Eight years ago I put a backyard pond in my yard. I did the work myself (including digging the hole by hand). I don't think I have $1000 in it. It measures 25' x 25' x 3 1/2' deep. I am continually amazed at the wildlife that this little pond attracts.
I bought a piece of roofing EPDM for about $350 and I have a 1600 gph pump that cost around $200. I got old landscaping railroad ties for free from a nieghbor. I put 2 dozen fathead minnows in and a variety of koi and fancy goldfish over the years. There are more fish out there than you can imagine. It's not anything fancy. It's got a little waterfall. I leave the pump run through the winter. The same pump has been running for all these years.
One of the first and most troubling visitors has been the Great Blue Herons. I say troubling because they are such voracious eaters and such effective hunters. Even if they can't eat the fish, they will spear them and throw them out of the pond. I still have them come regularly (like twice a day), but I have limited their stays by puting a rope held up by driveway reflectors around the pond. Now they have to land outside the pond and walk in and it is somewhat difficult for them to leave, as they must take off almost vertically, so they are very skittish. They only stay for a limited time. I was really having problems when they would come and park themselves out there for most of the day.
Every spring I have a variety of ducks check out my back yard for nesting opportunities. They will swim in my pond for a few days, before deciding that the three dogs that come charging out of my house several times a day would probably be disruptive to a peaceful family life.
Two years ago, I saw what looked like blood and scales on the top cross bar on my swing that is by the pond. I couldn't figure out what that might be till one day I came home and found a belted kingfisher munching minnows up there. I might not do so today, but back then I was more concerned about preserving my fish, so I floated a 4' x 8' piece of styrafoam insulation on the pond for a while. I called it the fishes bombshelter. I didn't see the kingfisher after that and it kept the herons away for a couple of weeks.
Just in the last few weeks, I've a new visitor. I had been seeing dead minnows floating, not lots of them, but two or three at a time. Again, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I didn't know if I had some kind of disease or what. I think I know what it is. A few weeks ago and now again this morning, I've seen an American Bittern out there. This morning I watched him for a while and he just walks back and forth on the railroad ties getting minnows from amongst the lily pads at the edge of the pond. I think the dead minnows are ones he injures, but doesn't get out of the pond and they eventually die.
In May, my wife saw a turtle walking in the street. We live a few hundred yards from a river, so that wasn't totally unexpected. I live in a subdivision, but on a quiet little road, maybe 20 cars a day come down our road, so I wasn't too worried about her getting hit. We just left her to do her business. She ended up in my front yard for a while and then disappeared. About a month ago now, I was out feeding the fish their fish chow, when to my amazement I saw a little baby turtle swimming in the pond. Since then, I've seen three at a time out there. I can only figure the mama turtle laid her eggs somewhere nearby and the little ones found my pond.
Frogs and toads use the pond for breeding. It's sure nice to hear the deep bellowing of the frogs or the high pitched trilling of the toads as they call in mates. An abundance of dragonflies, birds, woodchucks, ground squirrels, etc. etc. etc., probably lots of critters I have no idea of use my little pond.
My wife is after me to catch the GBH with my camera, but they are just so skittish out there, just a slight movement at the window of the house and they fly away. I would really need to build some kind of blind I think to have much of a chance or maybe now that I think about it, I could take the screen out of a window and set the camera/tripod up in a window. That would probably work. I'm really fascinated by the bittern and have second thoughts about scaring the kingfisher off. I've taken some frog/lily shots. I'm not taking full advantage of my own little nature preserve, but the possibilities surely are there.
Anyway, something for you to think about. If you build it they will come. . . .
I really don't mind the birds catching some fish. That's a part of nature, but I don't want it to be like bobbing for apples for them. It doesn't bother me too much anymore. Two years ago, before I put the rope around the pond, I lost almost all of my big koi to the heron. I had had those guys almost from the very first and to find them just dead in the yard bothered me. They were too big for the heron to eat, so he just caught them and put them in the grass. The same with the frogs and turtles, I don't mind losing some as I've got more cover now for them so they at least have a fighting chance of escaping the predators.
This bittern has just really surprised me. Usually they are pretty reclusive birds, maybe in a way like loons. I'm just fascinated to see one in my back yard. I would recommend anyone interested in wildlife, etc. to put in a pond. You really might be surprised at what shows up.
David, thanks for posting that. I am researching backyard ponds myself, and it is very heartening to hear stories like yours about all sorts of the interesting things being attracted there!
I have had so much pleasure with my pond and you don't have to mow it!
I've only had one bad experience. I don't know where you're located, but here in northern Indiana we get some pretty cold weather. The pond is deep enough that it isn't in danger of freezing to the bottom, but there are so many fish out there that if you don't keep the water moving, you will have problems with the fish suffocating under the ice.
Right around Christmas of 2004, we had a very very warm spell. It was in the 50's for a week or so and we received a very hard rain, a downpour. If it rains hard enough, the GFI (ground fault interrupt) will kick off the electric circuit the pond pump is on. You must have a GFI circuit or there is a great danger of electric shock from the pump. Anyway, a couple of times a year when it rains really hard the pump will kick off. I will notice the waterfall not running and I will have to go and reset the circuit breaker, no big deal. This time, it rains really hard and then immediately we get a very very cold snap. It got down to around 0-5°F. I was at the sink doing some dishes, looking out the window and noticed the waterfall not running. I went right out and already the pump was frozen solid.
Well that winter we didn't get any thaws at all till March. With the pond frozen solid, I lost a lot of fish. Not too many goldfish/koi, a handful of the larger ones, but the minnows were dead by the hundreds. They have a much higher oxygen requirement than the goldfish. A big old bullfrog that had lived in the pond for a number of years also died that same time. Other than that, I have had no problems with the pond and so much enjoyment.
Posted by Kent Staubus on July 8, 2006 at 11:17 PM
Dave--
Here, it gets to 20 below and colder on a regular basis. Can hit -30+ below. The lakes freeze for 2-3 feet. In some popular lakes they run an areator under the water to keep an open spot and to release bubbles in the water. That's how the Fishygame Dept. deals with it. On most lakes there is no areator. When the ice gets really thick and then there's several feet of snow on top of that, it shuts off the sunlight. The aquatic plants no longer produce oxygen, and if I remember my science correctly plants will actually reverse and begin consumming oxygen when in the dark. Those years there are tremendous fish kills that surface during ice-out. I see those about once every three years. Anyway, if you ran an areator (basically an air compressor) it would probably end your problem.
Dave - that is a great story! I've always loved backyard ponds for sound & ambiance but to attract such a great amount of wildlife is a huge added bonus, especially those pesky Great Blues. Hope you get some pix of them and others to share!
Great post. This is the third summer for our pond and we love it. David, ours is smaller at about 12' by 8' and 3 1/2 deep.We started off with about 10 "feeder" gold fish. We now have about 22 large fish witht he largest at about 10". No Herone have discovered us yet. It's probably too small for them. However the song birds, butterflies, frogs, dragonflies as well as the aquatic plants and other flowers we planted on the perimeter make for a wonderful environment. While interesting, turtles are bad for a pond - at least the type I have. Their claws can puncture a liner fast and they do eat fish. Last year we had one, but thankfully he dissapeared and I have no idea where he went.
For winter we run a bubbler to keep an opening in the ice. All fish survive. We place the plants down as deep as we can and they have survived two winters now. I do turn off the pump and bring it inside for winter. The waterfall is dormant then.
Biggest problem is leaves in Fall that create muck in spring. I have rigged a neting over the pond for fall. This stops about 75% of the leaves. Spring brings a cold water walk (in a fisherman's farmer john) to clean things up.
All in all I agree a pond is a great thing to have.
I was so tickled tonight. The frogs have been calling for a couple of weeks. This morning I watched the pond for a few minutes when I let the dogs out and there was a big male just a calling from the other side of the pond. As I sat on the swing I was kind of hidden from him by the reeds growing out of the pump box. This big fellow actually swam across the pond to where he had a good view of me. He called and called, as you've seen before in pictures, swelling his throat, like a bubble till you'd think it would burst. It was a really cool moment, a nice way to start off the day.
Well tonight, I came home to see how the pond was doing. Localized areas within 20 miles of here have had over 10 inches of rain this week. I don't think I had that much, but probably a good 5 inches anyway. It rained very very hard today for much of the day. Anyway, I went out there and everything looked wonderful. The water was nice and clean. The fish love a good hard rain. They often will spawn when the water is so sweet like it is after a good rain. I noticed the lily pads looked kind of funny in one section. When I went over to see, WOW!!! Frog eggs galore! Apparently Mr. Froggy was able to call in a female and she laid hundreds of eggs.
I've had toad tadpoles before, but never frog ones. I think frogs take much longer to grow into adults, some species even take two or three years, if I'm not mistaken. I'm excited. This is so neat.
Discussion
9 repliesI bought a piece of roofing EPDM for about $350 and I have a 1600 gph pump that cost around $200. I got old landscaping railroad ties for free from a nieghbor. I put 2 dozen fathead minnows in and a variety of koi and fancy goldfish over the years. There are more fish out there than you can imagine. It's not anything fancy. It's got a little waterfall. I leave the pump run through the winter. The same pump has been running for all these years.
One of the first and most troubling visitors has been the Great Blue Herons. I say troubling because they are such voracious eaters and such effective hunters. Even if they can't eat the fish, they will spear them and throw them out of the pond. I still have them come regularly (like twice a day), but I have limited their stays by puting a rope held up by driveway reflectors around the pond. Now they have to land outside the pond and walk in and it is somewhat difficult for them to leave, as they must take off almost vertically, so they are very skittish. They only stay for a limited time. I was really having problems when they would come and park themselves out there for most of the day.
Every spring I have a variety of ducks check out my back yard for nesting opportunities. They will swim in my pond for a few days, before deciding that the three dogs that come charging out of my house several times a day would probably be disruptive to a peaceful family life.
Two years ago, I saw what looked like blood and scales on the top cross bar on my swing that is by the pond. I couldn't figure out what that might be till one day I came home and found a belted kingfisher munching minnows up there. I might not do so today, but back then I was more concerned about preserving my fish, so I floated a 4' x 8' piece of styrafoam insulation on the pond for a while. I called it the fishes bombshelter. I didn't see the kingfisher after that and it kept the herons away for a couple of weeks.
Just in the last few weeks, I've a new visitor. I had been seeing dead minnows floating, not lots of them, but two or three at a time. Again, I couldn't figure out what was going on. I didn't know if I had some kind of disease or what. I think I know what it is. A few weeks ago and now again this morning, I've seen an American Bittern out there. This morning I watched him for a while and he just walks back and forth on the railroad ties getting minnows from amongst the lily pads at the edge of the pond. I think the dead minnows are ones he injures, but doesn't get out of the pond and they eventually die.
In May, my wife saw a turtle walking in the street. We live a few hundred yards from a river, so that wasn't totally unexpected. I live in a subdivision, but on a quiet little road, maybe 20 cars a day come down our road, so I wasn't too worried about her getting hit. We just left her to do her business. She ended up in my front yard for a while and then disappeared. About a month ago now, I was out feeding the fish their fish chow, when to my amazement I saw a little baby turtle swimming in the pond. Since then, I've seen three at a time out there. I can only figure the mama turtle laid her eggs somewhere nearby and the little ones found my pond.
Frogs and toads use the pond for breeding. It's sure nice to hear the deep bellowing of the frogs or the high pitched trilling of the toads as they call in mates. An abundance of dragonflies, birds, woodchucks, ground squirrels, etc. etc. etc., probably lots of critters I have no idea of use my little pond.
My wife is after me to catch the GBH with my camera, but they are just so skittish out there, just a slight movement at the window of the house and they fly away. I would really need to build some kind of blind I think to have much of a chance or maybe now that I think about it, I could take the screen out of a window and set the camera/tripod up in a window. That would probably work. I'm really fascinated by the bittern and have second thoughts about scaring the kingfisher off. I've taken some frog/lily shots. I'm not taking full advantage of my own little nature preserve, but the possibilities surely are there.
Anyway, something for you to think about. If you build it they will come. . . .
This bittern has just really surprised me. Usually they are pretty reclusive birds, maybe in a way like loons. I'm just fascinated to see one in my back yard. I would recommend anyone interested in wildlife, etc. to put in a pond. You really might be surprised at what shows up.
Vandit
I have had so much pleasure with my pond and you don't have to mow it!
I've only had one bad experience. I don't know where you're located, but here in northern Indiana we get some pretty cold weather. The pond is deep enough that it isn't in danger of freezing to the bottom, but there are so many fish out there that if you don't keep the water moving, you will have problems with the fish suffocating under the ice.
Right around Christmas of 2004, we had a very very warm spell. It was in the 50's for a week or so and we received a very hard rain, a downpour. If it rains hard enough, the GFI (ground fault interrupt) will kick off the electric circuit the pond pump is on. You must have a GFI circuit or there is a great danger of electric shock from the pump. Anyway, a couple of times a year when it rains really hard the pump will kick off. I will notice the waterfall not running and I will have to go and reset the circuit breaker, no big deal. This time, it rains really hard and then immediately we get a very very cold snap. It got down to around 0-5°F. I was at the sink doing some dishes, looking out the window and noticed the waterfall not running. I went right out and already the pump was frozen solid.
Well that winter we didn't get any thaws at all till March. With the pond frozen solid, I lost a lot of fish. Not too many goldfish/koi, a handful of the larger ones, but the minnows were dead by the hundreds. They have a much higher oxygen requirement than the goldfish. A big old bullfrog that had lived in the pond for a number of years also died that same time. Other than that, I have had no problems with the pond and so much enjoyment.
Here, it gets to 20 below and colder on a regular basis. Can hit -30+ below. The lakes freeze for 2-3 feet. In some popular lakes they run an areator under the water to keep an open spot and to release bubbles in the water. That's how the Fishygame Dept. deals with it. On most lakes there is no areator. When the ice gets really thick and then there's several feet of snow on top of that, it shuts off the sunlight. The aquatic plants no longer produce oxygen, and if I remember my science correctly plants will actually reverse and begin consumming oxygen when in the dark. Those years there are tremendous fish kills that surface during ice-out. I see those about once every three years. Anyway, if you ran an areator (basically an air compressor) it would probably end your problem.
Kent in SD
Thanks,
For winter we run a bubbler to keep an opening in the ice. All fish survive. We place the plants down as deep as we can and they have survived two winters now. I do turn off the pump and bring it inside for winter. The waterfall is dormant then.
Biggest problem is leaves in Fall that create muck in spring. I have rigged a neting over the pond for fall. This stops about 75% of the leaves. Spring brings a cold water walk (in a fisherman's farmer john) to clean things up.
All in all I agree a pond is a great thing to have.
Well tonight, I came home to see how the pond was doing. Localized areas within 20 miles of here have had over 10 inches of rain this week. I don't think I had that much, but probably a good 5 inches anyway. It rained very very hard today for much of the day. Anyway, I went out there and everything looked wonderful. The water was nice and clean. The fish love a good hard rain. They often will spawn when the water is so sweet like it is after a good rain. I noticed the lily pads looked kind of funny in one section. When I went over to see, WOW!!! Frog eggs galore! Apparently Mr. Froggy was able to call in a female and she laid hundreds of eggs.
I've had toad tadpoles before, but never frog ones. I think frogs take much longer to grow into adults, some species even take two or three years, if I'm not mistaken. I'm excited. This is so neat.