As you read this I’m cleaning out the muck in the pond. (That’s if you’re reading it in the morning US Eastern Time.) It’s a job I both dread and look forward to. It means the start of pond season for sure.
The planning is nerve-racking. I want to do it before everything starts mating and laying eggs but after the water warms just a little. I thought this would be a good year because it was mild. Then April wasn’t. Then it rained. Even I am not crazy enough to go in the pond in the rain.
Water temperature is running around 60 degrees. That’s cold but if the sun is shining and I have my chest waders on, it’s not bad.
There is prep work. The filter has to be put together with new inserts and the hoses and buckets need to be found (they are like screwdrivers – they have feet and walk away from where you are sure you stored them).
I was gearing up. Today is the first really nice day in a long string of lousy days.
Then I heard it. The toads were singing. Not just any song either. They were singing the mating song. You know the one. It’s starts “Hi gorgeous, you alone? How about a drink?”
Ack! There they were. Two toads looking a lot like a pile of leaves doing it on the stone wall in my pond. For hours! I don’t want to disturb them (in the act) and I don’t want to disturb the eggs.
Before I wade in, I will check around for toad eggs and mating critters. Perhaps it’s time to get out the Barry White music and a bottle of wine. My pond is such a love machine!
Racy Picture!
That soundtrack on the video was so relaxing. No wonder you enjoy your pond critters so much.
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It’s peaceful. Nature’s version of Valium.
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I walked up to our pond this morning, and we had frogs too! (doing the same thing) When we bought this property, the pond was little more than a sludge basin with pockets of stagnate water for mating mosquitos. Every year we do a little bit more to clean it out. It’s now free flowing and about four feet deep, but wildlife has been slow in coming. This year we have frogs! Maybe next year we’ll have fish???
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You will have to put the fish in because they can’t walk on the land to get there like the frogs do! You should be able to support fish as long as it doesn’t totally freeze over and it’s deep enough (it is) for them to sort of hibernate. I bought tadpoles many years ago to get frogs started here and it took several years. Now I how a nice noisy group. The toads come on their own. If you have water they will find you!
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I am hoping you are feeling fine today after all that work. A few weeks ago we were listening to spring peepers. For some reason they didn’t last long. Now we have the sound of frogs that is on your videeoh. I love hearing them but I have to admit that at night they are a bit much. We have a large farm pond below our lagoon and they are in the lagoon too. I do enjoy the spring peepers and could listen to them forever. I have a sleep app on my phone called Relaxing Melodies and two of the many sounds offered are peepers and frogs. I have peepers selected every night! Great post Kate… I am glad the pond is up and running, or croaking, or cavorting!
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The sound bothers my husband. He uses a white noise machine at night and it too has frog and stream sounds but he uses the standard white noise.
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True signs of spring! It is hard work to get the pond in working order after a long winter, but it must be so rewarding at the end of the day. Our pond is coming to life as the lilies wake up! I’m sure your little frogs are once again happy!
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The spring cleaning is more work than the fall closing for sure but it is so worth it. Where else do you get 6 months of pleasure for few hours of work?
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I’m glad you didn’t disturb the froggy mating rituals. After all, they have been waiting all winter. I think I’d learn to love their mating call too, it’s very soothing.
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Glad that you didn’t disturb the frogs…and that you got the job done. Great post!!
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I can’t believe they were mating next to me. There are some things that I’d rather not see.
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May the opening go with ease
May all beings survive and flourish
May you have a wonderful Pond season, Kate!
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The pond is so peaceful (except when I’m emptying it and cleaning out 10 gallons of stinky gunk). It truly is worth it all.
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Damn, I remember last summer how you were serenaded by those frogs. That’s quite a den of iniquity you’re running there!
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It really is! It took a couple of years for them to get going but now we are pushing birth control.
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So . . . what was your reward? Starbucks or margarita? 😀
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SB hasn’t offered their S’mores frap yet so it’s a margarita. It’s warm for hot coffee.
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We have a little waterfall in the garden and no frogs. The frogs prefer to frolic in the mountain stream across the street. Suits us all.
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We have a small pond in the water retention basin in back of our house. We hear them there too but it’s farther away. Today they trilled in our ears while sitting 2′ away. It was loud.
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Impressive!
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My husband’s word was annoying.
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Ha! Ha!
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Did you make it back out?😊
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Yes. All done. It’s the kind of work I like but it’s very tiring. Lots of bending and picking up heavy water plants.
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White noise varies, right? One of my nieces lived in the city until she was 3. The first night they settled into a house out on 25 acres in the summer, she moaned and thrashed until my sister came in and asked what was wrong.
“The crickets, Mommy! The crickets are SO LOUD!”
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Seriously? When I stay in NYC the garbage trucks in the very early (very very early) hours drive me nuts.
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Wow, is that a 4 on 1? Poor thing!
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I think they are enjoying it.
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I like the sound of the toads/frogs for a little while but not as background noise when I am trying to go to sleep. My husband closes the window when the crickets are being their noisy selves as well. Enjoy your clean pond.
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You could sleep with my husband. The critter sounds lull me to sleep.
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When I was a kid I loved frogs and always imagined I’d have my own pond in the backyard. You’re very lucky to have the position of caretaker.
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It’s a small pond — 5′ x 11′ but it gives me what I need.
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I love the piggy-backing frogs! We have a lake behind our house and boy have they been singing. I love it!
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I love it too. Not so my husband.
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Hahahaha! Are you sure you aren’t running a pond of ill repute?
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I’m waiting to be raided any day now.
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I admire you for going into cold water but I know the rewards will be worth it. The clean pond signaling start of summer. I enjoyed learning about the adventures of the toads in your pond. We had a pond once. The toads were so loud during mating season!
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60 degrees isn’t too bad. Your skin gets numb through the waders after a while and I’ll have heavy socks on. We had bullfrogs a few years back. Even our neighbors complained about their amorous mating habits. It was like being at a rock concert where the drummer only played two sounds for hours on end.
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Great description!
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I love toads concerts…. sadly my husband always wants to close the windows when this guys have a gig :o) It’s a not so funny work to remove the mud, but after all you crossed the pond in shortest time … take that Miss Concorde :o)
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My husband does that too with a white sound machine too! It’s yucky work but nice to be outside. Waiting for the sun to come out. It is supposed to be very nice.
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I love your pond adventures. Into the wilderness Kate goes, ready to repair and restore her own little eco-system. Toads beware!
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Into the wilderness! What a wonderful title that would have been. I’m hoping I don’t slip and end up on my butt with creepy crawlies inside my waders. (and yes that happened once)
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Oh my! Take care. Stand firm.
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Yes us old people have brittle bones and all that! 🙂 Right now I’m waiting for the sun to come in (or 9 a.m. to arrive) and dreaming of my reward — Starbucks mocha or a margarita. Guess it depends when I finish and how hot it gets.
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That video is so calming. I could listen to the sounds of the toads all day long.
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My husband hates it. He uses a white noise machine to block it out at night to sleep. I find it as soothing as crickets.
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