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movement on pond surface...

mvsalamanca92mvsalamanca92 Posts: 6
in Wildlife gardening
ive recently put a pre-formed pond in my garden about 6 months ago..ive added a few baby great snails nothing else..when i look at the pond surface it looks like its rain drops but it defo isnt rain what could it be.
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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 9,850
    It's probably some little beastie coming to the surface for a gulp of air, I see it all the time on my little w/l pond.
    Most frequently I see little 'things' shaped like a big comma (,) wiggle up at high speed from the depths, snatch a gulp of air then whiz back to the depths again.
    Especially in the spring and summer just sitting and staring into the water it's amazing all the different bugs and newts that have made it their home - I find it fascinating
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Birmingham Posts: 955
    Mosquito larvae maybe
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,921
    Maybe diving beetles @Pete.8? I love those.
    Can you post a pic @mvsalamanca92 ? It can be a bit tricky taking photos with water, but it might give us a better idea.  :)

    Is there anything dropping into the pond for instance - from nearby shrubs/trees?

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 9,850
    Fairygirl said:
    Maybe diving beetles @Pete.8? I love those.

    I don't think so Fg. I do have lots of diving beetles in both ponds, but the things I see are different. They appear to have some sort of head and a tail, nothing else - a bit like a small slug I suppose about .5" long, no legs or anything else and they wiggle up from the bottom very quickly to go up and take a gulp of air then wiggle back to the depths again looking just like a big wiggly comma. The whole process takes them about 1-2 seconds
    I've wondered what they may be for the last couple of years
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,921
    edited October 2019
    Could they be nymphs of some kind?
    Or leeches?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Birmingham Posts: 955
    Fairygirl said:
    Could they be nymphs of some kind?
    Or leeches?
    Baby loch Ness monsters 😂
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,921
    Think we need @wild edges or maybe @Fishy to ID yours @Pete.8. I can't think of anything else that fits. Brain freeze I'm afraid.
    I  had a look on a couple of wildlife sites, but couldn't come up with anything. Often, tadpoles that are too late to 'change', overwinter and become froggy the next year, but I wouldn't have though that it happened where you are. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 9,850
    I'm hoping for baby loch Ness monsters :)

    Sadly I've never seen spawn or tads in the pond, but there are plenty of newts, pond skaters, water boatmen, gnat larvae, bloodworm, daphne and lots of other weird and wonderful critters to watch.

    They're are leeches in there too and these wigglers are a similar size and colour (muddy grey) but I've never seen a leech move at high speed before or snatch a gulp of air (which is what I assume they're doing). In the summer it looks just like drops of rain hitting the surface every few seconds

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,921
    Could they be baby newts @Pete.8? Are they like that in the larval stage?

    Sorry - only one monster - and she's ours  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • micearguersmicearguers CambridgePosts: 605
    Tadpoles definitely do the bottom to surface and back wiggly thing. Tadpoles can also be in an arrested stage for a long time, and with the tail-head comma shape my money is on tadpoles, 10/1. Or it's something else and I've mistaken these same critters in my pond for years now.
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