Pond Surveys

One of the jobs I am doing at the moment is some pond surveys with my good mate Liz. We set our first bottle traps on Monday evening and checked them Tuesday morning. The ponds aren't wonderful and we recorded very few invertebrates. Amphibians were represented by Smooth Newts and we also trapped two species of fish; Perch and Roach. That alone gives you an idea as to why they are a tad impoverished; typical fishing ponds in the main with no emergent vegetation and steep-sided!

Roach (unless anyone knows different!)

 Perch

 Smooth Newt (male right and female left just out of shot!)

 A few birds were present in the hedgerows and scrub surrounding the ponds including Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Linnet. Whilst overhead we had Buzzards, Grey Herons and Swallows.