Above Ground Container Pond - Water Hazard :/

I woke up, and on my walk to the car this morning I saw a terrible
site in my (above ground) half whiskey barrel pond. After five
months, it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there. And if it wasn't already ill, if they're that
insistant to get water I might just have to finally get a bird bath.

Figured that this would happen eventually. My cat could be next, I
think. Does anyone have any ideas to make the thing safer? One
suggestion was to put wire on the top, so that it closes out the
surface. I was thinking more along the lines of making steps so that
any unsuspecting creature can climb out, including my cat. As it is,
the pot that the water lily is in looks as though it could hold kitty
half way submerged, still able to breath air. I was thinking of
possibly making some steps for an unsuspecting critter to climb out,
but I'd like to make it so that the the fish still have enough room to
swim around in.

Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

Do you have a marginal plant in the pot.
They should be at water level or just under
water level.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

think Darwin. Do you really want the whole bird world infected by the genes
of a robin too stupid to take a drink out of a barrel?

Or cat?


"Daniel Phillips" wrote in message
...
I woke up, and on my walk to the car this morning I saw a terrible
site in my (above ground) half whiskey barrel pond. After five
months, it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there. And if it wasn't already ill, if they're that
insistant to get water I might just have to finally get a bird bath.

Figured that this would happen eventually. My cat could be next, I
think. Does anyone have any ideas to make the thing safer? One
suggestion was to put wire on the top, so that it closes out the
surface. I was thinking more along the lines of making steps so that
any unsuspecting creature can climb out, including my cat. As it is,
the pot that the water lily is in looks as though it could hold kitty
half way submerged, still able to breath air. I was thinking of
possibly making some steps for an unsuspecting critter to climb out,
but I'd like to make it so that the the fish still have enough room to
swim around in.

Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

"Daniel Phillips" wrote in message
...
I woke up, and on my walk to the car this morning I saw a terrible
site in my (above ground) half whiskey barrel pond. After five
months, it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there. And if it wasn't already ill, if they're that
insistant to get water I might just have to finally get a bird bath.
Figured that this would happen eventually. My cat could be next, I
think. Does anyone have any ideas to make the thing safer? One
suggestion was to put wire on the top, so that it closes out the
surface.

## I have 3 barrels full of water. I lay twigs across the water so birds
and other small critters that fall in can escape. Frogs that cannot escape
up the sides will also drown/starve/exhaust and die in these barrels.

I was thinking more along the lines of making steps so that
any unsuspecting creature can climb out, including my cat. As it is,
the pot that the water lily is in looks as though it could hold kitty
half way submerged, still able to breath air. I was thinking of
possibly making some steps for an unsuspecting critter to climb out,

## Free rocks and stones would work.

but I'd like to make it so that the the fish still have enough room to
swim around in.

## I'd go with twigs and a few plants.
--
Carol.... the frugal ponder...
"Whenever you meet a man who would make a good husband,
you will usually find he's already married."
~~~~~~{@
"They laugh because I'm different, I laugh because they're all the same."
http://www.heartoftn.net/users/windsong/index.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"~ Windsong ~" wrote in message
...

Carol.... the frugal ponder...
"Whenever you meet a man who would make a good husband,
you will usually find he's already married."

My friend says, "The good ones were already taken when you met them."
Persevere.
--
Crashj

In article , Daniel Phillips
writes:

it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there

I know the feeling, I've pull 3 dead sparrows out of my pond this summer and I
have 3 bird baths. They like the waterfall and try to bath in the flowing
water. I think they get on the string algae and slide in, then can't get out.
Why is it, it never happens when I'm watching? I've tried rearranging the
rocks and cleaning them, but...
Karen
Zone 5
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K....M.Studios.html
for email remove the extra extention

On 17 Aug 2004 04:03:39 GMT, (Karen) wrote:

In article , Daniel Phillips
writes:

it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there

I know the feeling, I've pull 3 dead sparrows out of my pond this summer and I
have 3 bird baths. They like the waterfall and try to bath in the flowing
water. I think they get on the string algae and slide in, then can't get out.
Why is it, it never happens when I'm watching? I've tried rearranging the
rocks and cleaning them, but...
Karen
Zone 5
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K....M.Studios.html
for email remove the extra extention




Yeah, I'm thinking it's possible that the bird tried to land on a lily
pad. But it could have slipped from the liner's edge trying to reach
down for a drink, or from the raised container of the bog plant I put
in the middle.

Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 20:03:26 -0500, "~ Windsong ~"
wrote:


"Daniel Phillips" wrote in message
.. .
I woke up, and on my walk to the car this morning I saw a terrible
site in my (above ground) half whiskey barrel pond. After five
months, it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there. And if it wasn't already ill, if they're that
insistant to get water I might just have to finally get a bird bath.
Figured that this would happen eventually. My cat could be next, I
think. Does anyone have any ideas to make the thing safer? One
suggestion was to put wire on the top, so that it closes out the
surface.

## I have 3 barrels full of water. I lay twigs across the water so birds
and other small critters that fall in can escape. Frogs that cannot escape
up the sides will also drown/starve/exhaust and die in these barrels.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Not floating, right? From one
edge of the barrel rim to the other? About how many twigs do you use
and have you had the pleasure of seeing critters be saved by them?

Daniel Phillips

[+]bandito[-]spam = [-]toppler.[+]zworg.com
Be warned, may mistakingly bounce back as spam.

On Mon, 16 Aug 2004 20:03:26 -0500, "~ Windsong ~"
wrote:

snip
===
===## Free rocks and stones would work.
snip
Free rocks......I sure would love to find some free rocks.Rocks in my
area of the country are as valuable as gold it seems...... The local
garden centers sell rocks. They get $1.00 ea for rocks up to the size
of a softball, and football sized run $5.00 each or more depending on
color and shapes. The rocks I used around my lagoon section of my
pond I brought back from Pennsylvania on a trip I made there a few
years back to make a circular firepit in the back forty for the son
when he was in cub scouts when they used to camp out on our property.
Those couple of rocks would have set me back well over $150 to buy
around here. Since he is now grown, and the rocks did not wear out,
I re-utilized them for the lagoon wall. I just may have to make
another run someday and leave the suitcases at home and bring back a
pickup load of rocks.....even at todays price in gas I would be ahead
in money saved......and I would have rocks!
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

"Karen" wrote in message
...
In article , Daniel Phillips
writes:

it finally happened: a bird, either a robin or mourning dove,
drowned in there

I know the feeling, I've pull 3 dead sparrows out of my pond this summer
and I
have 3 bird baths.

You can lead a bird to water, but you can't make him not sink.
If anyone watches CSI you should know that the apparent cause of death may
not be the real issue. They may have been sick when they came to drink and,
errm, croaked, in your pond.
If you have West Nile in your area check with the local health authorities
and see if they want the bird bodies. Take standard precautions when
handling the little corpses. You can put your hand inside a shopping bag,
pick up the dead bird, and pull the bag over your hand to wrap it in the bag
without touching it.
--
Crashj