Woodland Nature Study: A New Pond

Nature

This week Gary accompanied us to some ponds which are in the middle of the woods, we did no studies, just enjoyed a new to us pond.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

There are two ponds neck and neck with each other, and waaaay bigger than our little village pond.  One is a fishing pond and the other is a non-fishing pond.  For all their size, there seems to be far less in the way of inhabitants.

Anyway, here are the photos…..

…wandering up to the pond:

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…..the first fishing pond:

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…..wandering around the pond:

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…looking back on the fishing pond:

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Isn’t that huge?

My two independent musketeers:

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The three older ones trying to push each other in:

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And the second even bigger pond.  I wonder what the criteria are to be called a lake as opposed to a pond?

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This one has a water level, which would have been so handy in our little village one we studied:

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My gorgeous family:

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L is grinning away because she has just made some comment or other to her family about Gary, trolls and shouldn’t he be living under the bridge they are standing on.  I tell you, these teens get more cheeky each passing day (and I just love it!)

T14 had his second exam for his IGCSE Physics a couple of hours after this was taken.  He is nervous here and spending a bit of time on his own to de-stress:

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This is a creepy looking insect made from wood or iron and is huge (and did I mention creepy?):

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Why anyone would put something as horrible as that in such a beautiful setting.  Maybe it is this which is the reason for the distinct lack of wildlife?

It is very lovely here but I am a little sad we don’t see any bird life.  It was the bird life which made our one year pond study so fascinating.

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Father and son:

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Gorgeous C (top) and B (middle) and A (bottom):

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These two scamps have such a lovely time together:

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And just before we left I, at last, spotted some wild life….

…gulls:

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and can you see what I spotted way in the back ground?

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A heron!  We all pondered whether it was the same one which not only was a regular visitor to our little village pond but has also been seen on the roof of a nearby house near our home.  I zoomed in and was surprised to see, not only the heron but also some drakes:

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Maybe there is lots of wild life inhabiting these waters, it’s just that the pond is so large they are not easy to spot.

Needing to be home for T’s exam, we took one last photo between the trees:

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One of these days I must have one taken with me in it 🙂