Country Escape's 2nd pond - Goldfish only

[sissy]

I saw on the weather channel how bad it got up your way ce .

 

[CountryEscape]

Actually, knock on wood ..... I have not had any rain since Thursday, and then only .1"!!! Have not had 48 hours of dry for close to 2 months, or so it seems. Ground is still wet, but surface is getting dry because of 95 degree heat wave we are having since Sunday. But, it IS July ... Bad weather all around me yesterday, but I got nothing.

 

[CountryEscape]

I have been seeing this Great Blue Heron for a couple of weeks, every morning, in my farm pond in the horse pasture. I have 6 acres, and if you picture that in a rectangle shape, the horse pasture is on the left half of the shape, and my house and back pasture are on the right half. The pond is on the left 1/3 of the horse pasture side, so maybe that gives an idea of how far from my house. Not very far as the bird flies, but evidently far enough, because of my dogs. The bird will fly immediately if it spots me coming toward it, or standing still (maybe thinks I am going to shoot it). So, finally was able to get a couple of pics through my windshield of my car (the car doesn't seem to be as threatening to the heron) few days ago. When I tried to stick my camera out through the sunroof to get a clearer pic, it noticed that, and took off, thus the empty third pics. LOL
From farther away, stopped on the road, zoomed in to get a pic ...

Then snuck closer in the car, took another pic through the windshield ...

But, when I tried to stick the camera out the sunroof to get a clearer shot ... it was gone!

 

[tbendl]

They should be called Hergone's instead. Here now, then gone. hehe

 

[addy1]

see the stretched neck? That is full alert. If you wait until it relaxes into the curved neck it is not paying as much attention to you.

 

[CountryEscape]

By the time I see them, they have already spotted me. VERY skittish toward humans, or at least the one that comes to my house is. I have to sneak around the barn to try to get a pic, but then I'm not able to see it clearly through all the cattails. This is the best I've been able to photograph it on my pond. Spotted one on the far end of the pond, snuck around the barn, and it STILL spotted me, and flew into the field. But, I'm glad it's scared of me!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I remember a few years back I stuck my head out window to check ponds and there was a big blue heron eating fish out of my bottom pond where the gold fish are. I screamed and he flew away very quick. After that I strung up twine from house to trees, and that blocked his landing path and never seen him again!

 

[sissy]

I have seen them flying high in the sky but they seemed to have no interest in the country life here .I can tell by the long neck and the long legs trailing behind them

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, anyone that knows me knows that snakes are allowed in my yard, but not appreciated if they kill my fish. I love black rat snakes, they are encouraged to come and stay in my barns! But, water snakes are a bit scary to me. Earlier this year, I had an encounter with a pretty large snake that had been spotted IN my goldfish pond. I saw it sticking it's head out of the skimmer one day, and knew it was my chance to catch it and relocate it back to the farm pond in the pasture, which I did. I told it NOT to come back, or else!
I have been missing fish lately, actually for maybe the last 2-3 weeks, and wondered if it was the bullfrogs, and although I'm sure my huge bullfrogs are one of the reasons for fish missing, I was still curious if something else was causing the loss.
I was walking to the house from the barn and literally screamed and turned my body to not step on this snake about a week ago! Yep, IMO, this is the same freaking snake!!! It went under my big white pine tree, and I grabbed my pitchfork and chased it. Yes, that means I was on my hands and knees to see under there, since the branches are just a foot off the ground in some places. I did NOT want it to get back into one of my ponds, and the pine tree is maybe 30' away! I was frantic, trying to keep my eye on it, and then I couldn't see it. So, I started beating the branches down against my beautiful impatients plants, and found the snake again, so I was chasing again. I finally decided it was going to have to die, as I was not taking a chance that it was coming back to either lay eggs, or eat more fish. I'd say I won, although I'm still not proud of it. This snake was about 4' long, and putting my thumb and forefingers together with both hands, it was about that big around at the biggest! It must have had a belly full of food, or eggs. No, I didn't dissect it, although I wanted to! I had a really hard time chopping it's head with a shovel, so that snake skin is VERY tough. Sorry if the last pic is too gory.
And, yes, it does look like it has a triangular head, but the pupil is round, and therefore it is not a poisonous snake. It was still scary, but I persevered!

 

[Lisak1]

I would have done the same CE. Although I would have likely been screaming like a banshee the entire time.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Your one tough chick CE! Now you should teach other snakes a lesson and stomp around the yard in nice shiny black snake skin boots! Ha ha ha

 

[CountryEscape]

When I was a kid, I screamed if I saw a snake in water, as I was taught all water snakes were water moccasins or copperheads or cottonmouths. But, I have learned that MOST water snakes in IL are not poisonous, and although this snake, both the first time I saw it and this last time, sure did give me the impression it was poisonous because of the triangular head, I was thankful I got really good close up pics the first time of it's eyes, and learned it was not. Snakes have lots of ways to make themselves seem deadly to other predators, and making their head go into a triangular shape must be one for them to use on us humans. LOL
I know this is gross, and I should have buried it, but instead I dropped it into my trash container that is for my month worth of trash, so it's about 4' deep, and wider than that. Anyhow, it stunk terrible for a week, and finally I peered in there and saw maggots covering one area, so I knew they would do their thing. About a week later I got the guts to look again, and there was a shadow of maggots where the snake HAD been! It was totally gone, bones and all, poof, GONE! Maybe there are not bones, come to think of it, but anyhow, it was totally gone, no smell anymore either.
The first time I tackled this snake, I was petrified of the whole situation, but HAD to get it out of my pond, or I would have been scared to death to go in there to groom my lilies! I was on a mission, and I was not going to miss my opportunity. If it had gotten out of the skimmer, no way would I have been able to capture it with any ease, so I knew I had one chance, and got lucky. But, when I opened the top of the skimmer and was going to poke at him/her to get it to go into the net I had covering the opening, I had no idea the skimmer box would be FILLED with snake! That sucker didn't look nearly as large by seeing the head as it was by seeing the body. It was heavy to carry in my net, too. This time around, it was larger, but I still believe it was the same snake, coming back for more easy meals.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I think I am scared for you CE. There could be more of those snakes.. maybe it's mate or siblings will come looking for you!
I would be careful grooming those lilies , maybe wait a while till temperature drops and they go back into the ground. ..

 

[CountryEscape]

I won't be going into the water any more this year, so no worries. Temps here are going down to freezing tomorrow night and also Sat. night. But, then they are saying warming up again next week. Farmers are about done with getting crops out, and that's amazing, as we have had almost no rain in the last 3 weeks, and none predicted until middle of next week. VERY dry here again.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Farmers here already got all the crops out and tilling soil now. We have had light frost and leaves on most trees are now gone. Hubby has to get our potatoes out of ground soon. We still have some things growing in town that have not been touched by light frost, strange that we have not had hard killer frost yet, seeing how it's past the middle of October!