A Birding Blog discussing the running of this website and my experiences with birds and wildlife.
Ponds for Wildlife
Posted 28-04-09 at 08:20 AM by Neil Rigby
Now that I'm well on with the ground work and am researching the next steps.
I've read the RSPB advice and here are the highlights:
Most ponds, whatever the size, have some wildlife value, even if only as a drinking place for birds. A well designed and maintained pond can significantly increase the value to wildlife.
Invertebrates
Ponds support a huge variety of invertebrates such as pond-skaters, water beetles, pond snails, freshwater mussels, leeches, and many other species too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Dragonflies and damselflies
Some species of dragonfly and damselfly will breed in garden ponds.
The larvae need shallow, sheltered water and submerged plants as cover and hunting habitat. They will eat other insects, fish fry and tadpoles and need taller plants to crawl up when they emerge as adults.
Amphibians
Garden ponds are very important for frogs.
In general, amphibians and fish do not mix well because fish eat tadpoles. Small fish, such as sticklebacks or minnows, can provide interest without eating too many tadpoles.
Ponds that dry out occasionally can be good for amphibians because fish will not survive. Amphibians are quite long-lived, and can afford to miss an occasional breeding season.
Dense vegetation next to the pond is a benefit to amphibians as they like a corridor of cover to move in and out of ponds. This is particularly important for emerging froglets and toadlets, which can be at the mercy of lawnmowers. Logs and stones can be provided for shelter.
Amphibians are good colonisers of new ponds, and will appear once your pond is established enough to support them. Transferring spawn or adults should be considered only as a last resort.
Frogs in many parts of southern England suffer from red-leg, which is a condition that causes deformation of the hind legs and early death of the frog. Moving frogs may introduce this disease to new areas.
It is illegal to move Great Crested Newts or Natterjack Toads without a licence.
Birds
Small birds will drink and bathe in a small pond, but wetland species will only breed on larger ponds. Birds like a low branch or log in the middle of the pond from which to drink and bathe in safety.
Deterring unwelcome visitors
If you wish to deter Grey Herons from fish ponds to stop them eating your fish, a barrier of two wires, one 35 cm high, the other 20 cm high, placed one above the other around the edge, or a vertical edge to the pond with a drop of at least 35 cm to the water.
Pond exits
Frogs, toads and hedgehogs find it hard to climb out of straight-sided ponds. A ladder of near-vertical plastic mesh, secured top and bottom and extending below the water will help hedgehogs to escape, and is unlikely to be exploited by herons.
I've read the RSPB advice and here are the highlights:
Most ponds, whatever the size, have some wildlife value, even if only as a drinking place for birds. A well designed and maintained pond can significantly increase the value to wildlife.
Invertebrates
Ponds support a huge variety of invertebrates such as pond-skaters, water beetles, pond snails, freshwater mussels, leeches, and many other species too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Dragonflies and damselflies
Some species of dragonfly and damselfly will breed in garden ponds.
The larvae need shallow, sheltered water and submerged plants as cover and hunting habitat. They will eat other insects, fish fry and tadpoles and need taller plants to crawl up when they emerge as adults.
Amphibians
Garden ponds are very important for frogs.
In general, amphibians and fish do not mix well because fish eat tadpoles. Small fish, such as sticklebacks or minnows, can provide interest without eating too many tadpoles.
Ponds that dry out occasionally can be good for amphibians because fish will not survive. Amphibians are quite long-lived, and can afford to miss an occasional breeding season.
Dense vegetation next to the pond is a benefit to amphibians as they like a corridor of cover to move in and out of ponds. This is particularly important for emerging froglets and toadlets, which can be at the mercy of lawnmowers. Logs and stones can be provided for shelter.
Amphibians are good colonisers of new ponds, and will appear once your pond is established enough to support them. Transferring spawn or adults should be considered only as a last resort.
Frogs in many parts of southern England suffer from red-leg, which is a condition that causes deformation of the hind legs and early death of the frog. Moving frogs may introduce this disease to new areas.
It is illegal to move Great Crested Newts or Natterjack Toads without a licence.
Birds
Small birds will drink and bathe in a small pond, but wetland species will only breed on larger ponds. Birds like a low branch or log in the middle of the pond from which to drink and bathe in safety.
Deterring unwelcome visitors
If you wish to deter Grey Herons from fish ponds to stop them eating your fish, a barrier of two wires, one 35 cm high, the other 20 cm high, placed one above the other around the edge, or a vertical edge to the pond with a drop of at least 35 cm to the water.
Pond exits
Frogs, toads and hedgehogs find it hard to climb out of straight-sided ponds. A ladder of near-vertical plastic mesh, secured top and bottom and extending below the water will help hedgehogs to escape, and is unlikely to be exploited by herons.
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