Feeding time in the pond

Many of my family and friends know that I'm somewhat obsessed with the little pond that I've constructed in the back yard. If I'm not counting frogs, working at ridding the water of algae, I'm watching and feeding fish, or just standing at its edge not thinking much about anything except the miracle of Nature.

So the other day I thought I'd take a video of the fish in my pond as they rush around either grabbing food or expecting some. When I walk by they get all excited and rise to near where I usually feed them - Pavolv's dogs? Perhaps.

I guess that any creature gets used to and expects routine. Certainly my dogs let me know when it's breakfast time, walk time, next walk time, treat time (that's actually all the time whenever I get up from the computer or come downstairs, or just move around outside or inside - silly creatures - ever optimistic. They get treats rarely.) But all the creatures including wild birds, the caring chipmunk, frogs and "pets" seem to have knowledge of routine.

These particular fish started out as tiny inch and a half long "feeder fish" originally intended for other fish that eat little fish - for people who keep pirhanna for example and need live food.

The gal who sold them to me, gave me seven of what she figured were the prettiest since they were going to be in a pond. They were all different - orange and white, patterned individually. Next spring I had seven three and four inch fish and lo and behold by fall - 15 fish - eight new members of the school. They spent the winter in a horse trough in the drive shed - the plastic liner having sprung a serious leak.

My sons helped me reconstruct the pond with a neoprene liner, and made it deeper and wider.

Good thing too - when I returned the 15 to the pond they "got busy!"

Then one of my sons brought me four large fish that a friend could no longer manage in a small aquarium. Nineteen. Suddenly there were even more - four tiny minnows began to appear in late June - and it seemed like there were black shadows racing past when the food was on the surface. These kinds of goldfish or carp, are black when they hatch until they get to a certain size.

Who knows how many there really are in the pond... it's impossible to count - they're never all in one place at one time, and if by some chance they are, it's for a brief milli-second. So however many there are, they are very lucky fish. Herons don't predate the pond - there are too many trees around, two cats and two dogs, who would chase them away. The cats watch, but don't try to catch them. The dogs think my time spent cleaning the pond is a waste - it's not involving them. The raccoons may try but have been unsuccessful as far as I can tell.

And me? I get laughter, meditation time and a lot of pleasure from watching them. I still count frogs - who seem to be plentiful as well. What an interesting "hobby" it's turned out to be. Who knew my idea of having a pond in my back yard to fill in a messy hole would turn out to be such a great project? Do you have ideas you've helped come into fruition? Fun isn't it?

The sun sets after a lovely day - watching fish, frogs and others of Nature's creatures

Shooting fish in a barrel

My wee pond in the back yard this fall was full of fish - and frogs. The sound of water tumbling from a tiny waterfall and from the fountain in its middle was delightful to hear.

Then winter came or a sort of winter. But the water froze and I suddenly realized that water was leaking from the pond. The ice was much higher than the water level when I looked one day.

So I had to figure out what to do about the fish and the frogs.

Frozen, cold and pretty miserable looking isn't it?














So my solution? I borrowed back a water trough I had used for my horses years ago, filled it up, and scooped out the fish and the frogs from the pond. It was cold when I did this, but still the water in the pond wasn't frozen. The poor froggies, babies all, crawled away after I put them onto the soft garden soil. I hope they were able to dig themselves in. I'm not sure I got all the frogs, or in fact all the fish. I got all the coloured ones and they went into buckets and were dumped into the trough. But if there were new ones, babies? just have no idea. Does this ice go all the way to the bottom of what used to be a pond I wonder? It's not very deep. On the other hand with the up and down seesaw weather, some days there is lots of water around the edges of the pond... so I just don't know.

And here are the fish - in the barrel. I shot this photo with the tongue in cheek idea of writing this blog.

The white thing with the tube attached that looks like a flying saucer is the bubbler that keeps the water fresh. The yellow thing attached to another wire is my old heater for the water when I used to have horses. It keeps the water from freezing. And as you can imagine, the fish hang about the warmth. Not terribly warm though. Putting my hand in the water it nearly turned blue with cold. But the fish are in a semi-hibernative state and will survive until spring and the re-working of the wee pond. It will need to be dug out and re-lined and gives me things to think about during this long bleak grey winter... not that it's been cold, but it's been grey, brown and windy. I confess to preferring winter that is snowy, bright, sunny and filled with the contrasts of colour that come with what has usually been winter.

In any case, now that it's the middle of February more or less, I will begin focussing on spring. Will I start some veggies in a small indoor greenhouse to be out-planted come April? Will it be warm enough in April to dig the pond deeper? All weighty thoughts to be sure. And I can chuckle at the machinations I devise to get me through this particular winter.

I wonder what you do to get through winter this year? I have one blogger/friend I follow who goes ice fishing in the most miserable weather - the worse the better. He loves the challenge of dealing with the outdoors when it's at it's most wintery. You?

Whatever you do - escape to the sunny south, travel somewhere, play indoor games, cuddle up with books beside the fire - or like my friend head into the teeth of a storm - have a great time doing it!

Fascinated with fishes

The seven little fishes that I dropped into my wee pond in the back yard a year or so ago, are growing.

Fast!

Could it be the food - floating here on the surface of the pond?

You can easily see the little rippling circles they make as the fish rise to swallow up the tiny flakes.

Originally when I bought them - they were "feeder fish" meant as meals for the larger aquariums that hold piranhas and other such flesh eating creatures. The gal in the pet store said "I'll choose  some pretty ones for you," when she learned that they were going to live in an outdoor pond...and they are pretty. Each one is marked differently. There is only one that is completely orange and one completely white one. The others have spots orange on the white fish, white on the others, sometimes banded, one is completely orange except for a white spot around its mouth... and believe it or not they have personalities. Who would think that fish would have personalities.

Some are very shy hiding with every passing shadow, others bold and sassy approaching the surface quickly when they realize food is coming. Some are aggressive being the first to grab the food - they of course are the fattest and biggest in length.

They have grown from the inch and a half little guys that I wasn't sure would manage the winter over, to about three inches long and one has to be four with a tummy of at least that... someone said - hmmmm getting close to eating size. Who except another fish or a raccoon or fish eating bird like a heron or egret would want to eat goldfish? From this pond? I don't think so.

Anyway, they amuse me, I love watching their antics when I first tap on the edge of a rock to let them know food is coming. Then they flirt with the surface, turning quickly, flipping their tails, darting back and forth.

Just watching them is also calming. It focuses my attention completely away from the chatter that runs constantly in the background of my mind like a B movie, never quiet.

May you find something today that will fascinate, or bring joy, calm, peace or just be amusing. Enjoy each moment!

Nature's miracles

One of the things I've worried about over the entire winter was that my tiny little water feature in the back yard had been covered with snow since late November.

There was one thaw, when the bubbler was strong enough to send enough air through and make a small hole. Little did I realize that wasn't important.

Here you can see my seven gold fish which I bought last summer. They are still alive, in some sort of semi-stasis, dormant state I guess...fish hibernation? I don't know what it's called, not being a biologist, or is that fishologist? But delighted is what I can be called since a few days ago. Particularly yesterday when I took this photograph.

They aren't eating. I was told not to feed them since they won't eat and the food would just give us hurtful gases as it deteriorated. All they need is well aerated, clean water. So no food for fishies.

But food for my every-hopeful soul indeed. Whodathunkit? Water barely 18 inches deep and about three or four feet across. Goodness knows what kind of detritus is in the bottom, enough I hope for the six or so frogs that insisted on hanging about to bury themselves in. But seven little fish still alive after the winter we had. It's enough to make you believe in miracles.

So on that note, let's hope for miracles in Japan - that poor troubled nation, all its people, animals and the waters in and around it. And hope for the miracle of peace and democratic regimes in the other trouble spots around the world. Here's to miracles.

They can happen on big and small scales. We just need to believe and work towards helping them happen.