On The Fly

 

Another recent trip to the Whisby nature reserve near Lincoln.  We had gone with the intention to explore part of the reserve that  had previously been inaccessible on previous visits due to the construction of a foot bridge over a railway line (we did get to explore it, and were rewarded with plenty of midge bites for the effort).

I can't remember seeing Damselflies before.  They are smaller than Dragonflies, and are capable of folding their wings long the length of their bodies but share the almost iridescent markings.  Whisby was teeming with them.  The air and  water's edge were filed with breeding pairs. We must have seen hundreds of them.

Froggers

 When this post goes up we will have been in our new home for just over a year.  If you are a regular reader you'll know that one of the things that came with the house was a raised ornamental pond with approximately 2 dozen goldfish (dependent on Bob, the neighbourhood Bengal) and a few frogs that have taken up residence.

The pond has been a steep learning curve for us.  We knew nothing about maintaining them. Waterlilies will take over if you give them half a chance.  Blanketweed needs controlling, UV lamps need changing...it goes on.

What has been interesting is watching the annual cycle of the pond.  The fish stay to the depths during winter and don't feed and we wondered if any of the frogs that had survived (again, local cats seemed to like nothing better than to  reduce the population) would return to spawn.

In February, it started to look hopeful with the sighting of a frog at the base of the pond wall.

Then, just a few days later, the first clump of spawn followed.

We were also surprised one morning to actually see a frog laying spawn in the pond.  I couldn't get to close to it as it dove down as soon as I got near to it. Mornings, just after dawn seemed to be their preferred time to lay.

When the tadpoles started to hatch a few weeks later, there seemed to be thousands of them.  They appeared to feed of the spawn cases before they eventually disappeared down into the water.  We would see them occasionally, usually against the weed at the edges of the pond where the green background made them stand out.  It is surprisingly difficult to spot them.

In the last 6 weeks or so, we haven't seen a single one.  Nothing that  resembed a tadpole or a small frog.  We don't know if the goldfish have feasted on them or they have eaten each other, which is something that they can do.  Perhaps some have survived down among the silt at the bottom of the pond.

What we do know, is that the frogs have returned.  We have three that we know of that have made themselves at home.

There are a pair that stick together and a single larger frog that seems content with its own company.

Hopefully this year we have a better grasp of pond management and have added more oxygenating plants and keep up to date with the general welfare of the creatures that call it home.

The Fisher King

 Since moving house one of the new things that we've had to get to grips with is that we are now the custodians of a decent sized pond, complete with approximately 17 goldfish of various sizes and colours and sundry frogs.

 Novices would at best describe our knowledge of looking after ponds, but we have successfully managed to change the UV light that cleans the water, without electrocuting the fish, or indeed, ourselves.

As for potential predators, I have read that a heron can clear a pond of fish in one sitting but cats tend to avoid them due to their fear of water.  With the honourable exception of Bengal cats who love the stuff.

Would anyone care to hazard a guess what type of cat our neighbour owns?

Meet Bob, the beautiful Bengal that seems to rule the roost in the neighbourhood.

Silent Bob, The Bengal Cat

Our neighbour alerted me last week on my return to work, extremely apologetic as her cat, had brought in a large goldfish still flapping in its mouth and deposited its catch in the middle of her living room before deciding to bite its head off.  Our neighbour is elderly, but refreshingly honest.

I told her not to worry, as this is the kind of things cats do.  As former cat owners ourselves, we've seen first hand just what determined hunters they can be and the "gifts" they return with.

On Saturday, we found another fish, minus its tail and fins by the side of the pond.  If we where going to keep the remainder safe, a solution was to be found.

Neither Terry or myself wanted a net across the pond, which would spoil the look of it and the garden.  A local fish stockist showed us a movement sensitive device that could be plugged into the hose pipe and shoot a stream of water at the trespassing cats.  We didn't hold much hope out for that option for a water loving cat.  It would also mean having the hosepipe trailing across the garden and in all likelihood resulting in us tripping over the hose and/or getting sprayed for good measure.

After hitting the internet we came up with a solution, a ring of floating hexagonal lattices that are joined together and sit around the edge of the pond just below the surface, thus preventing Bob from being able to reach in from the side of the pond and take his fill.

The hexagonal lattice in place

So far, the deterrent appears to be working.  We've spotted Bob a couple of times on the edge of the pond but he hasn't made any further kills - as far as we know.

Taking care of the pond is going to be a work in progress.  We'll keep you updated if anything of interest occurs.

New Beginnings

A couple of weeks ago, we moved into our new home, which you can imagine takes up a lot of time and there are plenty of jobs to do around the place.  We haven't moved very far, just into the next village so the quiet lanes I enjoy walking down are still close by.

The garden as you will see is a lot smaller than we have had previously, but it's quiet and private, and a lot of potential.  It's a novelty to actually spend time in the garden without having to cut grass and trim hedges.

Terry has already made a start in knocking it into shape (with assistance from our good friend Ian who has provided invaluable advice and support.  I would say more but his head may not get through the door!).

As you can see the garden is paved, which came up a treat once we wielded the pressure washer.  The new house also has floor lights fixed into the ground so on an evening the garden is subtly lit.

A little garden art

Something else that we now have is a pond, complete with at least a dozen gold fish, and three frogs that we've spotted so far.  The trickling water is very relaxing.  

Terry has spent a lot of time planting up pots and placing them in areas to soften the geometric lines of the pond and the paving.  We also invested in a garden mirror and fixed it to the garage wall.  It's placed so you can see down the garden from the kitchen window.

The previous owners spent a lot of time and love on their garden and it shows.  Currently there are three different types of clematis that are bursting into flower against the fence.  

Gardens are never truly finished and I know it will take a little time until we get the "feel" of the planting that is already here and to put our own stamp on the place.

I'm also going to have to swat up on looking after goldfish...