The beaver is one of the 10 national symbols of Canada as well as one of two national animals, the other being the horse. These hardworking rodents have been busy for many weeks preparing for the upcoming winter. They do that by caching a large pile of branches, willows and sapling pieces from the mud bottom up and above the surface (note the large branch food cache) as well as mudding their lodge and reinforcing their dams. /LEON LORENZ