some pond visitors

[Sue]

I managed to take some photo's of our pond visitors this spring, so I thought I'd share. So far there were no missing fish despite the raccoon dabbling his paws along every edge of the pond at 5 am. We are dog-sitting a Shep this week so hopefully Mr coon will move along to another yard.


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[Steve_2]

Very nice!

I also get visitor quite often. I have a chipmunk that lives behind my pond, gold finches that love to bath in my water fall, mourning doves, and....a not-so-shy skunk that I haven't seen this year YET. I wish I would have taken pictures!

Steve

[Fishnut]

Grrr...raccoon!!  I can't believe you took a picture rather than running at it screaming while waving some sort of bat 

That's what I would do!  It's interesting to see one in action though.  I'm pretty sure my koi are going to be safe in a 24" deep pond.

[ophelia]

Nice pictures Sue. Ha, your plastic duck almost looks like the real thing!

Fishnut: I feel your pain! lol.  Last year was my first experience with raccoons but my pond has been going for several. My pond is deepish at about 3' but I lost 7 of 10 of my big comets.
There are plenty of rocks to hide in amongst, no shoreline and the raccoons still got them. I never saw them do it, but their footprints let me know. Pesky critters. They punctured my kid's ball and her 2 blow-up wading pools last summer. I know they're here again this spring but so far so good.

I think it's not so much that the raccoons are smart, more that the fish are dumb. Hopefully, koi are higher up the evolutionary ladder for your sake.

[Sue]

The coon was very entertaining to watch so I wouldn't of tried to scare him off. It looked more like he was splashing his feet in the water and blindly feeling the rocks with his feet as if looking for crayfish. He then went for a roll in the grass first holding a badminton racket in his feet, then with a green plastic ball, then he went over to our lounge chair climbed up and lay down and rolled around on the cushion. After his lounge break was over he climbed the roof of our shed and headed to our carport to trash the garbage. (thats when my husband scared him off).

[Fishnut]

Hmmm...I guess that was cute.  I still think they're gross.  My hubby asked for a pellet gun when I was initially complaining about them    I love the birds though. 

Ophelia, did your fish see you and come to the surface begging for food?  I was told that if fish are trained to fear anything approaching the pond, they are less likely to investigate something or mistake a hungry raccoon for their human food suppliers.

[cora]

awww The raccoon looks soo cute  look at him playing in the water! awwwwwwww hehe Im such a sucker Id so let him eat all my fish