Small Pond Goldfish

The cleaning of the small pond last weekend provided the opportunity to take inventory of the goldfish. There were 12 goldfish 3 to 6 inches long, 8 goldfish 1 to 3 inches and 1 goldfish less than an inch long. I didn't find the goldfish that had the sore on his tail last winter so he must have been lunch for the Great Blue Heron or one of the other predators that visit the ponds from time to time. The water is so clear now that the goldfish are more skittish and spend more time hiding in the couple of hiding places that are available. The day after the cleaning, I surprised a hawk about 20 feet from the pond who seemed to have something orange in its claw. I'm afraid it was one of these goldfish.