In Golden Pond: Pond Studies 301

In the pond things are starting to move about. Spring peeper tadpoles, fairy shrimp, mosquito larva!

I love these little creatures: amphipod,
AKA: freshwater fairy shrimp.

Damselfly adult

The damselfly larvae nailed a fairy shrimp

Wood frog– tadpoles have back legs!

We went for walkies, me an' my buddies (Daisy and Annabelle). There were so many wood frog tadpoles.

I couldn't believe how many there are!
Wood frog tadpoles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Hundreds of thousands of wood frog tadpoles in the frog pond. I went into it to get some shots. Daisy and Annabelle were on the shore meowing at me.

Egg masses

April 25

Tadpoles - teeny, tiny. Eating algae, growing.

I went back, with a net, to capture a couple of photos of them. They have back legs, now.

Lots of snails on the dead leaves.
Snails will be another photo-op later!

I took an oyster shell, to see if it would be better contrast. Not so much!

Their under bellies are quite oyster-like! While one shouldn't pick them up if one has bug spray or anything on hands, I went down without. All in order to do the research!

I walked into the pond, barefoot, too. It has a certain rich, rank odour, the dead leaves and vegetation in the bottom of the pond.

tough photographing them IN the water!

This is the adult, they hop about the forest,
or should I say 'woods!'

Wood ducks –another project

Wood ducks are incredibly shy birds. I captured these using my plant cam, setting it up to take photos automatically, in 2012.

Again, on our point. Obviously several are about!

 I've seen them on the frog pond in subsequent years, albeit only from a great distance. I am very excited, as they have appeared again this year. AND I put up a nesting box.

I am not convinced they will be successful, plus we visit the pond rather frequently. I need to trim a couple of trees nearby, and the top of the dead tree, where the box is attached. This way predators do not get into the box. (I'll keep you posted!)

I managed a very distant shot from Oliver's Lot
from above the pond. The ducks love our vernal pond.

I found a YouTube video (below), the owner had a PlantCam installed in the nesting box. (Wouldn't that be terrific?!)
The birds launch themselves out of the box when they are ready to go. Bouncing on the ground!

Here is my new nesting box.
On a dead tree, protected by duct pipe.

There are nesting boxes in the area.
This are nicely placed in a swamp.

I don't know WHERE this photo is from,
but this is how wood ducks fly out
of the nest. You can watch videos of them!

It hunkers down to escape me.

This baby was crossing our property.
It was well behind the mommy and 4 sibs...

We went to Stanley Park, in Vancouver, and I managed to photograph a wood duck, close-up! I was thrilled!
We arrived home yesterday and I have a ton of photos to process!

Wood frog tadpoles have hatched!

The wood frog tadpoles are out and about. They are so cool! I am fascinated with the cycle of life.

Egg mass in the pond

Suddenly they are hatched tadpoles! I went into the pond in my

Adult wood frog – they often cross my path as I
walk in summer in the forest.

chest waders, curious as to their status. We had a bit of a cold spell, and I was concerned. I knew where the eggs had been laid, and, sure enough, they were all happily sitting in the sunshine.
I love doing pond studies! They are happily sheltered in the grass end of the pond, in knee-deep water. The rest of the pond is much colder, and thigh-deep.

They are so wee!

The video is fun, to see the wriggly little critters moving about!



Wood frog tadpoles from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
They've hatched in our vernal pond, and they are swimming about by the millions! I scooped one up for a close-up. Last year's foliage protects them. The green algae shows the mass in which the eggs were laid.

Ellychnia hatchi larvae – swimming!

Our 'frog pond' is truly a vernal pond and dries up over the summer. These critters have a short shelf life!

Vernal pond larvae from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
 This is what they look like after they emerge from the water.

They were swimming, wrapped in a package of debris! They build their own house and live here.

It's hilarious to watch.

My Kaufman Guide

Pond Studies 201 on Earth Day

Daisy showing off climbing a tree.
Buster was surveying his pond.

I think it fitting to examine the water on Earth Day!

Yes, Pond Study '201', because I studied the pond last year. I was given a macro lens from the best husband ever, last year. I managed to capture water beetles, water striders, up close. Right now tree frogs and wood frogs are singing (wood frogs in the water and tree frogs up high, and pretty shy right now), and I've photographed all the typical creatures one expects in a pond. This year I found more little creatures to photograph.

And I improved my technique.

I scooped critters into a goldfish bowl.
Daisy thought it a drinking bowl.

Anyone can photograph an elephant, but these little suckers are tricky!

The other issue, I had 'helpers' who wanted to drink the water from my goldfish bowl where I placed my critters. Daisy, little twerper!

My frog pond- newly melted

There are water beetles, water striders, many spiders, and tree frogs and wood frogs, so far.
 It teems with life, our ponds.
 I am privileged to be living in Ontario.

weird little egg sacs, tree frog eggs!

everything is brown

spider in the pond

Daisy couldn't figure out why
I was out in the pond!
I was wearing boots.

My precious frog pond

The logs, where I sit and contemplate life!
Buster in the shade of the tree.
Daisy at the base of the tree.

tree frog eggs

I scooped some water and leaves into a goldfish bowl

fairy shrimp

Bad news: mosquito larvae!

They glue them to flora

tree frog eggs

cyclops, subclass copepoda

cyclops, copepoda

I scooped them into a tablespoon!

I love these little creatures: amphipod,
AKA: freshwater fairy shrimp.

water slaters or water-lice

water slaters or water-lice