Beavers Are Back

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Even though the National Zoo’s Beaver Valley is closed for construction of a new seals and sea lion exhibit, you can still see beavers right here in Rockville.

When I was out running a couple of weeks ago, a woman stopped me with great excitement to tell me beavers were visible nesting at Stoneridge Pond. I already knew. I first wrote about the beavers in the winter of 2008 but they disappeared suddenly several months later in the summer. Their nest was cleaned out almost immediately by the pond management company.

During the last two years, I have never stopped checking for beavers. Every time I’m out on a run, I stop and climb down to look. After all this time I never expected to see beavers again, so I was quite surprised to find them nestled together.

Beavers, our largest “rodent”, can be found throughout North America. They eat tree bark, pond vegetation, buds and roots. According to the National Zoo website, they mate in winter then gestation takes 105 days leading to a litter of up to eight young (but most likely two to four). I keep wondering if our happy couple will be parents soon.

Here’s a quick 40 second video. I was shunned!

Three More Days To Submit Your Pet Photos To Animal Exchange!

Our good friend >Ruth Hanessian, who runs the crossorads of Rockville that some know as Animal Exchange, is finishing up the entry period for her annual “Feather and Paw Photo Contest.” You’ve got until July 24 to get your photo submitted!

Here’s the relevenat info from the Animal Exchange blog:

Bless Your Pet, And More, May 22!

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It’s hard for me to believe it myself, but this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Blessing of the Animals at the Animal Exchange! I hope you will join me in this wonderful free event, which be held at the store on Friday, May 22, at 4:30 p.m.

Presiding at the Blessing will be Father Jim Downs of St. Mary’s Church, Cantor Marge Auerbach from Congregation Bet Aviv, and Reverend Cindy Simpson of Christ Episcopal Church. You and your pets are welcome regardless of your affiliation or lack of affiliation. In other words, EVERYONE is welcome!

You may bring your pets (under your control) or a photo of them. There are really no restrictions as long as you are supervising your pets at all times. We have been visited in the past by Cuddles, a boa constrictor, and even by a snail. So, bring your furry, feathery, etc. friends, as well as your family and your people friends. We will have goodies to eat for people and pets. We’ll also have displays and handouts for all.

In addition to the Blessing, we will be celebrating the Animal Exchange’s 30th anniversary, my 70th birthday, and 15 years of my being cancer-free. Donations to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, to be held at the Montgomery College Rockville Campus, will be gratefully accepted.

Thank you, and looking forward to seeing you here.

POTD: Blue Heron

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This little fellow was shot by Julia Leiby and the photo was passed along by her mother, Theresa Defino.

She says: “There’s an elusive blue heron who has been eating out of my pond. Two days ago he arrived in our yard, stood next to the pond and grabbed a fish! Julia got a shot of him as he flew off and landed on the neighbor’s roof.”

Help Find Lew, The Lost Beagle!

>This is not ordinarily a “lost-dog” kind of space, but these folks have been looking so hard and are so distraught:

Lew, a brown, black, and white beagle was lost on April 4th, 2009 from the corner of Lewis and Rockland Ave in the Twinbrook section of Rockville. At the time he was lost, he was wearing a red collar, a red harness and had a red retractable leash dragging behind him. It is possible that these are no longer on him, esp the harness and leash. He was just recently adopted and doesn’t know the area. He is very shy and will likely try to avoid people. We set up a blog for him at http://findlew.blogspot.com. Details:

• Beagle / Basset Hound Mix
• Black / Brown – Neutered Male
• call 301-816-2976 or email

Demise Of The Duck Pond

A reader recently sent a note: >“Did you know that the duck pond at Montgomery College has already had the ducks and geese eliminated and the frogs,fish,turtles, etc. are next? Life in and at the pond will be gone. So many years that pond has given us so much, it is hard to watch its life disappear. . . . [W]hy drive away or kill the creatures living there? It has always been a place for photos and summer strolls and conversations. Even a blue heron stopped there. Seems a shame to end it. True, a new science building is good but I believe the pond should remain.”

This reader is not alone, as our friends at the Gazette point out this week:

Montgomery College’s decision to drain a storm-water management pond for a construction project without removing the fish and wildlife that inhabited it has angered many students and faculty on the Rockville campus.

“It’s disgusting,” said Evin Eldridge, 20, who is to graduate from Montgomery College in the fall. “The most ironic thing is this is going to be a biology center.”

A new, roughly $60 million science center is being built on the Rockville campus. The planned four-story building will house the biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and geosciences departments. . . . The pond was to be drained as part of the construction. As of Tuesday, most of the water had been removed. Fish that were in the pond either were pumped out into the stream or scooped up with other debris, said college spokesman Brett Eaton.

Our reader included a watercolor by Mary Jane Lynch, “showing how wonderful the pond has been thru the years.” Here it is:

POTD: Yip! Yip!

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These cute guys would not stop barking at me the other morning, so I thought I would reward them with a little fame. . . .

Monkey Bites Reporter, Votes

>To be honest, I am not sure why this little guy’s choice in presidents drew such attention, but evidently Elyse Gazewitz, the owner of the previously disputed capuchin monkey, Armani, held a press conference at which the monkey voted early.

While waiting for the voting to take place, according to WTOP, Armani bit a reporter:

Before Armani cast a ballot for Barack Obama, the monkey lunged off its [owner's] shoulder and bit the reporter’s finger.The reporter at the time was getting recording equipment from a table. The reporter is fine after being treated in a hospital emergency room, given a tetanus shot and antibiotics.

You’ll need to go here to see the video.

(Photo from WTOP’s files.)

POTD: Bath

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I spied this little guy on my porch . . . he was there for about ten minutes, preening and grooming himself. or herself. I can’t tell such things.

Ruth On The Cockatiels

>Rockville Central friend Ruth Hanessian has another one of her fabulous YouTube videos up, and no it is not a humorous dig at a political figure or anything boring like that. No, this one, like all of Ruth’s videos, is chock full of information!

It’s about The Cockatiels!

(You can see the video again here, if the embedded version above isn’t working.)

Keep ‘em coming, Ruth!