I spotted a shadow moving swiftly under the water of Trout Creek in northwest Montana, and my heart started to race. My partner had called me outside just fifteen minutes before saying he saw something in the creek, and I had been stalking up and down the bank ever since. I noticed a wide flat tail propelling the shadowy animal forward, and suddenly its head popped up above the water. Two large black eyes considered its surroundings as it meandered upstream. I watched excitedly through my binoculars as it dove smoothly under willow roots and resurfaced near a boulder. After two years of living along this creek, I had finally seen the ever-elusive beaver! I hadn’t really known what beaver signs to look for though as just a novice beaver enthusiast. …

This Field Note was written by Rachel McKay. Would you be interested in writing one? Contact Allison De Jong, Field Notes editor, at adejong [at] montananaturalist [dot] org or 406.327.0405. Please visit the Field Notes website at the Montana Natural History Center for more information.