Building a Pond for the Birds

     Our pond is well on its way. Actually we had a small pond to start with, but had to be relined due to leaks. Then the waterfall structure was built to suit the pond size. Now the structure is in place at the back of the pond. It looks like a thousand pounds of rocks, but there is a rubber lined wooden structure that takes up a lot of the space. So far we have some rocks in place, but not permanent. A few adjustments have to be made with the direction of the water flow and the water hose, and a little bit of patch work so there aren't any leaks, and then the final assembly. We had a downgrade slope away from our house which made it a bit tricky years back. We had to build it up so that we had a view from the house. It's always great to see the birds bathing from inside the house. They literally come from blocks in all direction to bath and drink. We have a little structure in the middle of the pond, but that may be just temporary. It was supposed to give a bit of moving water until the waterfall was build. Finally some plants are going in to fill gaps. Moss, Buck Bean, Water Calas, Creeping Jenny, Miniature Bull Rushes and Sedum are the main plants to be placed. A couple of these aren't really pond plants, however, we've had incredible success with them as pond plants. All of these are extremely hardy and will survive our COLD winters. Once it's all finished, the water will remain on throughout the season, and we'll wait for the birds to arrive. They already show up to the other water features, but they're definitely taking a look at the new one now. It's already a steady stream of birds that show up every minute of the day for the water, so I can only imagine how many more will be attracted. Something very important to remember is having shallow areas where birds can stand in and bath, or drink. Having a gradual slope in a couple areas of the pond allows them to slowly walk down to the depth they desire. 
     A few touch-ups over the next month or so and plants will be filling in the gaps, and it'll start to look a bit more natural. 

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