One advantage of the pond being rather small is we can see so much of the life of the animals in and around the pond. A perfect example is the fish beds. When the water level drops during the summer sections of the breeding beds become visible. One particular bed is not too far from the shore providing us with an excellent view of the beds where they deposit their eggs.
Although we can easily see the mature fish in this bed it is difficult to take a good photograph due to the reflections on the water. We can count at least 35 distinct bedding circles here and it looks like most of them are occupied.
Fortunately with a digital camera and a few image adjustments
we can give you a better idea of what they look like. Here is the same photo after a few clicks of the mouse. Check out how many of the circles have a single fish near the center. Each fish swims slowly around its own circle and only darts out from time to time to confront any unwelcome intruders. They will chase off bass and even the grass carp which are probably 5-10 times longer and 20 times as heavy.
I think the fish on the bed are mostly bream type fish. Most are probably blue-gills. If you open the photo in a new window or tab you will also see that there are some bass patrolling the area and one in the lower right-hand side actually going between two of the bedding circles.
Taking all those photo's trying to get one to show the fish on the beds provided a few nice images to our surprise. With a few adjustments I think some of them proved to be interesting with or without the fish.
3 months ago
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Hi Baker....absolutely fascinating....I have never seen that before......interesting post.
ReplyDeleteHi cheryl - thanks - those circles are rather interesting aren't they - we can watch as the fish fish dart out to protect their area and then scurry back to keep on patrol
ReplyDeleteWow! I didn't know fish did that! I'm a city gal so not much knowledgeable in the ways of the fish.
ReplyDeleteHey blue - thanks for the visit
ReplyDeleteI've heard about fish beds since I was a little boy, but I don't think I ever actually saw one quite as extensive as this in a pond or lake until I noticed this one 6-8 years ago. It's really only visible when the water level drops a bit in the summer months. I keep trying to get some better photo's of it by taking shots at different times of day under different lighting conditions, but I haven't had a whole lot of success. I'll keep trying, lol.
Every day I learn something else by you Baker! Thanks so much for the fascinating work.
ReplyDeleteThanks avril - Well everyday is not a lesson, lol, but I do like to try and pass along a bit of info from time to time. I'm amazed at all the things I've learned myself researching some of the items I have posted about.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Baker. You learn something knew every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks rose - I appreciate that
ReplyDeleteI have heard (but not tried it yet) that the polarizer filter helps the camera to see into the water better. Since you are next to a pond you can try it out for us. Thanks for visiting my blog, hope to see more of you.
ReplyDeleteHi there leedra - Thanks for the visit and the suggestion.
ReplyDeleteWe were just discussing yesterday the fact that we needed better photo's of the things underwater. Unfortunately I don't think a filter is going to be a viable option with the camera I am now using. It is a basic point-and-shoot which has a modest zoom lens that retracts into the camera when it is turned off. I'm not sure it has the capacity to accept a variety of filters and such.
I'm thinking about getting a newer camera with more zoom for distant shots of birds and other animals. You just reminded me to keep lens adaptability in mind when I go shopping. I'll let you know how that works out if I do get a filter.
Until then I guess I will have to rely on a bit of photo editing to share some of the fish photo's.