Beaver territories and waterfowl breeding in beaver dams in Klosterheden State Forest, Denmark by Aurélie Charrin directed by Sten Asbirk & Thomas Borup Svendsen 2004 BEAVER TERRITORIES IN KLOSTERHEDEN STATE FOREST AND SURRONDINGS ...................................................................................................................... 4 A. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 4 1. PRESENTATION OF THE SPECIES : EUROPEAN BEAVER, CASTOR FIBER LINNAEUS 1758. ..... 4 1.1. Taxonomy .................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Body description and characteristics.......................................................................... 4 1.3. Behaviour and ecology................................................................................................ 5 2. BEAVERS IN DENMARK ....................................................................................................... 8 B. BEAVER STUDY................................................................................................................ 9 1. IN KLOSTERHEDEN FOREST DISTRICT .................................................................................. 9 1.1. Definition..................................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Møllesøen/Flynder Å................................................................................................... 9 1.3. Ællebæk/Hestbæk...................................................................................................... 11 1.4. Discussion on the methodology................................................................................. 12 2. BEAVER POPULATION ESTIMATIONS .................................................................................. 13 2.1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 13 2.2. Material and methods................................................................................................ 13 2.3. Results ....................................................................................................................... 14 2.4. Discussion ................................................................................................................. 15 3. OUTSIDE KLOSTERHEDEN STATE FOREST .......................................................................... 20 3.1. Investigation along Storå river ................................................................................. 20 3.2. Search for the lodge in Flobæk ................................................................................. 21 MONITORING OF WATER BIRDS IN THE BEAVER PONDS ................................... 22 A. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 22 B. MATERIAL AND METHODS ........................................................................................ 22 1. STUDY AREA ..................................................................................................................... 22 Description of the vegetation ........................................................................................... 22 2. OBSERVATIONS ................................................................................................................. 25 3. GRAPHICAL METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................. 25 C. RESULTS........................................................................................................................... 26 1. RESULTS BY SPECIES......................................................................................................... 26 1.1. Mallard (Anas Platyrhychos).................................................................................... 26 1.2. Muet swan (Cygnus olor) .......................................................................................... 26 1.3. Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) ................................................................................ 27 1.4. Pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) ................................................................................... 27 1.5. Grey wagtail (Motacilla cinera) ............................................................................... 27 1.6. Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)......................................................................... 28 1.7. Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) ...................................................................................... 28 1.8. Cormorant(Phalacrocorax carbo) ............................................................................ 28 1.9. Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) ......................................................................................... 28 1.10. Teal (Anas crecca) .................................................................................................. 28 1.11. Tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).................................................................................. 28 1.12. Coot (Fulica atra) ................................................................................................... 29 1.13. Sandpiper ................................................................................................................ 29 1.14. Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) ............................................................... 29 1.15. Water rail (Rallus aquaticus).................................................................................. 29 1.16. Black stork (Ciconia nigra)..................................................................................... 29 1.17. Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) ................................................................................... 29 1.18. Black headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) and other gull (Larus sp.).......................... 29 1.19. Unindentificated duck ............................................................................................. 29 2. RESULTS BY TERRITORY.................................................................................................... 29 D. DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................... 30 1. RECORDS OF THE SPECIES.................................................................................................. 30 1.1. Mallard...................................................................................................................... 30 1.2. Muet swan ................................................................................................................. 31 1.3. Moorhen .................................................................................................................... 31 1.4. Little grebe ................................................................................................................ 31 1.5. Grey heron................................................................................................................. 32 1.6. Wagtail ...................................................................................................................... 32 1.7. Cormorant ................................................................................................................. 32 1.8. Sandpiper .................................................................................................................. 32 1.9. Unindenticated duck.................................................................................................. 33 2. RESULTS BY TERRITORY.................................................................................................... 33 3. BEAVERS’INFLUENCE........................................................................................................ 34 E. PASSERINES OBSERVATIONS.................................................................................... 35 1. RING-MARKING IN FRUERBÆK .......................................................................................... 35 2. OTHER OBSERVED SPECIES IN KLOSTERHEDEN ................................................................. 35 3. OTHER OBSERVATIONS...................................................................................................... 37 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................... 38 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 39 Beaver territories in Klosterheden State forest and surrondings A. Introduction 1. Presentation of the species : European beaver, Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758. 1.1. Taxonomy Beavers are semiaquatic mammals, they belong to the order Rotentia, the family Castoridae. They are divided in two species : Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758, the European beaver and Castor canadensis Kull 1820, the north-American beaver. North-American beavers have got 40 pairs of chromosomes (following Robertsonian fusion of eight pairs of chromosomes) while European beavers have got 48 (Lavrov & Orlow, 1973 in Rosell & Sun, 1999 and in Hartman, 1994). Rosell & Sun (1999) found that colour and viscosity of the anal gland secretion (AGS) could also be used for discrimination between the two species. Nevertheless, these two species are