Summer holidays are over and the kids have gone back to school, but not before I had a chance to join in some fabulous pond dipping! We’ve been running this event every week through the school holidays and it has of course been very popular, with children and adults alike. In fact I’m not sure who gets more excited and I particularly enjoyed overhearing one parent tell her child “We’re not leaving until I’ve caught a newt!”
It’s very easy to get enthralled with gently sweeping the depths of a pond, the anticipation as you turn your net out in a sample tray and gaze at the mini-beasts and creatures you’ve just uncovered swimming around in front of you.
My own experience was no different with diving beetles and backswimmers whizzing around and hiding under the vegetation, pond skaters – reputedly the first to conquer any new pond – darting across the surface, damselfly and midge larvae swimming sporadically amongst shrimps and snails with their waggling horns, water louse crawling along the bottom avoiding the squirming leeches and bloodworms, and the much admired newts, trying to pretend that you can’t them by staying stock still.
Water boatman
Damselfly nymph
Newt with ramshorn snail in background.
However, my favourite has to be the dragonfly nymphs. These ferocious predators prowl the murky depths of the pond hunting for their lunch. They have an extending hinged lower jaw that shoots out and hooks their prey, which can range from tiny water fleas to small fish, tadpoles and even other dragonfly larvae.
Just because they may get caught and put in a sample tray, it doesn’t stop them hunting. Indeed one individual seized a water boatman that had unfortunately found itself in the same tray whilst we watched and continued to eat its victim quite unperturbed with a dozen eyes gawping at it!
Dragonfly nymph with lunch in its jaws!
Now, about THAT bird... a little while back I recounted my unsuccessful attempts to see a wryneck. Well, the wrynecks of the Severals continued to very frustratingly, elude me. However, that is not the only place they have been seen recently – they also turned up over on Medmerry. Surely this was my chance! Grabbing scope and binoculars, I jumped in the pick-up with one of our Wardens and hot-footed it over to Marsh Barn where it had been reported.
We scanned the area of path it had reputedly been seen on. Something flew up and across the path – was that it? Too small, wrong shape – not a wryneck. We waited. We started up the path. Another bird flew up, was that it? Too quick to get a good sighting – inconclusive. We walked up the path. Nothing. I turned round and scanned the hedgerow behind us. THERE IT WAS! My first wryneck. Sitting in the hedgerow just long enough for us to admire it, before hopping down to the path and disappearing in the tufts of grass. It showed a couple more times, still only briefly, but I had finally caught up with the elusive wryneck.
Wryneck. Photo: Ivan Lang
Pond dipping is great fun for children. Did some today with my grandchildren. Didn't find any water boatmen but plenty of snails and young newts and dragonfly and damselfly nymphs. Keep up the good work.