The pond dig has begun!

[CountryEscape]

Here's the video of the turtle and koi. Quite amusing, I think. You can tell that neither the koi, nor the turtle, are in the least worried about the other. Several times they almost "kiss" going after the same piece of food! Enjoy.

 

[j.w]

Love that neat video CE and you are so lucky to get little visitors like that cute turtle baby! Looks to me like everyone gets along nicely together too :cheerful:
Now I suppose if the turtle gets near some tiny baby fish and he gets lucky enough to catch one he would have it for lunch!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Nice video CE, poor turtle can't get any food with all those hungry fish running around! Looks like a very busy pond bursting with all kinds of pond life!

 

[CountryEscape]

That "baby turtle" JW is not a baby at all. It's more like an adult, at 5-6" long that's a pretty good size. I'd say they grow to maybe 3-4" first year, and so maybe this is a year or two old one. I have not seen it at all today, so maybe it has moved on. However, last night, and again this afternoon my skimmer in the koi pond was turned on it's side. Have NO idea how that happened, as the rock that was on it is now on the bottom of the pond. At first I thought maybe a dog stepped on it and leaned the wrong way, but my dogs never get on that skimmer. The basket and filter had just been cleaned, and were not clogged in any way. So, I put it back, temporary smaller rock on top to help weigh it down. Oh, and I had also just filled up the pond last night, so low water was not the culprit either this morning or this evening! Then I got to thinking ... I wonder if that darn turtle tried to burrow under the skimmer (I have the type that is on a shelf inside the pond liner) and tipped it enough to overturn it! when it happened the second time, I had it uprighted again fast, worried about the pump sucking air and didn't think to check under it for the bigger turtle. If it happens again, that's going to be what I'll be looking for, turtle under the skimmer! Nothing else was disturbed in the pond, so have no idea what made it happen except for something getting under it. Usually low water, or clogged filter/basket is the reason this happens. Hmmm ...

 

[j.w]

I was just comparing it to the red eared sliders that my friend up the road has. Hers are like 12" or so and freak out if you even look at them funny! She puts hers outside in a big wading pool w/ floating logs in it for sunning on and in the winter she brings them all indoors into her extra bathtub. She's gonna make an outdoor habitat for them eventually. I just love turtles!

 

[CountryEscape]

Oh, well holy cow! This turtle does have red in the stripes on it's neck, but not on the side of his head behind the eyes, so I'm guessing a common painted turtle, which is fine. I didn't know the difference at first. I hope this guy comes back, or maybe it's still here, under the skimmer! It's fun to watch for new inhabitants in the pond.

 

[j.w]

I would be in Heaven if I had little creatures like you get that visit your pond all the time. I'm sooooooooooooooo jealous! I don't hear any frogs in my pond anymore but I do see one in my bathtub pond. He's there all the time looking at me w/ his bugged out eyes sticking up outta the water and there are still tadpoles in there too trying to grow :alieneyesa:

 

[CountryEscape]

I had a dozen large bullfrogs when the pond warmed up early this spring, then it's like they all left. I'm doing good to catch a glimpse of one frog a day, and usually I don't even see that. I'm kinda disappointed, and wondering what is causing them to either not show up this year, or to leave. But, that's all part of nature. Saw a medium sized frog, probably bullfrog, while I was mowing tonight. He tried to hop and go under my mower deck, so had to quickly move, then shoo him the other direction. Was going to catch him and put him up by the pond, but he was too frightened. I wanted to make sure I had not injured him, but I guess not, since he was sure a good jumper! Last 2 years I've had leopard frogs that show up mid summer, so maybe will have one of those one of these days. There is a little frog in the goldfish pond, but he's a scaredy cat! Did get to see him after he jumped into the water tonight, as he surfaced where I could see him. About 1/3 the size of the one I posted pic of yesterday.

 

[mtpond]

Love your white butterfly koi.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I have a mystery too, some of my small goldfish from the bottom pond appear to be missing... not sure what happened, suspect a snake may have been dinning on some of them. They started to disappear just after the little flash flood I had a couple weeks ago. No flood waters touched my pond, but my front flower bed and yard was under water and I suspect the flooding my have brought a snake, or the snake may have just showed up like last year. The snakes always seem to eat the smaller fish, and over the many years of ponding it, only snakes seem to show up, and I usually see them in the bottom pond or the front yard pond, they stay away from the big koi it would seem. I have not been lucky enough to get frogs or turtles!

 

[Fishylove]

I have a DRAGONFLY!! :grin: Finally! Hope he/she stays
CE, I think your fish may have molested that poor turtle! Lol. Joking
The baby red ear we have, I suspect someone put in my pond, seems pretty tame. He doesn't run and hide like the frogs do when I feed the fish. It was so cute, every other day I give the brood honeynut Cheerios as a treat, the turtle (which is about the size of a silver dollar) came up grabed a Cheerio and took it back down. Lol! The Cheerio was as big as his head!

 

[CountryEscape]

Awww ... if you have a turtle that has been there a while, Fishy, you need to name it! My first year (2 years ago) I had a small painted turtle (thought it was a red ear, but not red on side of head! LOL) and named him Aero, as in the genius (can't spell his name now) because he was so smart! He would come out when I fed, hold back, where I could toss a few pieces for him. Even had a video of him chasing down some food, almost getting sucked into the skimmer!
Here's that video! I loved this little guy, too, but he left that year, and although I think he came back last year, left again. Maybe this is him all grown up now!!! Sure acts like it. BTW, he's in the goldfish pond this morning, famished!

 

[CometKeith]

CE, great videos. I can't believe how big your koi have gotten in the last year. I really like the big orange and white spotted one. My wife decided we needed a turtle the other day. I told her it wasn't a good idea but am still thinking it over...

 

[rebelangel_3733]

awww hungry little guy and cute too...my daughter found a turtle in my small pond last month and thought it was cute until I went over and seen it was a baby snapper! needless to say he was evicted from my small pond and taken to a lake...I have one little baby that survived from last yrs hatching...I didnt know any of my fish were pregnant and only found out when two babies appeared big enough to see and only one lived as the other got sucked up in the pump when I cleaned it. man that sucked...but the shubunkin baby lived and is now about 3". I probably wont mind if a paint comes to live in my new one but no snappers!

 

[callingcolleen1]

very sweet turtle! If he went into the skimmer could he crawl back out easy?