We were kayaking on a river in Maine and movement far away caught my eye, so we paddle over to find this young beaver. He swam back and forth for a half an hour, slapping his tail to warn us. After a whle he realized we meant him no harm as we sat quietly waiting to see what he might do. Eventually, he accepted our presence enough to come on shore only about 15 feet from my kayak. We watched him grooming until bad weather forced us to cross the rather wide river back to the car.