Siting a flight pond

 

On a small property there may not be many sites to choose from, and the owner may have to make use of any suitable piece of ground that is available. Where there is a choice, a study should be made of the flighting habits of the local wildfowl population. A river valley, for example, will usually be a regular flyway, though wildfowl will sometimes take short cuts across higher ground when moving between resting and feeding areas. Many flight ponds certainly draw in duck a long way from natural water-courses. In other words, it is not essential to be on a flight line, though it is helpful to be near one. An old farm pool that duck are seen to visit from time to time can often be made into a regular 'calling place' by careful feeding and a new flight-line developed for succeeding generations of wildfowl.

A good supply of water is obviously essential. This need not take the form of existing surface water, or even a spring, since the run-off from one or two fields is usually enough to fill a pond if the soil on the site is not porous. In temperate areas, where white frosts are not too frequent, the choice of a site is simplified because no great movement of water is needed to keep ice from forming. Digging down to the natural water table, or excavating an area that can be Flooded, is all that is required.

Plastic sheeting ( 1,000g. polythene or butyl rubber.) can be used to line a pond, but it is a comparatively expensive method of construction, involving not only the excavation of the site, but the extra cost of the material and the work of burying it. This has to be done to avoid damage by dogs and people. Even when it is placed 18 in. below the surface of the bank, the plastic sheet will be exposed after a short period by quite a small number of ducks dibbling around the edges. Polythene is particularly vulnerable to degradation when exposed to ultra-violet rays and we therefore recommended at least 3 ft. of earth above the sheet at the pond's edge and 6-9 in. in the centre.

Where frost is a problem, an appreciable flow of water through the pond will be needed to prevent it freezing over completely. Although it is sometimes necessary only to have a small area of water where the ducks can alight, if they have to climb out on to the ice they can be very vulnerable to foxes. In any case they will feel more at home on open water, and if they do not find any they may fly farther afield until they do. A pond with a strong spring in the centre will stay free of ice for longer than a pond with water flowing through it.

Shelter from wind and freedom from disturbance are other factors which should be considered. Exposure to some wind will help prevent the pond from freezing over. A quiet site which is already screened by mature trees or shrubs will obviously have advantages over one which is open to winter gales or too close to houses, roads or footpaths.

Once chosen, the site itself will largely dictate the most suitable method of construction, i.e. by excavation, building a dam, or blasting out a group of small pools with explosives. We shall examine these in turn.

 

A standard plan for excavation

 

Where practical a mechanical digger is always the most selective way of constructing a pond, because the planner has much more control over its shape, size and depth, than with damming or blasting.

The standard plan we have chosen to illustrate here has been very successful. The size is governed by the distance to which a drag-line operator can swing his bucket, normally about 39 ft. with the jib set at 45 degrees. The shape is designed to enable the machine to be operated with ease and speed, and the depths are also carefully calculated, since they can greatly affect the suitability of the pond for waterfowl. While 6-12in. depth is suitable for mallard and teal feeding areas, for diving ducks the water must be much deeper, 4-6ft.

Fortunately the depth requirements for breeding and flighting ponds are complementary. They include a 'shallow-water' zone 1ft. or less around the edge where a screen of sedges, reeds, etc., can grow, and a 'deep-water' zone (over 4 ft.) which will stay clear of emergent growth for longer without management and allow easy alighting for flighting ducks.

An attractive feature on any stretch of water is a low island clear of thick undergrowth, which ducks of all ages can use as a loafing spot for resting, sleeping and preening. It will be a deterrent to approaching ground predators except when the pond freezes over.

Duck do not like having to climb up a steep slope and it is important to see that all banks have a very gentle gradient.

Surrounding the deep water is a series of shallow bays, each 5 yds. square. The bays are preferable to a continuous shallow area all round for several reasons. They limit the area of shallows to be dug, reducing the cost; they also provide brood territories; and they make it easier to hunt out each bay systematically with a dog when picking up after shooting.

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