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    The Complete Wildlife Pond
    The Complete Wildlife Pond
    The Complete Wildlife Pond
    Ebook100 pages1 hour

    The Complete Wildlife Pond

    By Alex Sally

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    About this ebook

    The 2014 edition of best-selling guide on making wildlife ponds.
    Alex Sally has a passion for ponds and wildlife that shines through in every page of this wonderful guide to wildlife ponds. With illustrations and step by step instructions on how to make a perfect pond, this book is also a perfect companion for those who already have a pond but would like to learn how to maintain and improve it "the easy way". With over two decades of experience with pond design and construction, the author gives valuable advice on creating your perfect pond and advises on common pitfalls to avoid.

    With advice on dealing with common pond problems like algae and pond weed, and fascinating insights into the wildlife that inhabits garden ponds this Wales Press guide is the ideal companion to enjoying your wildlife pond.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlex Sally
    Release dateMar 18, 2014
    The Complete Wildlife Pond
    Author

    Alex Sally

    please visit th authors home page at www.wildaboutfilms.com

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      Book preview

      The Complete Wildlife Pond - Alex Sally

      The Complete Wildlife Pond

      Alex Sally

      Copyright 2014 by Alex Sally

      Smashwords Edition

      How to make, maintain and enjoy a wildlife pond

      Illustrations by Carole Stanford

      About the author

      Alex Sally is an author, photographer and wildlife film maker. Alex has lived in Mid Wales for most of his life where he has spent the last ten years creating a nature reserve on his small farm. The nature reserve and its ponds are often featured in Alex's wildlife films. His films can be seen on youtube or on his website www.wildaboutfilms.com. Passionate about wildlife, Alex is also a keen traveller, birdwatcher and whippet keeper!

      Introduction

      You remember being small, when everything seemed amazing? Jumping in puddles and kicking autumn leaves, playing with mud and looking at frogs? This guide to making a wildlife pond transports you back to that world. Whether you have the space for a tiny water feature or plans for a big pond, this essential guide to creating a wildlife pond will inspire and guide in the creation of a wonderful pond for life.

      You can encourage wildlife, including birds and amphibians to not only large ponds but also to small contained water features made from half oak barrels, old sinks and many, many creatively used containers. You just need to use the same rules for as for any other pond.

      Building a pond for wildlife is easy and if you build a wildlife pond, however small, the wildlife will soon arrive and bring new life to your garden. I remember once being involved in making a show garden for a BBC gardening show. It's a strange set up where in the morning there is just bare lawn and by the end of the day you are meant to have made a garden that looks like it's been there for years. By the evening the pond was completed and it had been all planted as well, incredibly even during its construction it was visited by bees and dragonflies and by the evening all kinds of aquatic life (mainly insects) were starting to colonise the pond that had only been there since breakfast time! It was a good lesson in build the right kind of pond and the wildlife will come.

      Much of this book is surprising (did you know most pond life lives in the first 1 - 2 cm's!), and is full of advise on how to make the pond, how to save money on plants, pumps and pond liners. It shows easy tips and tricks that will save you time, money and a lot of hard work. Before you grab the spade and start digging, read this expert guide by Alex Sally who has over 20 years experience in creating ponds and water features, encouraging wildlife and creating gardens that bring joy to the owners and a safe habitat for its inhabitants. This guide contains photographs and illustrations to help you through your own special pond creation. Further photographs and illustrations are also available on my website.

      In the section on constructing a wildlife pond there are illustrations, instructions and diagrams on how to create the pond avoiding some of the common pitfalls. Luckily the best way to make a wildlife pond is actually the simplest way.

      The website www.wildaboutfilms.com will also host extra photographs, illustrations and videos that would not fit in this guide.

      Readers can also save money when creating a pond with this guide. Bradshaws direct have agreed to offer a discount on their pond liners to readers. The offer code entitles you to 10% off Bradshaws own brand pond liners. The offer code is at the back of this book under further reading. This is for Uk customers only I'm afraid.

      The construction illustrations in this book are easily adapted to suit your planned wildlife pond big or small. This guide will show you how, with a few improvements your pond can be made to be of most use to more wildlife. These are simple things like:

      Where to put it.

      How to build it (the easy way).

      How to make it attractive for wildlife and for you to look at.

      What you can expect to see in and around your pond.

      How to prevent blanket weed, algae and murky water.

      Contents

      You, Me and ponds

      Ponds, then, now and next week..

      Urban myths

      The history of Britain's landscape in one page.

      Your pond life

      Amphibians: Frogs, toads and newts

      Tadpoles

      Newts

      Identifying newts

      The plants and animals that are in this book and those that aren't

      Too much wildlife in your pond...

      Dragonflies

      Birds

      Fish

      A different way of thinking: an alternative to fish

      The unexpected wildlife in your pond.

      Ten great reasons to having wildlife pond

      Making your pond: Wetland Plants

      How to dig the edges of your pond

      Making your own space

      Making the perfect wildlife pond

      Digging your wildlife pond

      Making your own wildlife pond or small water feature

      Step by step guide to building a pond.

      Supervision

      Pond safety

      What can go wrong, will: Pond weed, algae and murky water.

      Other solutions to pond water problems

      The easy way to get moving water

      Planting your Pond

      Marginal plants

      Creating a bog garden

      Trees

      A final note

      Further reading

      You, Me and ponds

      You may not believe this but you will have to just take my word for it. Many years ago I was living in a rented house with a postage stamp garden. It was just about big enough for a washing line and that was it. It was a small square of grass so obviously attracted nothing in the way of wildlife. One sunny afternoon, I was pondering (pun intended, sorry) whether there might be room for a very tiny pond. The thought uppermost in my mind was whether anything would find it if I did make it. So, being a man, I decided to look at it, and survey the area (all four square meters of it) before actually picking up a spade. This next part is true so you will have to bear with me.

      I was kneeling down in the sunshine looking at this tiny patch of grass in the sunshine when I heard a very faint whirring sound. From nowhere a beautiful iridescent dragonfly, arrived and settled on my knee. It was one of those moments you don't forget. Everyone knows how stunning these creatures are. Up close I could see it breathing and look through its completely transparent wings. I wish someone was there to see it but I was alone so, like I say, you will have to take my word for it. In a second or two it was gone.

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