Conservation

[Norm B]

Finally got my pond sorted, only a year too late. Sadly no great crested newts to be found but a dozen or so of smooth newts and palmate newts and a pile of red ramshorn snail shells, none living, cooked by the hot summer. Put new liner in and filled it up. Looked at it next night with a torch and saw several newts, including a male GCN had arrived from hibernation.

Saw a male GCN in my newt/snail-rearing hippo last night so pushed a net through it a few times and came up with a male and a female GCN plus a male smooth newt, BONUS! Now I'm hoping there are a couple of female GCN's to come out of hibernation to start breeding. Pond weed is late growing this year so I've planted some ornamental rushes below the waterline to give some cover for any eggs laid. Also I could do with some red ramshorn snails to replace my breeding stock, or some black ramshorns if no reds available. And some frog and toad spawn as no tadpoles survived last years heat wave due to the low water level. If anybody has a couple of "spare" female GCN's I would love one or two to replenish my breeding stock.

I drained 90% of the pond yesterday as I found 3 newts floating and swimming on the surface so I'm not happy with the tablets I put in to control the "Green Water" which seems to be affecting the life in the pond. In the course of draining the pond I discovered 3 frogs and more GCNs than I'd put in so obviously they survived the heatwave and found somewhere cool and damp to survive the summer heat and winter cold. I am now in desperate need of some Canadian pond weed, or similar for the smooth and palmate newts to spawn in. Please message me and I'll travel a reasonable distance to collect them. TIA. Norman. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Norm B
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[Norm B]

On 4/5/2023 at 1:05 PM, Norm B said:

Finally got my pond sorted, only a year too late. Sadly no great crested newts to be found but a dozen or so of smooth newts and palmate newts and a pile of red ramshorn snail shells, none living, cooked by the hot summer. Put new liner in and filled it up. Looked at it next night with a torch and saw several newts, including a male GCN had arrived from hibernation.

Saw a male GCN in my newt/snail-rearing hippo last night so pushed a net through it a few times and came up with a male and a female GCN plus a male smooth newt, BONUS! Now I'm hoping there are a couple of female GCN's to come out of hibernation to start breeding. Pond weed is late growing this year so I've planted some ornamental rushes below the waterline to give some cover for any eggs laid. Also I could do with some red ramshorn snails to replace my breeding stock, or some black ramshorns if no reds available. And some frog and toad spawn as no tadpoles survived last years heat wave due to the low water level. If anybody has a couple of "spare" female GCN's I would love one or two to replenish my breeding stock.

Please message me and I'll travel a reasonable distance to collect them. TIA. Norman. 

 

On 4/5/2023 at 1:05 PM, Norm B said:

Finally got my pond sorted, only a year too late. Sadly no great crested newts to be found but a dozen or so of smooth newts and palmate newts and a pile of red ramshorn snail shells, none living, cooked by the hot summer. Put new liner in and filled it up. Looked at it next night with a torch and saw several newts, including a male GCN had arrived from hibernation.

Saw a male GCN in my newt/snail-rearing hippo last night so pushed a net through it a few times and came up with a male and a female GCN plus a male smooth newt, BONUS! Now I'm hoping there are a couple of female GCN's to come out of hibernation to start breeding. Pond weed is late growing this year so I've planted some ornamental rushes below the waterline to give some cover for any eggs laid. Also I could do with some red ramshorn snails to replace my breeding stock, or some black ramshorns if no reds available. And some frog and toad spawn as no tadpoles survived last years heat wave due to the low water level. If anybody has a couple of "spare" female GCN's I would love one or two to replenish my breeding stock.

Please message me and I'll travel a reasonable distance to collect them. TIA. Norman. 

 

[Norm B]

Just now, Norm B said:

 

 

Sorry about the double post, I don't know how that happened.

I ran a net through the hippo again this morning, more in hope than expectation but it came up with a female GCN, now I have 2 pairs but I could do with another pair or so as all the GCN's in my pond are related so the gene pool could do with widening, so still after some more, even a swap will do. 

[Norm B]

On 4/5/2023 at 1:05 PM, Norm B said:

Finally got my pond sorted, only a year too late. Sadly no great crested newts to be found but a dozen or so of smooth newts and palmate newts and a pile of red ramshorn snail shells, none living, cooked by the hot summer. Put new liner in and filled it up. Looked at it next night with a torch and saw several newts, including a male GCN had arrived from hibernation.

Saw a male GCN in my newt/snail-rearing hippo last night so pushed a net through it a few times and came up with a male and a female GCN plus a male smooth newt, BONUS! Now I'm hoping there are a couple of female GCN's to come out of hibernation to start breeding. Pond weed is late growing this year so I've planted some ornamental rushes below the waterline to give some cover for any eggs laid. Also I could do with some red ramshorn snails to replace my breeding stock, or some black ramshorns if no reds available. And some frog and toad spawn as no tadpoles survived last years heat wave due to the low water level. If anybody has a couple of "spare" female GCN's I would love one or two to replenish my breeding stock.

Please message me and I'll travel a reasonable distance to collect them. TIA. Norman. 

At least one of the GCN's has started laying plus a couple of smooth and palmate newts. The rain has washed muck into the pond and the water is turning green so have to get some water clearer and that will take a couple of days to arrive, then a couple more to work so probably be the weekend before it clears.

[Norm B]

Weed is behind this year so I planted some ornamental reeds in pots and put them in the pond below water level and the newts have been going mad for it so Today I lifted 3 of the pots out and clipped the leaves with eggs on and placed them in the "Hippo Pond". I then replaced the pots back into the pond to allow more eggs to be laid on them, I also placed another pot of reeds in the pond to allow the other, smaller newts to lay their eggs as there were dozens of GCN eggs on the other leaves and as they were tougher than usual  the smaller newts couldn't fold them over so just laid their eggs on the leaves instead of folding them inside. There are no predators in the pond so far this year as it's a new one so hopefully, there will be a good hatch without too much predation, except by the newts, which won't happen in the hippo pond as there will not be any newts in it, only the new hatch. 

[Norm B]

Famous last words. Was looking at the hatching eggs in the hippo pond and saw there were  a few GCN tadpoles, an encouraging sign. Then to my horror a female smooth newt surfaced for air so I went indoors to get my net and caught her and put her in the main pond. Then today I was checking out the newt tadpoles when I saw another female smooth newt in there, or the same one I removed a couple of days ago. The hippo is at least 6 feet from the main pond and an 8 inch vertical climb to get into it so was it the same newt as before that had found a rich source of food or another one returning to the main pond that stopped off on the way? Probably why I don't have as many newt tadpoles as a few days ago, I shall have to check for interlopers daily as the newts are hatching regularly now. Fortunately, my daphnia breeding program is working well so it could be a record year for newt breeding without breaking my budget, for a change.

[Norm B]

Just checking on the newt spawn hatching and I saw another newt in the hippo feeding on Daphna or newt tadpoles, caught it in my net and this one was a male palmate newt so definitely not the same one as before. If this keeps happening I'll have to put the hippo on bricks to make it more difficult to climb into. 

[Norm B]

ALL is quiet on the pond front as summer is over and all spawns have hatched and either decided to hibernate in the pond or somewhere near it until winter is over. I still need some Canadian pond weed for the newts to spawn in next year as the hot summer seems to have wiped most of it out, even my local Aqua Center hasn't got any at all. I have some other oxygenating pond weed to swap but it has fronds as opposed to curling leaves which the other newts lay their eggs on but it's not as good as Canadian pond weed for the GCNs eggs. I had so many young newts I stocked 3 local garden ponds with them, not Ideal but all the wild ponds I've stocked have either been drained or filled with builders waste.

On the bird front it has been a poor year for birds. No blue or great tit young on the feeders. Robin's nest was attacked, Mrs robin missing and young dead or not hatched, No young goldfinches on the feeders and only one pair of adults seen instead of usual two pair. No chaffinches or greenfinches seen either. No woodpeckers, green or Great Spotted. Black birds built 3 nests, the first two, eggs were robbed by magpies, third the young were taken at about a week, not sure if by squirrels or magpies as in next doors garden. More bats around than last year, Still got one or two hogs feeding but rarely seen but nice to know we've still got some. Not seen sparrowhawk lately.

Edited November 7, 2023 by Norm B
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[BoldBear]

This year I haven’t seen many goldfinches or coal tits, chaffinches or greenfinches on my feeders; plus I’ve only seen a few great tits visiting too.

However sparrows and thrushes have been out in force and even now (in November) my garden is full of them.

I haven’t seen so many Red Kites in the area as this year although I don’t think they are responsible for the lack of tits and finches as they are mainly just scavengers and eating road kill and dead animals mostly; although they might have had a few.

I have put stiff wire meshing around my feeders and my bird table to prevent the pidgeons, magpies and the other larger birds from raiding them which may be the reason why I have so many sparrows and thrushes visiting my feeders now; but where the tits and finches have been this year is a bit of a puzzle.

Keith

Edited November 7, 2023 by BoldBear

[Norm B]

Nesting. The blackbirds have built a nest in the ivy behind the Buddleia so I'll have to watch out for the magpies as it's not an ideal spot for shooting the pests. The bird feeders have seen the "normal" visitors. Robins, we now have a pair of robins after the nest was raided last year, not certain what by, possibly magpies or squirrel but Mrs robin disappeared from the garden although cock robin stayed but didn't find a new mate but he has done this year, better luck this time. No goldfinches as yet but blue tits and great tits are feeding well. The cock blackcap has been around all through the winter but no sign of the hen, didn't see her last year either, possibly destruction of the nest site by overzealous pruning. Loads of house sparrows, eat most of the feed with dunnocks sweeping up the spillage. Not seen the green parakeet this week, possibly taken by the sparrowhawk. No green finches or chaffinches this year so far but I live in hope. Plenty of house sparrows but none showing any interest in the 2 boxes I put up under the eves, perhaps one day, as they may be in too much shade. Newts are active in the pond, early but no sign of the GCN's yet but it is early yet.

I saw 2 goldfinches on feeders yesterday, the first this year so there is still hope. No interest in nest boxes yet but it's still a bit early. Looking at the pond last night as the sunshine and warmer weather have made the newts more active and I'm sure I saw the flash of a male GCN tail. Checking the pond this morning I see the newts have commenced spawning already. Too early as the pond weed hasn't started growing so they are laying their eggs in the submerged ornamental reeds that I planted last year so I must scout around for some more suitable weed. No frog spawn as yet although I did see 3 frogs last year but knowing my luck they will all be the same sex. No info on spawn locally, although I was told of a heap of it in a stream last week but from the directions, it appears to be within the confines of a country park so a no go area for me with a bucket and net. Any Canadian pond weed and frog spawn will be welcome. 

 

Edited March 14 by Norm B
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