A YEAR and a half ago, Amano Tracy who lives in Ford Street, decided to have a pond dug in his garden to bring in and support wildlife. Before the pond was even full of water, a Common Darter (a colourful red dragonfly) was buzzing around inspecting the area.

At first, the pond leaked so it was necessary to use a liner which does the job of holding the water that consequently provides sustenance to local wildlife.

One of the first birds to make use of the pond was a pair of Mallard; these ducks continue to visit and although the female did look like she might be nesting nearby this year, they have not set up home so far. A heron dropped by but found no fish or other prey while common birds such as Blackbird and Song Thrush come for a drink; an owl was seen flying over the surface and an immature buzzard has perched nearby. Stock Dove has been a somewhat less common visitor while finches and tits are regular along with sparrows and dunnocks. Of course, this also attracts the sparrow hawk who preys on smaller birds.

Not just birds visit, mammals do too. A couple of foxes and as many as three Roe Deer have been seen at a time. Brown Rat (different to the Black Rat of cities) swim in the water and rabbits nibble away around the edges.

However, it is the insect life that is most evident with Southern Hawker, Broad-backed Chaser and Emperor Dragonflies as well as Azure Damselflies, most of them using the pond to mate and lay their eggs. Recently, female Common Darters have been seen so it seems they are starting to breed too. Of course, many insects go undetected and while bees can be seen, it is hard to keep track of the different kinds as is the case with wasps and similar air born creatures such as butterflies.

The camera helps to record and discover which species are visiting. Although Amano has been told he is “a complete eccentric” he continues, considering that most of us are just unaware of the urgency the environmental crisis poses and “every little bit helps!”

Recently, when algae suddenly appeared and covered the surface of the pond, he ignored suggestions that the algae should be removed; some indigenous cultures celebrate the arrival of algae which does not stay for long. Nature demands our support but we need to avoid meddling too much.