Ducks! I stopped at one
of the local feed stores, and picked up four baby ducks, all of three days old. I purchased
Mallard ducklings, since I figured they would fly south for the winter with the rest of
the ducks.This is the first attempt at making a pond. This is me making just about all the mistakes possible, so this is a "don't do what I did" kind of story.
I started feeding the birds outside this winter, and decided to make a large, natural birdbath for my new found bird buddies. I thought maybe I could put a few amphibians in it.
Started to dig, in an area which had been an old kids playhouse. Built in I guess, the late fifties out of wood. Quickly found a concrete footing, right where I wanted the puddle. Started to dig it out, it was 2 feet deep. Now that I had a hole that deep, might as well make it a pond, so keep digging, and hauling dirt back to the compost pile in the back of the yard.
Of course, now that I was building a pond, I could put something bigger in it...
Ducks! I stopped at one
of the local feed stores, and picked up four baby ducks, all of three days old. I purchased
Mallard ducklings, since I figured they would fly south for the winter with the rest of
the ducks.
While they finished brooding inside, since we had a really cold and wet spring, I went back to work on the pond.
Here is the pond, right after filling
it. You can start seeing mistakes already. And it turns out, I didn't need to buy ducks, as
"Fred and Ethyl", a pair of local wild Mallard's found the pond. Are they in for a suprise.
Had to haul all that dirt back across the yard, to build up the banks of the pond, as building up was easier for the leveling of the rim. There was a Little Giant PA pump, which pumped the water into about a 2 gallon bucket, selected for its nice wide flat water pooring lip, which made a nice waterfall. The bucket was filled with lava rock, and the water flowed upwards.
Started to finish off the
edge of the pond with some new blocks. And start some landscaping. The "tree stump"
is actually a section of trunk, from a neighbor who cut down a tree. The pond is still
under a Maple tree, so it gets very little sun.
And just when "Fred and Ethyl"
came in to feed one day, they found that site they were eyeing for a nice next, had
been occupied by unruly teenagers. After the bottoms of ducklings had fledged out with
feathers, and we finally got spring like weather, out they went to the pond.
So this is the pond at its
peak. The ducks, and three small (and fast) koi.
Started having leak problems, which was determined that the sloped sides, thin 4.5 mil plastic sheeting, and the claws on the ducks feet was not a working combo. There were slits up to an inch all around where the ducks ran in and out. The paving stones around the edge were starting to cave in also.
So drained the pond, and started to re-line it. While this was happening, the ducklings became raccoon food one night. At least thats my best guess, I just found what little was left one night, and raccoons have been spotted in the area.
Decided to re-build pond, doing it right this time