It’s mountain beaver time!
April 4, 2011
Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again! As reported last year and the year before, the return of spring in Seattle brings the return of my furry, football-shaped friend: the mountain beaver. Ain’t he sweet?
He’s out a little earlier than usual this year, and seems to have taken up residence farther up the hill behind our house. Unless that’s some other mountain beaver, of course. I didn’t catch his name.
From Rednecklandia to the Emerald City 
July 8, 2011 at 10:46 am
We started to see evidence of tunneling in our backyard in Shoreline and assumed it was moles. Last night though, our dog cornered this critter that we had never seen before. It turned out it was a mountain beaver. Wonder why he moved to town?
July 9, 2011 at 10:30 am
Isn’t it funny? We always forget that there are many other residents on our property than just us! We’ve seen several this year near steeply-banked roads, too. Thanks for reading and for sharing your experience!
August 18, 2011 at 12:07 pm
I live in Lake Forest Park and don’t mind the mountain beavers on the steep hill that we live on.I do mind him/her chewing down my shrubs. It loves the smoke bush and rhodies!!-It chews the branches off and then drags them down it’s hole. Any ideas on how to repel them from areas that they are not wanted in?
August 18, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Hi Kate! Boo to him for eating your smoke bush – that’s awful! Our little guy just eats weeds, which is about all we’ve been able to keep back there to tell you the truth! I haven’t heard about any reliable way to repel the mountain beavers, but I read somewhere that you can shine a flashlight or a highway flare in their burrow and it irritates them. That sounds a little silly, but who knows–maybe it works! Good luck!