I always run off Canadian Geese before they can nest but recently I had a pair with four chicks walk in from a nearby pond and since the chicks can't fly I see no point in harrassing them. And I do enjoy watching them and so does the dog! LOL

Anyway they seem to make the rounds of the ponds on the property except the trout pond that had staked lines they can't get on. (I was late getting staked lines on the other ponds to keep out herons this year.)

What surprised me this morning was in my bluegill hatchery pond I've had some floating mats of filamentous algae flloat up, and the two adults and chicks were going to town consuming it. When I drained the pond before filling it had a lot of FA on the bottom. As I fill it the FA is flosting to the tp in large sheets. Once the water level gets high enough I will pull it out wirh a floating rake.

I also see where they are uprooting new cattail growth which is fine with me.

Is this common for those of you that have geese for them to eat FA? They really seem to like the stuff! Or could it be due to a lack of other plants? I wouldn't mind if they consumed some of my bullrush either but it may be too far along.

No way to tell for sure, but they may be consuming the FA as a side dish to go along with the inverts that inhabit it.

Maybe they're thanking you for not being a "mean old man"

Could be!

I have a really nice black bucket with a spiffy handle that someone left here Sunday. Any idea whose it is?

Got you 5DO5 today. You can pick it up when you get your tilapia from the place in Goshen.

Perhaps some generous individual decided to leave the bucket because all of your equipment is so tacky. It ain't easy feeling sorry for the underprivileged livin in a dream home. I've considered getting a cardboard sign sayin "will work for fish" and setting at the end of y
our drive. Thing is I simply really don't wanna work.
Sent a PM about Talapia pick up.

If Canada geese are eating FA, I'll beat they're bringing watermeal in on their feathers and crapping viable bullhead eggs......

In my world there would have to be just such a tradeoff, for what appeared fortunate on the surface.

That would be my guess! Lord knows their constant crapping creates enough FA that they SHOULD recycle some!

I'm hoping they will fertilize the bluegill production pond that needs fertilizing anyway but for phytoplankton.

I had two mallards in the trout pond this morning. They must have flew in and couldn't figure out how to walk out as everywhere they tried to get on the bank there was a staked line in their way. When I came out and fed the trout they flew off.

A trout busting the surface before I ran them off scared the crap out of them. Maybe some experience in the local musky lakes?

Dream house? You only saw the basement!

Compared to my trailer the basement is bomb! At least if a tornado comes you have somewhere to go. I would have to run down to the bridge over the creek and I don't run too well.

Geese are gone. Last I saw them they were a few hundred yards away heading to who knows where. Maybe the school pond where they came from. I hope someone on a cell phone doesn't hit them. I see people drive by here all the time and they are looking down at their cell phones and not the road. It's like they are in a daze.

Yeah I got a little attached to the little buggers! LOL

That attachment will dissipate very quickly once you realise that they brought Eurasian Water Milfoil to your pond. It did for me. Now it's a "chase away on sight" rule.

Yeah didn't think about that!

Now I have a pair of Mallards hanging around.

I may luck out on the Sago Pond weed this year. I dyed the water extra heavy with the Aquashade and it's really, really, dark. It would be nice if I didn't need to spend four hundred for the Sonar to treat the Sago. I hope you didn't invest in any for me.

It's invested in whoever needs it!

It's turning out to be an interesting and busy year. I estimate between 10% and 15% of ponds around here without aeration suffered winterkills this year. Depth of the pond doesn't seem to matter. I've heard of winterkills in ponds that were 30+' deep.