A close encounter of the beaver kind

Yesterday evening I took a drive into the forest to see if the ice had started to melt on some of the small pools, and if there were any birds or anything else to see. There is still a lot of ice, but at one pool there was a patch of open water. The first I noticed was a pair of mallard Anas platyrhynchos (N=stokkand). But what was the man in a nearby car looking at? A couple of beavers Castor fiber (N=bever), and only 15 metres away. The light was lovely as it was just before sunset, and from the comfort of the car i was able to snap a few shots.

A pair of mallard resting on the ice

The beavers kept diving and bringing twigs and plant material to the edge of the ice where they fed.