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Last Updated: 3/3/13
1. The morning of 2/1/13, I found my cat, Gino, deceased. He was my best friend. You can read about him on his page. We also had half an inch of snow. On top of that, I saw a large, white goldfish in the ice, seemingly dead. I couldn't reach him/her. The same fish was still in the ice but a few feet away the next day. I don't know if it was able to swim there or just floated. I can't get near him/her until the pond melts.
2. We had another half inch of snow in the morning on 2/3/13.
3. On 2/4/13, it was too cold to do any pond work. I just recorded the temperature of the 153 gallon pond at 40 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond's thermometer was still frozen in.
4. Carol sent me these photos of a bullfrog eating songbirds on 1/23/12 (the photos were taken
years ago).
Bullfrog eating a cedar
waxwing
Bullfrog eating a robin.
5. On 2/10/13, I did some pond chores. The 1800 gallon pond was still too iced over to get in. The filter really needs cleaning but I'm waiting for it to thaw. The air temperature was 40 degrees F. The thermometer read 44 degrees F in the 153 gallon pond and was frozen in the 1800 gallon pond. I topped off the ponds which were all low. I netted some leaves and two dead 2" pickerel frogs from the deep end of the 1800 gallon pond.
6. It warmed up enough on 2/11/13, that I finally was able to get in the pond and change the filter floss and squirt off the bioballs and lava rock. The air temperature was 48 degrees F, and the 1800 gallon thermometer was finally melted out and read 39 degrees F. I found a live large pickerel frog in the bottom of the basket with the pump and filter floss. I put him/her back in the pond. I found a frog skeleton in the biofilter with the bioballs. By its size, I would assume it was a pickerel frog. I removed another dead little pickerel frog from the deep end as well giving a total of four pickerel frogs dead this winter that I have found.
7. There were two inches of snow the morning of 2/14/13 which collapsed the big pond net in to the water. It melted by mid-day.
8. On 2/22/13, at 11:30 am, I did some basic pond chores. I did not get in. The air was only 34 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond's thermometer was frozen in. The 153 gallon was at 42 degrees F (the heater keeps it extra toasty in there). I added water to the ponds, removed some leaves, and that was about it.
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