Cheshire Wildlife Trust welcomes three new beaver babies near Delamere Forest
A trio of beaver kits have been born at a nature reserve - marking the second pregnancy for the animals after two adults were reintroduced for the first time in 400 years.
The three new kits were born at Hatchmere Nature Reserve near Delamere Forest, after Cheshire Wildlife Trust introduced a pair of beavers, named Rowan and Willow in 2020.
Their first kits Bramble and Aspen were born in Summer 2022.
The latest additions to the family mean there are now seven beavers living together at the release site.
They are expected to stay near the family lodge for several years before dispersing to set up their own territory.
Beavers breeding takes place between December and April and the pregnancy lasts for around 103 days.
Females give birth to their litter of one to six young in early summer, with the average litter size being two to three kits.
The young then spend their first few months hidden in a lodge.
When they are old enough to eventually venture out into the world they set to work felling trees and building dams much like mini versions of their parents.
Kev Feeney, Programme Manager for Rivers and Wetlands at Cheshire Wildlife Trust said: “It’s fantastic to learn the news of three new beaver kits being born at Hatchmere.
"In under three years, we now have a nice little family living together creating a new diverse wetland landscape that didn’t exist previously."
The wetland landscape that the beavers are creating includes:
Water levels that have continued to increase with the creation and expansion of dams, one of which is now over 200 metres long and another over a metre high.
The effects of the lack of rain and annual drought is not being seen on the beaver created wetland where water levels are maintained. Holding water on site is re-charging the surrounding area, providing much needed water to vegetation which is supporting a diverse range of invertebrates that are struggling elsewhere due to the lack of rain.
The winter witnessed the beavers felling lots of trees however this behaviour stopped in spring and their diet has switched to grazing on open areas for vegetation such as hogweed.
The aims of the project were to create a diverse wetland to support a whole host of wildlife and to improve the water quality flowing downstream into Hatchmere Nature Reserve. Early research is indicating that these aims are being met.
Waterfowl numbers have increased dramatically with lots of breeding on site and multiple families of ducklings present at any one time. Water entering the site has slowed down allowing natural processes to take place, sediments are being trapped by the dams and is now lower in nutrients as it reaches Hatchmere lake.
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust project is one of 25 beaver reintroductions in England, with other sites in the South West, Kent, Gloucestershire, East Anglia and Yorkshire.
Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s five year 'nature led' project aims to save and restore the wetland ecosystem at Hatchmere Nature Reserve but The Trust still needs to raise £17,000 to complete their five-year project.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...