Clive Hill visited Studland’s Little Sea Lake several times before spotting the ‘elusive’ animals.
The images, show one pair of the re-introduced beavers swimming in the water with their kit, which Clive likened to a teddy bear’.
He said: “It took me three attempts before I had any luck at all.
“On the third try the kit came out, which was the baby beaver and the two adults came out as well.
“I was very lucky to see all three of them and it was a really lovely sight to see.”
Clive said he has been back to Little Sea lake several times but hasn’t seen them since.
“They are very elusive animals and you can only see them in the evenings.”
(Image: Clive Hill)
The images were taken from about 30 to 40 metres away using a Nikon D500 with a 150–600mm lens.
Clive said: “It looks like I’m right up closely, but I’m not. It’s important not to disturb them.”
He added: “When I saw the one floating in the water and it looked like a teddy bear, I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t expecting them to come out that well, but I was really pleased.”
Photography has become a significant part of Clive’s life in recent years. After recovering from a serious illness eight years ago, he took up walking as part of his rehabilitation and soon began noticing more of the natural world.
“I was the sort of person who’d drive to the corner shop. But when I started walking more, I saw so much wildlife and decided to buy a camera. I’ve walked nearly a million steps so far this year.”
One of his recent deer photographs taken at Little Sea was featured as an Echo Picture of the Day.
“It’s just a hobby, but I love it. It’s a complete switch-off from work,” he added.
Beavers were reintroduced to Little Sea by the National Trust and Forestry England in 2023.
National Trust staff have confirmed there are currently nine beavers at Little Sea in Studland, including two new kits, but ongoing sightings suggest there may be more, with volunteers working to determine whether recent appearances are duplicate sightings or additional kit’s.