I went outside this afternoon to fill my bird feeders up with seed, so the birds would have something to eat during tomorrow's snow/ice/rain storm. As I walked by my pond, which is covered to keep out the leaves, I was startled by a flapping noise and frantic motion under the net. It scared the daylights out of me and I actually jumped! Here, a mourning dove had found his way under the net but couldn't seem to find his way out. I don't know if he was actually ready to get out, but I'm sure I scared him as much as he scared me and he wanted to make a quick get away. Problem was he couldn't figure out where the exit was. So I carefully started to pull back some of the pond netting to make an escape route for him. I had to untie several of those fuzzy pipe cleaners that were holding two pieces of netting together(they work great, by the way, if you have to attach several nets together) I was on my fourth one, and he decided he couldn't wait any longer. He just burst through a small opening of net which was attached to a brick wall and flew away.
The lesson here: Keep an eye on your pond every so often to make sure there aren't any stranded creatures underneath. You may need to rescue them.
What was he doing under there, you ask? He needed a drink, of course! Water is very important to birds, squirrels and other wildlife, and it is sometimes difficult to find in the winter. I have seen many varieties of birds under my pond net, including morning doves, wrens and the dark-eyed junco. This was not the first time that I have had to rescue a bird from under my pond net. I wish they would use my heated birdbath instead!
Aquatic Connections is certified as a Backyard Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. At Aquatic Connections we recommend using birdbath heaters, which will help provide a source of water for birds (and squirrels) all winter long. They are available on our website www.aquaticconnections.com.
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