Tuxedo Cat Caught Fishing

My mother sent me a note after reading my Pond Diary that said the black and white cats in the pictures are commonly referred to as Tuxedo Cats. I hadn't heard that before but it is an appropriate name. This morning the wildlife camera caught a picture of the neighborhood Tuxedo Cat prowling the pond. The first picture shows him slinking between the large and small ponds. The second picture shows him with his head down in the large pond. I can't imagine he was catching any Goldfish because he's in the deep end and with the water so cold, the fish are sleeping near the bottom. But maybe he is able to attract the Goldfish to the surface so he can snag them.

Ice Starts to Melt

After two day when the temperature never got above freezing, we had a day in the low 40s. With that temperature, the ice started a slow melt but since the nights were still below freezing, it didn't completely melt. Today we might get into the high 40s and tomorrow in the low 50s so the ice should finish melting.

Ice on the Large Pond

Even though the large pond is 750 gallons, it didn't escape the ice from the deep freeze. The water continued to slowly flow out of the filter and splash into the pond where the ice built up. The protective Styrofoam floats were frozen in place by the ice surrounding them. Half way down the pond, the aerator kept a spot clear of ice so toxic gasses could escape from the pond. Meanwhile the Goldfish settled close to the bottom of the pond and slept.

Ponds in the Deep Freeze

A few days ago, we got hit by the deep freeze. My thermometer reported a low temperature of 8 degrees 48 hours ago and it didn't get above freezing for more than two days. It didn't take long for ice to form on the ponds. The ice on the small pond was up to an inch thick and only a small spot was kept open by the water flowing from the filter. The frog pond has an aerator which created a nifty looking circle of open water surrounded by bubble looking ice.

Morning Dove Visit

Yesterday morning we had a visit from a few Morning Doves. They were kind enough to wonder in front of the wildlife camera and pose for a couple of pictures. Usually we get pictures of Cardinals, Robins and Crows. We rarely see the Morning Doves. According to several web sites, these guys are about a foot long and as you can see pleasantly plump. They don't look too threatening so the Goldfish have nothing to fear from these guys.

Homepond Diary 2008 Published

My third book, "The Pond Diary 2008" in the Pond Diary series has been published. Once again this is a birthday gift for my mom who doesn't go online. She loved the first and second book and said they were a big hit with her friends. The first "The Pond Diary" covered August 2005 through December 2006. The second book covers January 2007 through December 2007. This book covers January 2008 through December 2008. This book highlights many exciting pictures especially the picture on May 6th of the Great Blue Heron with one of my prize Goldfish in his beak. A good picture but very bad for the Goldfish.

The direct link for the new book is:
http://www.lulu.com/content/5519437


The direct link for the second book is:
http://www.lulu.com/content/1743529

The direct link for the first book is:
http://www.lulu.com/content/599985

The Owl and the Goldfish

I think I may have jinxed the Goldfish with yesterday's post about no evidence that the Hawk was having success with his fishing. Last night I caught this picture of the Owl at midnight sitting on the same bamboo poles that the hawk was using for a perch. Look at those eyes glow. And then at six AM, the camera snapped the second picture of a large bird next to the pond. If you look close at his feet, there is an unfortunate Goldfish in his claws. It is hard to tell if it is the Hawk or the Owl but either way, a Goldfish has gone to see his Maker. Today I added two more Styrofoam floats to provide more cover for the Goldfish.

Hawk Greets the New Year

The new year starts as the old year ended with the Hawk visiting the pond. First he is landing on the top of bamboo poles we used to support our tomato plants. From that height he can see down into the pond at all the juicy Goldfish and then dive. I hope the Styrofoam provides some protection for the Goldfish and a nice rest stop for the Hawk. I haven't caught a picture of him with a Goldfish in his claws so maybe he hasn't made it through the defenses yet.