Spring is nearly here!

Advice on Koi,Ponds and Equipment
pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

Yesterday I spotted the first frogspawn laid in the overflow pond but strangely it wasn't where it's normally deposited, in the shallow end where it gets the sun but in the deep end next to the Koi pond overflow.
Just one small clump! How very strange!
After all the frogs appearing last week, it's a complete mystery as to where all the spawn laden frogs that were locked together in plexus have disappeared to?
Today, a heavy snowfall, what next?
roselanekoi
Posts: 307
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by roselanekoi »

I did remember to clean out my wildlife pond before the frogs started to spawn this year and at the time I counted two frogs in the pond. Since then we've had heavy frosts and snow so the top of the pond is frozen over, will the frogs survive under the ice?
roselanekoi
Posts: 307
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by roselanekoi »

I visited the Deeside Nature Reserve last week and took a few photos from the East Hide.
Curlew.jpg
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Shelduck.jpg
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I received the RSPB monthly email today, the first words were "Spring is on its way", looking out of the window to see the frozen garden covered with snow I'm not sure the local bird population would agree.
pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

This last couple of days is back to weather you associate with early January, in fact as I type this we have had no central heating since 5.00 pm last night. We had a power failure until 9.45pm last night but the central heating boiler seems to have packed up so no central heating or hot water until 10.00am next Monday morning, that's the earliest the engineer can get out!
We eventually got through at 7.55am this morning to the emergency service for our boiler after waiting in a queue from 6.45am, apparently they are simply swamped with call-outs.
We have a portable camping calor gas stove so at least we had warm food last night.
Fortunately for us, old habits die hard, we used to live quite rural with fairly regular power cuts so having a box of candles with matches, several torches, spare heaters and a portable stove is second nature.

The pictures you posted above invoke some nice memories Colin, the Curlew making that lovely burbling call they make on the high moors in Spring when they're nesting and Shelduck dabbling in the flashes on the Dee.
The snow and the 'Beast From The East' wind has brought a bonus crop of birds to the bird feeders, several Greenfinches were first for a very early breakfast yesterday morning followed by a small flock of Starlings, about 8, along with a small group of Long Tailed Tits, they are almost impossible to count but I would guess about 10 or so.
9.30am our resident cock Pheasant appeared (as he did again this morning) and about 12 to 15 Woodpigeon, then the Rooks and Jackdaws turned up mob-handed as ever, maybe 40 to 50 birds. We normally throw food in the field to keep them away from feeders but the snow was too deep so feeling sorry for them in this dreadful bitterly cold weather we scattered food in the garden in an area cleared of snow.
Strange thing but late yesterday afternoon we had at least 10 blackbirds in the garden again, mostly around the ground feeder, which has a cover on to keep rain and snow off food.
Meanwhile this morning, my unheated Koi pond has an area (about a third of pond ) of ice formed at the deep end. My filter is still working (aerating) but is not drawing water from bottom drain, hence ice forming, I have my air stone still working in the shallow end well away from fish to keep pond water aerated, but if ice continues to spread I will replace air stone with heater a.s.a.p.
pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

The Blackbirds turned up again lunchtime today so I took some pic's, albeit from comfort of conservatory, I managed a pic of 11 in photo below plus there are 2 Redwings, 3 Woodpigeon and 3 Chaffinches enjoying a free lunch. The 2 Woodpigeon together to right are standing on the frozen wildlife pond!
There were 4 Redwings today, in company with a Song thrush and 2 Bramblings for most of the afternoon, this hard weather has really brought some of the rarer birds to the garden feeders, for our benefit.
Top pic has clearer view of 2 Redwings, one is stood to the right on wire feeder cover and one to left.
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pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

The 'Beast From The East' brought more snow for us to enjoy last night, it also continues to bring the birds to the feeders in increasing numbers. This morning another quite rare winter visitor a Blackcap had a go at the suet before the male woodpecker arrived and scared it off.
A solitary Redwing was in the ground feeder last night at 6.00pm, almost dark and it was still at it!
The frogs have vanished from the bottom of my Nexus filter, not a trace of them anywhere!
I think it could be a bad year for frogs..................!
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Blackcap.jpg
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pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

I managed a better pic of Redwings this morning, two of four that turned up again plus a solitary Song thrush again.
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Blackbirds & Redwings.jpg
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pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

Just a week ago today the snow arrived and today it's all gone, from our garden at least!
The slopes above Tremeirchion village opposite is still showing a lot of patches of snow around the summit and Moel Y Parc still wears a white cap but down here it's much milder today.
I switched my Nexus pond pump back on early this morning and as the water started to flow 14 frogs came out from hiding in 4" pipe connection through to pond bottom drain, they were still coupled together!
I transferred them all to the now de-frosted overflow pond, I noticed several other frogs in the pond and another lump of spawn but still in the deep end.
It's later this year than normal but we have experienced arctic conditions this past week.
It hasn't helped having no central heating either, the engineer was supposed to have fixed it yesterday but it has been put back until tomorrow sometime.
It packed up 5.00pm last Thursday so we expect it'll be fixed when they can get around to it, maybe sometime this month, we won't count on it though!
Sunday afternoon we counted 17, yes 17 Blackbirds around the feeders in our garden, Far more interesting though, I also saw a Treecreeper and two Goldcrest on the apple tree that holds the feeders.
pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

Well the break was brief!
The snow mostly disappeared Tuesday, we finally had our central heating boiler repaired yesterday lunchtime, (circuit board blown out by last Thursdays power cut apparently)
This morning;......... The snow is back!
Our resident cock pheasant was a bit late but here he is having a late breakfast along with some chaffinches and the ubiquitous blackbirds.
He was gone two minutes after this photo was taken, it is the busiest time of the year for him!
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Pheasant for breakfast.jpg
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pollygog
Posts: 617
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:26 pm

Re: Spring is nearly here!

Post by pollygog »

A warning to all you new Koi owners out there as Spring approaches and you contemplate new additions to your pond.
A fellow club member was approached by one of his employee's with pictures on her phone of a Koi carp her son had bought the week before from eBay.
It demonstrates once again the advantages gained by Koi Club membership
The fish had died just over a week after purchase and she photographed it as it 'didn't look right!'
I received the 4 pic's in an email this week for my opinion and noticed the Koi had a severe infection of fish leeches, Piscicola geometra.
It appeared to be quite emaciated and had lots of red spots (sucker marks) particularly around mouth and pectorals.
These leeches are difficult to eradicate once they are established in a pond!
I helped a chap in Upholland West Lanc's quite a few years back to get rid of a bad infestation. On good advice from a local vet I knew well, we had to drain and sterilise pond and leave it empty for six or seven weeks, the leeches lay eggs, that hatch after a month so the cycle has to be broken.
Meanwhile we kept the fairly small Koi and other fish in a borrowed children's pool.
This was after bathing each fish individually in a strong salt solution before putting them in the temporary quarantine pool.
After just minutes the leeches all fell off in the salt solution.
If you are not too sure about fish health , or, know quite a lot about Koi, it pays to just deal with well known well tried and tested local specialist Koi dealers
Bottom line here is;............... Caveat Emptor!
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