware or take cover. Often one tail slap is answered by another
beaver's slap elsewhere in the pond. What is amazing is how fast they
can respond to one another from clear across the lake, to the point it
is difficult to tell which one slapped first.
I noticed in my recordings that intense periods of slapping often
coincide with the periodic bouts of roars from trucks on the highway a
mile away.
I am no expert on beaver behavior, most of what I know I gleaned from
naturalist Hope Ryden's book "Lily Pond: Four Years with a Family of
Beavers".
John Hartog
> i enjoyed listening to the beaver, and i had no idea
> they
> sign or moan like that.
>
> what is the smacking sound....a beaver tail??
>
> i like the sound of the rain too.
>
> jr
>
> --- John Hartog <> wrote:
>
> > Group members,
> > You may recall the beaver's voice example I shared a
> > while back.
> > If not, here's the URL again:
> > http://www.rockscallop.org/ear/JH-050417-bvr.mp3
> >
> > Now, for a very limited time I am offering a
> > download (free of charge
> > to group members) of a longer (30 min) section of
> > that same soundscape
> > recording.=20
> >
> > The recording takes place April 17th 2005 at an
> > undisclosed beaver
> > pond in Clatsop County Oregon. Beginning at twilight
> > with a couple
> > distant Pacific Chorus Frogs and a lone robin
> > whinnying, a distant
> > frog chorus resumes and some nearby frogs join in,
> > rain begins and
> > fades, a beaver sings under darkness and drizzle,
> > rain begins again
> > and continues. You won't get to hear the part where
> > the windscreen
> > falls in the lake and I have to fish it out with a
> > stick.
> >
> > I expect that downloading the file (wav format,
> > 300mb) will only be
> > practical for those with a high speed connection.
> > The download is
> > free of charge, but for those group members that
> > can't download, I can
> > offer it on CD-R, but I would have to charge a
> > nominal fee to cover
> > materials and postage.
> >
> > Those interested should reply to me off list, and I
> > will email the url
> > for the yousendit download. An alternative email
> > for me is
> > beaverdownload-at-rockscallop.org
> > I have no idea how many might respond to this, so
> > for the sake of my
> > own sanity I'm limiting it to the first twenty.
> >
> > I hope you enjoy listening to my recordings, and
> > although it should go
> > without saying, please respect my exclusive rights
> > to all my material.
> >
> > This is a learning experience for me, so any
> > feedback is welcome.=20
> >
> > John Hartog
> > Portland, Oregon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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