Warm welcome as beavers settle into their new Nene Wetlands home by Rushden Lakes

Last month saw beavers return to Northamptonshire for the first time in 400 years.

The family-of-eight came from Scotland and were released at Delta Pit with mum Boudica and dad Alan Carr leading the way as they started to explore their new surroundings.

A month on, it seems they are settling in well, although the water-loving mammals have been proving quite elusive to spot so far.

A spokesman for the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire said: “They have been very busy, we have found lots of nibbled sticks and trees.

“They are proving very difficult to spot, but we have seen signs of them everywhere.”

The beavers’ arrival has caused a lot of excitement for staff, volunteers and visitors, all trying to catch a glimpse of them.

But for anyone who hasn’t been lucky enough to see them yet, there are several ways to keep up-to-date with how they are getting on.

There is a blog on the Wildlife Trust’s website and there are a number of trail cams around the site.

A post published on the blog last week said: “The release went smoothly and within an hour of arriving on site the beavers had left their crates, swam into the water and started exploring their new home.

"We had built an artificial lodge to provide them with shelter during the first few days and put out food, parsnips and sweet potatoes, to supplement the abundant willow.

"We then left them in peace to get to know their new surroundings.”

With beavers being nocturnal animals, monitoring via the cameras has shown that they often start becoming active around dusk with peaks between 10pm and 2am.

But as they become more accustomed to their new home, they are steadily becoming more active earlier in the day, with some in-person sightings reported just as the sun starts to set between 5pm and 5.30pm.

Beavers are known to be secretive animals so while sightings may be limited, there are signs of activity to look out for including gnawed sticks and cut willow branches.

The beavers also seem to be enjoying the bark of ash trees.

And their arrival does seem to have been welcomed by everyone and created a real buzz.

The blog continues: “The positivity we’ve received these past few weeks from members, visitors, wardens, media and staff has been incredible.

"As we check the fences, it’s not uncommon to be stopped by three or four inquisitive visitors asking how are the beavers, how many are there and what are your plans for the future?

"With the recent news of wild release licenses being issued by Natural England, we couldn’t be happier to be part of the conversation and can’t wait to see what impact they make over the next year and beyond.”

To keep up-to-date with the beavers, trail cam footage is being posted on the Wildlife Trust’s website and social media pages.

The Wildlife Trust in Northamptonshire first announced back in July 2023 that beavers, which are often known as eco-engineers, will help to maintain the wet woodland habitat around Delta Pit, by creating a dynamic and diverse wetland habitat.