Loitering with Intent

The local herons have been spending  a lot of time by the pond, eyeing up the fish. I don’t think they manage to take many as our pond has steep sides and herons won’t step into deep water they will only wade in from the shallows. I like seeing a heron by the pond and don’t begrudge them a few fish, we have more than enough and I think the golden orfe are now too big for the herons to tackle.

How ever Inspector Gadget explains that doing what comes naturally (to a heron) is reportable offence

‘Theft of Goldfish from Pond - main suspect - local Heron’

 

I disturbed a heron yesterday, it flew off  and perched in the sycamore tree, they do look rather ridiculous sat in a tree, there is something about herons that doesn’t seem to add up, as though there was a miscalculation at the design stage, herons legs look like they might snap and their beaks look too heavy, (I’ve yet to manage to get a photograph of one, so I’ll cheat)

the ability of herons to catch fish led to a belief  that their legs must produce some magical substance that attracted the fish, this resulted in anglers scattering pieces of herons legs around the fishing ground, in an attempt to attract fish, now don’t try this at home because

In Great Britain the heron is protected at all times under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with fines or prison sentences available for anyone killing or attempting to kill one

 

and such a fishy incident will result in even more paper work for Gadget.

I adore our pond, you can see why,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We built it six years ago, we borrowed a mini digger and a dumper truck and Mr Uhdd set to work, it ended up a different shape and a  bit bigger than the original plan (not unlike the heron) and the liner cost as much as the new sofa we planed to buy at the time, six years on we still haven’t bought a sofa, but I have no regrets, the pond investment was the right one and the old sofa will be fashionable again soon. The pond is spring fed and whilst it doesn’t run all year round it is a big enough body of water not to need topping up. We were amazed by how quickly wildlife just turned up and took over it, (treat of treat has been a visiting kingfisher) This summer I will be on a mission to get more photographs of some of the visitors, this is the best I managed last year

I think I shall make a mug of tea and go up to the pond, bliss.

Surface Tension

It was frosty again last night, the frogs and toads have retreated to the bottom of the pond, this photo is from last Friday, taken during the day, when it was warm and spring like

But is it a frog or a toad? I’m getting in a tizz with the identification, could someone do me a favour and work it out please? I think the answers might be here It looks like an interesting site and I’d like to spend some time hopping around it, but I have work to do, *sigh*; but first tea, much tea is needed, I’ll go and get the kettle on.

Pond life, nocturnal

At 22:30 this evening, air temperature 8.3C

We couldn’t really count, but there were in excess of a hundred frogs in around the the pond.

Go on, kiss me!

I am so impressed with this camera!

There were frogs swimming amongst the spawn that was laid last week,

And more frogs making more spawn, can anyone work out just how many are involved in this scrum? presumably there is a female in the middle.

It’s a very busy night,  we carefully we picked our way back indoors, without the squelch of a frog underfoot, but it wasn’t easy.

Frozen Embryos

I was all set to post about the frog spawn from the pond a sign that spring is here

It feels  like you being watched by dozens of little alligators,

 

 

but it’s been frosty over night and first thing this morning the spawn was frozen

but I don’t imagine the eggs will have come to much harm, they are well wrapped up.

Pond Life

The water is very cold, but there is still plenty going on.

This rather surreal shot, is of the fish swimming under the ice with the reflections of the surrounding trees; we haven’t messed about in Photoshop, but Joe and I thought the image had a bit of the Dr Seuss and ‘The Cat in the Hat’ about it if we turned it through 180 degrees.

The water in the pond is crystal clear at the moment, (I am sure I can see a Tesco’s trolley, lurking amongst the weed.) Thanks to the amount of rain we have had in the last few weeks, the spring that feeds it is in full flow; for the last few days it has been partiality frozen, the fish are swimming around with a slow ‘lava lamp’ morphing sort of movement. It would be very pretty to watch if it wasn’t so dammed cold. You can see here, the ripples frozen into the ice.

I don’t think I have posted about the pond before and I’ll write more about it another day, the place is a joy to me, at any time of the year, I consume many mugs of tea ‘up at the pond.’ I try and hide there but the boys know it is the place they are most likely to find me, just watching the world go by, on warmer day’s at any rate.

The icy conditions in the lane,continue to catch out the unwary driver, this is ice

and as I write Mr UHDD, is using the Landrover to tow a car out of a spot of bother. (I didn’t feel it would be very helpful to nip out with the camera, ‘man pride’ was at stake, I was tempted though.)

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