Surprising discovery along the Little Ouse

We have been putting out wildlife cameras for many years along the headwaters of the Little Ouse, especially as part of our Otter and Water Vole studies (Langston, R. & Rivett, A. 2020; Langston, R. et al. 2022), and have collected some lovely video and audio clips of many different species. These clips include Otters feeding, social interactions between Otters, a Fox reluctantly getting its feet wet, wintering Chiffchaff flycatching, Kingfisher “beating” its Bullhead prey prior to swallowing it, and many more insights to the comings and goings of local wildlife.

Otters © Arthur Rivett

Imagine our surprise when a recent clip recorded a mammal we had not seen before along the river: a BEAVER! We have no idea where this Beaver has come from. It is possibly an escapee from one of the licensed releases into “secure” enclosures, or it might be an illegal release. We are investigating possible origins.

Image of European Beaver in Devon © Arthur Rivett

Either way, it has stayed around for a while now, and we are starting to find feeding signs. Our camera footage includes it feeding on Willow twigs. We first recorded it on camera on 2nd November. Beavers have been extinct in Britain for several hundred years and Otters around now, are likely to have had little or no prior experience of Beavers. We will continue to monitor activity and signs, along with our other mammal recording. Beavers are mainly crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) or nocturnal, so you are more likely to see signs than the Beaver. Please respect the wildlife that shares the valley with us and don’t try to search for it, which is likely to cause disturbance.

Tree gnawed by a Beaver © Ellie Beach

Wood chips a sign that a Beaver has been at work © Ellie Beach

Beaver recorded on wildlife camera on Little Ouse Nov 2025 © LOHP

Langston, R. & Rivett, A. (2020). Otter diet along the upper Little Ouse. In, Suffolk Natural History: Transactions of the Suffolk Naturalists’ Society 56:1-12

Langston, R., R. Minter, J. McCormack, E. Beach & R. Langston (2022). Water Vole activity monitoring along the Little Ouse Headwaters. Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists’ Society 55: 34-42