One of the nice things about starting out with a pond that used to be
a garbage heap is that no matter how terrible it looks now, it is
still an improvement over what it used to be.

Anyway, my brother popped by for a visit (he's a pilot for some
corporation, so even though he lives in North Carolina, he gets
around) and we went out and did some of my "weeding" with pellet
rifles. He thought it was a jolly good time, and we killed some dog
fennel, various cattails, stuff like that. The air rifles didn't seem
to bother the birds too much, as a kite landed in the tree above us
and crapped all over our end of the pond while we were shooting.
Fortunately for us, we were under a tarp I had set up. We worried a
little bit that the plinking might bother Bob the snake, but if it did
he didn't show it, and he was out this morning lurking in the pond
again. The pond seems to have attracted another bird. It's big, and
it's dark, and as it flies up into a tall tree overlooking the pond
whenever I approach, I haven't really gotten a good look at it. It
isn't a heron or buzzard, I've seen a bunch of those, and it isn't
that. It might be a cormorant, although if it is hunting for fish it
is going to be rather disappointed.

There is a big wildfire just to the east of us, when the wind shifts
the visibility drops to about 100 m and the breathing can get rather,
uh, different. I would guess a bunch of critters have had to move (or
turn into crispy critters) so that might well account for the wildlife
around the pond. Plus, it's been so dry here that the pond is one of
the few remaining ponds that still has water in it (I run the garden
hose in it). I hope I don't get a bunch of alligators looking for
water though, that happens here fairly often.
--
Galen Hekhuis
"Mistakes were made"

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:17:09 CST, wrote:

ps: what kind of a bird is a kite? Never heard of it before. -just
the paper and plastic ones.

It's kind of like a hawk. I don't know much about birds, so I made
the rest up. The bird is very sensitive to electrical charges, and
can sometimes be seen circling powerlines. It is most noted for being
able to distinguish which clouds are merely rainclouds and which are
thunderstorms. Benjamin Franklin often watched these birds, and,
well, the rest is history.

pps: do you have any pics of your pond? If you have posted any
urls, I missed them.

If it all works as advertised, you can click on this link
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...s/imgp0332.jpg
I couldn't get the snake or the bird to pose, but this is where I sit
when I shoot weeds. It beats a garbage heap.
--
Galen Hekhuis
I have no idea what happened, but I assure you it was all proper.

"Galen Hekhuis" wrote in message
...
If it all works as advertised, you can click on this link
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...s/imgp0332.jpg
I couldn't get the snake or the bird to pose, but this is where I sit
when I shoot weeds. It beats a garbage heap.
brevity snips
======================================
That's beautiful! I couldn't bear to have a pond like that with no fish in
it... even if they were a few feeders.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
ISP: Hughes.net
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

Galen Hekhuis wrote:

On Mon, 21 May 2007 11:17:09 CST, wrote:

ps: what kind of a bird is a kite? Never heard of it before. -just
the paper and plastic ones.

It's kind of like a hawk. I don't know much about birds, so I made
the rest up.

A raptor (yes, like a hawk). Florida has three. The Mississippi Kite is
gray-on-gray for the adult male, with a narrow tail. Generally only found
on the panhandle and points west. The Everglades snail kite skims over the
swamps scooping snails off the surface plants. It has a white tail with a
black bar. The females & immature of both of these are brown with a
speckled brown-on-white chest. The most likely is the Swallowtail kite
which is black & white with a deeply notched tail. The Mississippi &
Swallowtails are insect eaters.
--
derek
- Unless otherwise noted, I speak for myself, not rec.ponds.moderated
moderators.

ps: what kind of a bird is a kite? Never heard of it before. -just
the paper and plastic ones.

Found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M...s_2005-new.jpg

If it all works as advertised, you can click on this link
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x...s/imgp0332.jpg
I couldn't get the snake or the bird to pose, but this is where I sit
when I shoot weeds. It beats a garbage heap.

Very nice, looks like a good place to hang out. But gators? Have you ever
got one before? What did you do? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

~ jan wrote:

ps: what kind of a bird is a kite? Never heard of it before. -just
the paper and plastic ones.

Found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M...s_2005-new.jpg

That's a Texan kite, but it's a heck of a picture!
--
derek
- Unless otherwise noted, I speak for myself, not rec.ponds.moderated
moderators.

On Tue, 22 May 2007 01:56:33 CST, ~ jan wrote:

Very nice, looks like a good place to hang out. But gators? Have you ever
got one before? What did you do? ~ jan

Yes gators. I had one in the back pond a couple summers ago. I was
out bush hogging on a tractor when I saw the tail of one sticking out
of the weeds by the back pond. Took me most of the day to screw up
enough courage to go back there again. It was still there. After a
few more hours I got brave enough to poke it with a long stick. It
didn't move. So after a few more pokes it dawned on me that the gator
was quite dead. I finally dragged the gator out of the weeds and
into an open area by its tail. Man, it was heavy. It was "only"
about 4 1/2 feet long, hardly a giant but big enough to really spoil
your day if it got ahold of you. Those suckers can move fast when
they want to. You usually see them basking in the sun, barely moving,
and they look like they must be some of the slowest and laziest
creatures on earth, but being a kayaker, I've seen them in the water
chasing food, swimming around, that kind of stuff, and they can be
incredibly nimble. They never seemed to bother kayaks, but I have to
admit I wondered if they would discover that kayaks were kind of
tasty, once you got past the crunchy part. Anyway, I live only a
few miles from the Suwannee River, and there are oodles of alligators
there. When it gets dry alligators show up in people's swimming
pools, ponds, golf courses, etc. There's a whole (small) industry
here devoted to removing (you can't kill them legally) "nuisance"
gators. I don't know what I'd do if a gator got into the pond by the
house. I'd probably give it a few days, and if it didn't leave on its
own I guess I'd have to call someone. If a gator moved into one of
the two larger ponds, I'd probably leave it there.
--
Galen Hekhuis
"Mistakes were made"

On Tue, 22 May 2007 08:48:09 CST, Galen Hekhuis
wrote:

Yes gators. I had one in the back pond a couple summers ago. I was
out bush hogging on a tractor when I saw the tail of one sticking out
of the weeds by the back pond. Took me most of the day to screw up
enough courage to go back there again. It was still there. After a
few more hours I got brave enough to poke it with a long stick. It
didn't move. So after a few more pokes it dawned on me that the gator
was quite dead.

Why was it dead? Any idea? (Hoping your herons aren't big enough to drop
one on your door step like they sometimes do fish.) ~ jan ;-)
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

On Tue, 22 May 2007 08:13:18 CST, Derek Broughton
wrote:

~ jan wrote:

ps: what kind of a bird is a kite? Never heard of it before. -just
the paper and plastic ones.

Found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M...s_2005-new.jpg

That's a Texan kite, but it's a heck of a picture!

Yes, I saw your post after I replied and googled for all those you
mentioned, quite a variety and different looks. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

On Tue, 22 May 2007 08:48:09 CST, Galen Hekhuis
wrote:

Yes gators.

I have to tell you about a guy I knew several years ago with a small
(little over an acre) lake on his property in Middle Georgia. He was
fishing one morning and noticed a gator climb out on the bank into
the sun not too far away. The fish on his line was a bit small, so he
tossed it over toward the gator, who grabbed it. This happened
several times and he realized the gator was taking his not too distant
position every time the fisherman went fishing. He, of course had
second thoughts about the gator's friendliness, as to how long it
would last and when the gator would get big enough to be more of a
threat, but one day some fence jumpers came to the back side of his
property and set up chairs and put lines into the water, before one of
them noticed the gator, then they all left immediately leaving fishing
gear and chairs behind. The last I heard he still has the gator and
it is getting bigger.

Regards,

Hal

On Wed, 23 May 2007 07:45:05 CST, Hal wrote:

threat, but one day some fence jumpers came to the back side of his
property and set up chairs and put lines into the water, before one of
them noticed the gator, then they all left immediately leaving fishing
gear and chairs behind. The last I heard he still has the gator and
it is getting bigger.
Hal

Now that's what I call landowners and nature co-existing. ;-)

Kathy, I'm quite sure dog meat is top-of-the-line gourmet cuisine for a
suburban gator. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us