My Pond Today After The Snow 2.2.09

great photo Dawn....is that the kingfisher perch I see in the pond ? Lovely spot......

Well spotted, BB, it is yes. Can you see my railway sleepers to the left. Need to place them properly yet. Thought the ducks could use them if we stepped them and the dragon flies can lay their eggs too!!

That will be brilliant Dawn..the frogs and toads would also have shelter !

Mmm, that's good then. If the weather was better it wouldnt be long before we saw frog/toad sporn would it. They say frogs and toads always go back to the same place to lay their sporn, dont know if that's true?

Far as I know toads always return to same spawning ground...sometimes travelling miles to get there.Dont think frogs do,but not sure.......

That figures BB, we seem to have mostly toads and when its spawning time they are in the pond giving it some errr rivet ... sorry, not a very good impersonation. lol

Get the general picture Dawn lol ! Over here we have an event called Operation Toad Watch,when for two nights of the week at a certain date,volunteers go out with torches at night,picking up toads that are trying to cross a busy road to reach their spawning ground.sadly all do not make it but they pick up buckets full,and deposit them on the other side.Previoulsy,boy racers used to go there,and deliberately try to run down as many as they could. Nice,eh........

That's amazing how Operation Toad Watch works, how good are those volunteers is contrast to the horrible people who are out to harm the defenceless creatures. It is quite amazing to see them all together in the pond at that time, I love to see and hear them. Is it right they return to the spawning ground where they were born.

yes dawn...there are plenty of stretches of water on the safe side of the road but their instinct tells them to get to where they were born...hence the life /death mass migration across a busy road. nature is a weird and wonderful thing

We have done that BB , it,s a busy road as well , it,s so sad to see so many already squashed :o(
You are lucky to have such a nice wild life area Dawn , you will have to make time in the summer to sit and enjoy it :o)

I know Amy...but its even worse that some "people" think its fun to squash them.What is the world coming to ?

That is lovely Dawnsaunt........

Thanx Maureen and yes Amy, will try and sit and enjoy in the summer, ensuring I have my insect repellent on, lol. We get all different kinds of dragon flies too.

Well-photographed :o)

Thanks TT, can't take the credit though, my daughter took it ;-)

Well done daughter :o)

The dragon flies are nice Dawn , I have to admit that I do get eaten alive with the mosquito's funny thing is they don,t go for my hubby , his skin is to tough .. LOL...

You know what Amy, its the same here. I get eaten alive and my husband never gets nipped once. We must get mosquito's because the bites are awful, bet yours are the same Amy, come up in a raised circle, itch like mad, especially in the night. I try and remember to spray my insect repellent on my legs but doesnt always work, we get horse flies too, they bite husband, lol. Love the way dragon flies turn their heads and look around :-)

Lovely garden you have there a haven for wildlife by the look of it, and a great place to relax when you have finished your gardening lol

Hello PansyP - yes, the emphasis is on creating a haven for wildlife, that is our aim. A few mallards have been on the pond each morning this week so I'm hoping a pair will nest again this year. I have a nest box under the pampas grass on the island but they seem to prefer to make their own nest under it, lol.

Bit of a contrast to the summer photo, dont you think? x

Lovely photos Dawn, much better to just look at the snow than try to get around in it.

That's true DoctorBob - what's it been like in your area? We had more snow the day after this photo was taken and more again this morning, lots of snow still around but the roads are OK at the moment.

We had a lot of rain and some hail this afternoon Dawn, so the snow has just about gone, hope we don't get any more tomorrow.

That's good, our snow is hanging around, fingers crossed that we dont get any more then :-)

What a wonderful wildlife retreat you have created Dawnsaunt ! It looks great in every season.

Thanks FLC - there were 6 mallards on there this morning but flew when they saw me - I am quite scarey, lol.

The Canadian geese are making their return to the lake here too, a sign for us that spring is just around the corner ! Yeppeeeeee !

Really thought a couple of Canada Geese would make our pond their home FLC as they are around but sadly not :-( Can you send some of yours over please. How's the new camera lense ?? x

It's not going too well actually,...lol. MY hubby bought me a micro zoom lens instead of a macro lens. Problem is, I can't see very well at a distance, if I can't spot something to zoom in on, then I don't really need a zoom lens...lol. That's seems to be the story of my life...., always a day late and a dollar short, as the old saying goes...:-).

Oh dear, what a shame :-( Have you told him? You might get a macro lens for your birthday ;-)

I let it slip a few days ago when he asked if the lens was doing a good job taking the type of pictures I wanted it for....oops ! He didn't say anything afterwards,so I don't know if he even heard me. He has that typical male problem of selective hearing..., seems to only hear what he wants, and can hear everyone but me...lol. That 's how I wound up with the wrong lens in the first place...;-)

He's probably playing it cool ... you'll have to check the pc's history for purchases, lol, like last time!