Beaver Lodge at Holnicote Estate

A Wetland Engineered by Beavers

In 2020 a pair of Eurasian beavers were released into a fenced enclosure on the Holnicote Estate, and they have since transformed the landscape. By felling trees and building dams, they have created a network of deep pools and slow-moving channels that this camera looks out over.

A Mosaic Habitat Teeming with Wildlife

The beavers' engineering has produced a rich mosaic of open water, marsh and wet woodland. This patchwork supports amphibians, bats, otters and a host of birds, including kingfishers, dippers and waterfowl that flourish in the restored wetland.

Natural Flood Management in Action

The dams slow the flow of water through the valley, helping to ease flooding downstream and improve the health of the rivers and streams. The National Trust team monitors how the beavers reshape their surroundings as a nature-based response to a changing climate.

What You Might Spot

Patient viewers may glimpse the beavers gliding past their lodge, an otter hunting along the bank, or a kingfisher flashing across the pool. As an unfiltered wild camera within Exmoor National Park, every visit offers a different glimpse of nature at work.