Country Escape's 2nd pond - Goldfish only

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Yes, Addy, they are vicious, especially on dry hot summers, which they adore! They will chase a long time, and they sting multiple times, too, not once like a honey bee. Gas works well to kill the nest, but obviously not in your garden. :) And you knew to do it at night, when they were all tucked inside, but it's scary then as well! My son had one follow him into the house when he was a child, was stinging him on the back of his neck. Boy I smashed that stinging bug quickly!
 

addy1

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My yorkie was chased by one, she now avoids all buzzing insects, will totally stop and got the other direction.
 
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Speaking of dogs and chasing, the cat that I don't care for, Ernie, not only swiped at the beagle this evening, but chased him ... and kept chasing him! That beagle was yelping like a sissy ... (sorry Sissy) ... I wanted to holler at him to turn around and be a DOG! LOL It was kind of funny, as I don't think the cat really got him, he just thought he was going to get killed by the sound of him yelping. Poor Smokey. .... I made Ernie go to the barn, where he belong. :)
Got calla lilies today at Menards - only 2 bulbs in a pack so got 2 packs each of a butter yellow and dark red. Not sure how they will grow, so put one of each color bulb in each of 4 pots. Will let you know if they grow and bloom! In the pots, they will be easier to locate to lift and store for the winter. Did the same thing to the canna bulbs.
Ordered a few lotus tubers, just to see if I could get them to grow. So, now I have big pots set out by my goldfish pond and behind the koi pond bog.
And, the other order was for a really unusual looking plant called "Golden Club". Also got 3 Water Fringe (the guy said they will multiply, you don't want more than 3 LOL, so put 2 in goldfish pond, 1 in koi bog), and a tiny tropical lily (Miami Rose - red flower) tuber. Put the tropical in a smaller pot for now, since it was so tiny, and put it in shallow water so I can keep an eye on it better,
Was a fun evening planting!
Also used my net and netted the bottom of the koi pond, just to see if there was an accumulation of algae matt stuff down there. That's all that came up, algae matts. No dirt or gunk to speak of, at least not what I pulled up. So, not going to net the bottom until the water clears so I can tell what is down there to net! Hopefully that will happen soon ....
 

pondlover

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CE is your pond murky or do you think it's algae. I'm trying to be patient waiting for ours to clear and am seriously thinking about getting a UV. I've read so many positive comments on using a UV light. Mine is still way to green and I want to see my fish better. LOL
 
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PL, I think it's murky. The algae I pull out is only on the bottom, and it's green, looks very fresh and lush. I do stir up some silt from the bottom, but it's kind of sandy looking, light brown. The water is just brown/green murky. I had pea soup green water last year, this is NOT that! I do have a UV light on my koi pond, but not on the goldfish pond, and they are both the same. I did, however, use the koi pond water to begin my goldfish pond water fill, so whatever the koi pond had/has, the goldfish pond also has. I just think the beneficial bacteria needs time to get going, plus the plants. I'll give it another month before I get too worried. I did lose a baby koi, one that I purchased last December, though, so that's not a good thing. First fish I've lost that died. One fish jumped out, but other than that, can't remember losing another one. I'm not feeding, except maybe once on the weekend and one other time during the week. It's driving me crazy that I can't see the bottom. I need to get the goldfish netted out of there, and have a neighbor that said she would come by on Sunday and help me, but I'm somewhat afraid to walk in there barefooted, after having those 2 baby snappers that showed up last fall! I worry that their mother or father is sitting on the bottom of my pond. I have no idea if I'm missing any of the small goldfish ... I just HATE snapping turtles, and not being able to see to the bottom, I guess I would wear my scuba booties. LOL Such a chicken, I know! And, there are rocks that have fallen in, so I'll freak each time I hit one of them, too! Have to walk very carefully because of the trapdoor snails, so would be best to do it barefooted, but not with murky water ... NO WAY!!!
 

addy1

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It only hurts briefly ce, then they sew your toe back on!
 
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Haha, I fear water snakes (as a kid was told ALL water snakes are poisonous, thus the fear) and snapping turtles, once I learned that the turtles lay on the bottom, waiting for victims often. I do NOT want my toe to be their next victim!
Here are pictures of a pair of toads that were playing piggyback in my pond this morning. :) Hope they are smart enough to lay the eggs in the bog though, or the koi will gobble them all up before I get a chance to see even the eggs!
Toads mating.JPG
And, I forgot to post these pics of a bird that has been flying around my area last year and this year, and no one seems to know what it is. Found one dead in my ditch while mowing earlier this week. Had broken neck, so maybe got hit by a car. Anyhow, now I have clear pics of what it looks like close up. Anyone know what it is? It flys in a flock, swooping and soaring changing directions quickly. Flies similar to a swallow, and looks very much like a barn swallow the way it flies. Obviously not a barn swallow. Feeds on the ground in the fields, walking around and eating bugs, I would guess. When on the ground in a group, their tweeting is very sweet to listen to!
Unknown bird.JPGUnknown bird head coloring.JPGUnknown bird underside coloring.JPGUnknown bird wing formation.JPG
 

j.w

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No birds like that around here CE that I know of anyways. Hope you find out what kind they are.
 

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Country;
Definitely some kind of sandpiper, possibly a semipalmated by the looks of that short beak.
John
 

pondlover

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CE I'm so sorry about your fish. I guess my pond is murky too. I agree on frustrating. It's awful trying to wait it out.
 

addy1

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Definitely some kind of sandpiper, possibly a semipalmated by the looks of that short beak.
John

Good job haro, I looked it up in my sibley bird guide, and it does look like a semipalmated
 
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Aw crap. I looked them up and although they look very similar, it says they are shoreline birds, there are no shorelines around here. I'll have to pay attention and listen to their singing again and see if maybe they are migrating and that's why I see them only for a while during the spring. It says they breed in the Artic and winter in South America. Doesn't sound like my bird, UNLESS they are traveling through, and hanging out here since the fields are muddy and easy pickings for food for them on their way.
 
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OK, so I planted the calla lily bulbs in cat litter, put some pea gravel on top, sunk them to the top of the pot in the bog. This morning, each of the 4 pots had what looked like white slimy stuff coming up and out of the pea gravel! What the heck is that??? Did the calla lily bulbs cause that? No other plants have ever done that. The lotus tubers I planted had the same litter, they didn't do that. Should I take the bulbs out, are they maybe fermenting because they are in the water? Maybe I need to let them sprout, THEN put them in the bog? I'm, confused, and don't want to waste these bulbs, as they were not that cheap. About $4 for 2 bulbs. :-(
 

HARO

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Aw crap. I looked them up and although they look very similar, it says they are shoreline birds, there are no shorelines around here. I'll have to pay attention and listen to their singing again and see if maybe they are migrating and that's why I see them only for a while during the spring. It says they breed in the Artic and winter in South America. Doesn't sound like my bird, UNLESS they are traveling through, and hanging out here since the fields are muddy and easy pickings for food for them on their way.
I think you put your finger on it!
John
 
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CE There are a lot of birds that will show up for only a week or even less while they are migrating. Some people in the Chicago area stake out the Lake Michigan shoreline in early mornings to catch a glimpse of migrating birds and they will even build artificial nests to house them for their layover. One year we had a purple martin stop at our waterfall for a few minutes and treat us to some acrobatics. I have also seen birds from as far away as the arctic, south america, and eastern US that are not typically sighted here frequently. I saw a giant white bird a few days ago which I have never seen before. We have a lot or peregrine falcons around but think it might have been some type of hawk or an owl.
 

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