#403: Pond sounds

This album came out last year, and I've just got round to finishing the blog post I started back then, as we pass 400 posts on the blog.

A new album out today showcases the rhythms of pond life.

Musician Tom Fisher, aka Action Pyramid, has teamed up with ecologist Dr Jack Greenhalgh for Mardle, which will appeal to curious nature lovers and those who enjoy unwinding to soundscapes 🐸🎶➡️ https://t.co/NM5NPLN5FG pic.twitter.com/jZmXLtkWFC

— University of Bristol (@BristolUni) October 24, 2023

#380: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

I love this image of tadpoles which has been chosen as the winner at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. It's a reminder that the winning entry hasn't got to be some obscure exotic animal shot in the Himalayas after months of lying in wait...

The composition is superb and the arrays of tadpoles seem to have been posing. A bit Klimtish too....

Details:

A snapshot of wriggling toad tadpoles has earned Shane Gross the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Beneath a floating canopy of lily pads in Cedar Lake, Canada, a swarm of western toad tadpoles glided gracefully through the water.

“To me, the most fun that I can have, the thing that lights me up inside, is to see something new and try to photograph it in the best way I possibly can,” Shane told BBC News.

His careful movements through the delicate layer of silt and algae at the lake’s bottom ensured a clear view.

“I had no idea if I had anything good at all until I got home," he said. "But when I finally looked, I was like, wow, this is pretty cool.”

#60: School grounds fieldwork: Make a mini pond

If a school is offering the GCSE Natural History, it makes sense for them to take a look at their own grounds to see what the opportunities are for learning about ecosystems. This will be important as there are bound to be quite 'high start up costs' with resourcing and preparing to teach the new specification. I hope to be able to help with that, and this blog is one such resource which I hope people will begin to explore. 

The school where I teach has a small pond area, and a larger pond in the main gardens which are part of a memorial garden to former teachers and students. There are obviously some issues with safety and the need for signage and careful placement.

This article suggests ways to create a mini pond, perhaps on the school site. It's part of Children's Gardening Week.

Ponds are small ecosystems, and students could usefully set them up and explore the trophic relationships which are developing.

The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have also created this useful video on how to make a small pond.