Not that kind of beaver.
It's not fair to write about beavers like they're pigeons or squirrels (actually I still get excited about squirrels. Grey = 1 point, Red = 10 points, Black = 100 points). Beavers clearly are not everywhere otherwise I would have tripped over one. I saw two rats scratching around in some rubbish on the street - the binmen have been on strike - and I got excited, but they weren't beavers. When I went to Ireland on holiday I was told there would be puffins, and there were, and I saw one. Now the papers are promising me beavers all over the shop, right where I hang about every working day, and I bloody well expect to see some goofy teeth and oversize tails.
Look, most people have exciting bucket lists and this probably seems strange. However, if I want to make a list of animals and rank them according to an arbitrary points system like I do blueberries then that's my prerogative. Actually come to think of it, hedgehogs are supposed to be ubiquitous in England and I've never seen one...
Here's my checklist and haphazard score allocation of animals I'm supposedly supposed to trip over occasionally in Sweden:
<50 points> Beaver
<200 points> Moose (älg)
<10 points> Woodpecker (hackspettar)
<10 points> Eurasian bullfinch (domherrar)
<100 points> Adder (huggorm)
<500 points> Wolf
<500 points> Bear
So far I have 100 points and that's for the bum of a moose I saw disappearing into some trees as I rushed by on a train. In fact it might not even have been a moose, it might just be wishful thinking. The moose at Skansen zoo don't count. Also I heard a woodpecker so maybe I can have a point for that. My boyfriend's dad sent a picture of a bear from the family cabin (Swedish people have cabins in woods. It's a thing). I got excited because we were on our way in the car and I thought we'd be in time to see it. Turns out the bear was from google images.
What animals would make the list where you live, and how many points do you have? I hope you're doing better than me.
No love for seals?
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