The value of ponds

We get an amazing amount of wildfowl on the pond opposite the house - despite the local farmers efforts to fill part of it in and deter them (he reckons they pass on worms to his sheep but I reckon its just bad husbandry as the animals don't have access to clean drinking water apart from the pond which now contains the remains of at least two dead sheep....).

The numbers aren't as high as last year when we had torrential rain meaning the field flooded but in this short video there are Teal, Canada Geese, Shoveller, Mallard, Heron & Coot.

The Heron is hunting Great-crested Newts. Another reason to value this pond. Now if only I could acquire the field........

Everyone looks at WeBs counts on large local watercourses but the value of the smaller water courses, such as this pond, are overlooked. When the numbers are combined these small ponds hold a significant number of wildfowl.