Pond full of feathers!

[mingus2112]

So I go out in the rain to check my ponds when I got home last night. Back pond has a crazy algae problem right now and the front pond's hoses need to be replaced (they won't stay on the pump even with a clamp). I get there around 2am and the front pond is filled with FEATHERS. At first I thought it was fish fin parts. Counted my fish. . .all there. . .both ponds. But the pond was filled with feathers. White feathers with dark spots on them. Longest one about 2" long. I tried to take some pictures, but couldn't really get any that actually looked like what i was looking at.

SO STRANGE!

 

[DrDave]

Maybe your Koi beat the feathers off a predator?

 

[mingus2112]

You know, as silly as that sounds (to me anyway), that's the only thing i could think of! It really looks like they fought back or something!

 

[1BusyBoy]

Maybe you have a hero on your hands a bird was lurking to snatch up your fish until a cat snuck up on the bird survival of the fittest You have yourself a whole food chain thing going on there hahaha....

 

[JamieB]

Or a bird of prey snatched another bird and if you have branches over your tree, it could have plucked feathers away to get to meat.

 

[addy1]

lol jamieb thread from 2009.............

 

[Stephen T.]

We have eagles land in a pine tree about 20' from our house and 40' from the pond. They perch up there to eat ducks and fish. We'll go outside and about once a week, it's raining feathers. I often use a net to remove 50 or more small feathers from my pond. Sometimes it looks like someone broke a feather pillow outside!

 

[Faebinder]

Sounds like a bird fought with something...

 

[JamieB]

lol jamieb thread from 2009.............

I’m just going through reading any post that catches my eye. My first thought was a molting bird, but guessing they would know about that chance, and a pond full of feathers would be an awful big bird loosing an awful lot of feathers... so.

 

[Nyboy]

Even if a thread is old it can contain good information. Raccoons wash their food, anyone who has chickens will tell you they love a bird meal.

 

[JamieB]

Weasels prefer ducks. And I’m sure the one that got all our ducks had one heck of a story, cause it tried for my goose too, but let’s just say my goose was a lot bigger, meaner, and was alive the next morning. Old George goose had a bite mark on his neck, and evidence of a fight in the pen.

 

[seandelevan]

Or a bird of prey snatched another bird and if you have branches over your tree, it could have plucked feathers away to get to meat.

This. Mourning doves love my pond are always drinking from it. A cooper's hawk knows this too. A few times a year we find, what looks like an explosion of feathers near the pond. Not necessarily in the pond, but close enough. Coopers hawks love them some doves so I would agree with this....