Thanks for the welcome guys. I am on my way out to photograph the ponds. The shallow pond will be fine as a wildlife pond - we have seen deer, wild turkeys, skunk, rabbits, heard coyotes, as well as seeing and hearing many different birds (saw a bluebird the other morning) on our land.
The deeper (I think it is deeper) pond is more of a concern as it is better described as a "miasmic swamp" When we first saw it last spring, you could not get close enough to even know if it was a pond or not. But it did have peepers. Later in the year we could verify that it was indeed a pond because we could get close enough to see a thin strip of bright green duckweed.
When fall arrived, we worked hard to clear an infestation of grapevine which allowed us to get much closer to the "pond" from a different angle. And when winter arrived and the "pond" froze, we could see for the first time what the extent of the pond was, and that it truly is a pond. Large by my standards - My previous pond was about the size of a kitchen sink - I will put a yardstick in my photos.
Our goal is not necessarily to have fish (although coachB has plans, I know) but to breed less mosquitos. If that means fish, then I will have fish. I would like to grow marginals and wetland native plants, as well as providing a restful, pleasant environment to spend time. A miasmic swamp does not provide that!
I'll post photos shortly. No matter how difficult that proves to be.
