Otter (but actually beaver) town
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_beaver
https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/what-we-do/our-projects/river-otter-beaver-trial
Even without the beaver-chewed trees, dams and promise of the large rodents; it was an incredible dusk to be out in.
The sun set over the hills past some dairy farms, there were pheasants in the fields. Crows were gathering in the sky above a stand of huge trees full of nests and a cormorant came into land on the perfectly smooth water of the river that reflected the banks’ red dirt and white flowering bushes.
People were walking down the wide dirt path, some clearly just doing their usual daily walk, others were like us: pausing in the cold evening to squint at mudbanks. One couple had seen some ‘teenage beavers’ tumbling in the branches and compared them to kids sneaking out for a smoke. Furtive and hidden, then gone when noticed
There were ducklings darting about the surface and while admiring this, Rebecca saw the head of an adult beaver cresting for a breath before slipping under water again.
We followed it down stream, a large brown smudge in the clear water, until we lost it on a bend in the river. It was unclear whether it had come in shore to a cluster of branches or just swum on faster than we could walk.
She (he?) was much bigger than I expected, about the size of a cocker spaniel, and seemed entirely unperturbed by our presence- just determined towards a destination.
We walked on, closer to where the river panned out to the sea, and for a moment imagined the beaver heading to the beach to go surfing on its flat tail.
On the way back to the car we paused at the milk dispensary on the side of the farm; grappling with machine and awkward apple-pay synchronisation, and took home a litre of fresh organic fairly overpriced milk.
When we got home I tasted some- it was incredibly sweet and creamy. Almost like liquid rice pudding. I always forget how much fresh milk kinda smells like cows too. Pretty awesome though.
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