Wildlife at pond

[RobAmy]

Sorry for this rant but I have read a few post about birds, mammals etc at ponds that could harm your fish. Then things are done that harm or could harm them.

I personally do not agree with this at all, I am not trying to offend anyone but this is my view.

My view is I built a natural pond and put in a natural food source for many type of animals, I did build mine to offer hiding places for the fish and steeper sides vs shelves, but there is always a risk. I know our fish are important but so are the animals that are naturally around the area. I welcome all wildlife to our pond. I am willing to accept whatever may happen to the fish or pond for that matter.

You will never keep out everything, snakes eat fish, frogs eat fish, birds eat fish, mammals eat fish and some may even tunnel and eat the liner.

I think it is wrong to build something man made and then harm another animal because they are now using what you built. I think we all need to think long and hard about what we build and how we build it. Also think about the types of wildlife you have in the area and if are you willing to have them now in your yard?

If not then a outdoor pond is not the best idea for you. If you truly want one and hate the idea of other animals then I think you need to spend the money on a design that is safe for your fish and the surrounding animals or only have indoor tanks.

I do a lot wildlife photography and have seen and heard about some severe injuries to animals. So I may a little closer to wildlife then some but I personally would feel it would be wrong to harm an animal due to something I built.

 

[Troutredds]

You raise some interesting points. I lost two fish - one to a heron and one to a raccoon - over the winter, and I struggled with conflicting emotions as a result. My solution has been to install motion detecting sprinklers around our pond. They deter larger predators from doing what comes "naturally" by spraying them with a short blast of harmless water. So far, It's been an excellent deterrent.

I don't agree that my pond is "natural" as you term yours, however. It appears natural, yet our pond, the fish and plants it contains and the "wildlife" it attracts are all influenced, and in many cases manipulated, by human controls and behaviors.

Don't get me wrong RobAmy; I applaud your passion and peaceful intention, but human "nature" has always involved the manipulation of wild nature. Sad but true...

 

[Priscilla]

What an absolute beautiful outlook. I totally agree with you. Although I feel a strong obligation to protect my fish from birds (we live on the ocean, so lots of predators around). They have taken up to 11 fish in one day. So I have since put up fishing line to keep the fish safe, not harmful to the birds, but a nice way to keep them out.

The frogs, snakes, mice and in my case iguanas can definitely mess up the pond, but I would never hurt one, although I do trap the mice in those maze traps and release them far away from my house for sanitation reasons. I love all the wild life the pond has brought to the yard.

 

[Priscilla]

Troutredds, my husband is from Seattle (Bothell), living in the sunny Cayman Islands now. His parents have fallen in love with our pond and are considering building one in Bothell. But worried about winters.

 

[Lisak1]

I, too, feel that we have an obligation to the wildlife we attract to our ponds. But we also have an obligation to the wildlife that we put IN our ponds, too. So we try to find the balance.

We lost two fish to a predator last year - probably a skunk - and while it made me sad, I don't blame the skunk. We researched and found a safe, natural deterrent - basically add every smelly, spicy, hot thing you can think of to the blender and spray the resulting potion in the skunks path - and sent him a message that this was not a great place to be. We didn't see him again last summer, but who knows how long a skunk's memory is? He may be back and we will try to outsmart each other again!

Last year when we discovered that the bullfrog was catching and killing birds I felt really bad - here we built this attractive water source for them and it ended up being a death trap! But my husband reminded me it's been going on since the beginning of time - we just weren't witness to it!

 

[Troutredds]

Great story, Lisak1! I tried the smelly stuff too but the rain here washes it away in spring, fall and winter. Priscilla: What an amazing coincidence. I'm from your husband's old neighborhood! Bothell winters vary in temperature but you rarely have temps below freezing for multiple 24 hr. periods. That's the kind of freezing it takes to freeze-over our pond. It happened twice briefly this winter but we have a a waterfall and aerator to keep holes in the ice. It's mild enough here to run pumps all winter, otherwise.

 

[Lisak1]

We sprayed our wood fence - we could see where he was crawling over it, by the CLAW MARKS thank you very much! So it penetrated pretty well. It was a while before any of us wanted to go near it!

 

[Nepen]

I build my pond with the same thought in mind, RobAmy. Luckily I dont have much preditor here but I often think of what I'd do if I live out in the country and I'd build the pond with lots of hiding and try best to give them plenty of chancse to live their life and I'd be sad to lose any but then I'll think it's all good as that's life and I have more space for more.

Actually I lost one shubby this winter (just vanished) and eventhough I'm sad as he was my favorite, I see it as I'll have more space for the babies to come...

But if I have heron come to empty my pond.. hm.. I'm not sure how I'd do. Probably lots of shiny things or the water spray, or may be my dog and cat will just chase the bird away.

I already have to protect my fig from birds/squirl, I only got to eat one (1) fig last year from my tree. I heard the shiny hanging things will help a lot so that I'll do or just go pick it faster than they could Since I already put the bird feed out I want to atleast enjoy my fig some too! ok, we can share if they leave at least 5 for me

 

[Priscilla]

Here's a wild parrot enjoying my favorite fruit, they drop half in the pond for the fish. The koi love these. They are called Nesberry, its like eating a spoon full of sugar. Sweet! Love love love! Haven't had one in 2 years thanks to the parrot and fruit bats.

 

[Nepen]

But then you get to enjoy the parrots! wow, they are so pretty I'm not sure if that;s the same fruit we have in Thailand... looks very much a like, but can be a relative, if that's so I love the fruit too.


Out of topic - my friend is doing a research on bats (especially fruit bat and other mamal that eat fruits) with its effect on spreading diseases to human.. interesting project

 

[Priscilla]

But then you get to enjoy the parrots! wow, they are so pretty I'm not sure if that;s the same fruit we have in Thailand... looks very much a like, but can be a relative, if that's so I love the fruit too.


Out of topic - my friend is doing a research on bats (especially fruit bat and other mamal that eat fruits) with its effect on spreading diseases to human.. interesting project

Yikes! Spreading disease to humans!!! Good thing I didn't put a bat house on my property then!!!!

 

[Nepen]

I have to rephrase.. the research is trying to learn how it could effect human, it's so much uncertainty to say that it will effect human in particular ways. So dont worry, just dont eat the fruts that bats ate it.

I remember when I was young I would just cut the part on the mango where the bat ate out and eat the rest...that's probably not a good idea but people still do that... But I live and dont remember getting sick from it.


Sorry RobAmy for talking way out of topic!

 

[talal101]

I both agree and disagree with your point of view. I agree that we should NEVER harm wild animals for any reason but at the same time, we shouldn't just let them come and eat our fish (some of which are quite expensive). We had this rabbit who kept coming and eating our pea plants down to the ground so we built a 2 foot high fence around them and he no longer touches them. That is a fair compromise considering he can now eat all the grass/other plants in the yard, its quite destructive to just let him eat our garden plants. Im sorry to admit but mice are disease filled and nasty, we don't like them anywhere near the house because they can infest a house very quickly (we lived in a rental like 12 years back and that thing was horribly infested. Its a toxic danger to human health so unfortunately they must go.

I would never build something to intentionally harm birds or squirrels or rabbits...etc. But I would try and deter them in a harmless manner. Fortunately they learn very quickly not to come back.

 

[RobAmy]

Thank you all for having a engaging discussion. Some good points and ideas. I agree it is a difficult balance to get to, having fish and animals safe.

I agree about my pond not being natural (especially that electric bill ), nothing natural about it except to the animals that come to it, they do not know it is man made, so they are just doing there thing as if it is natural.

No worries about bat talk at all.

If anyone else has ideas of safely achieving some sort of balance, I would love to here them. I do agree with discouraging a problem but just do it well.

 

[talal101]

Thank you all for having a engaging discussion. Some good points and ideas. I agree it is a difficult balance to get to, having fish and animals safe.

I agree about my pond not being natural (especially that electric bill ), nothing natural about it except to the animals that come to it, they do not know it is man made, so they are just doing there thing as if it is natural.

No worries about bat talk at all.

If anyone else has ideas of safely achieving some sort of balance, I would love to here them. I do agree with discouraging a problem but just do it well.

We are all mature and friendly here, thankfully this forum has a bunch of people who know how to have friendly and nice debates....oh boy I have been on some other forums that got quite nasty FAST.

I quite like the motion sensing sprinkler....I only imagine it would work amazingly on little kids who come over as well.....hmmm