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This small pond was here when we bought the place. We built the dam up to improve the drive which also increased the size of the pond. Over the years we've planted lots of bamboo around the pond. On the extreme left you can see some limbs of Pigskin bamboo. On the dam are P.nigra(Black Bamboo), P.makinoi, and P.glauca. On the right, next to the spillway is a nice grove of P.n.Henon (Giant Gray Henon). On the back side of the dam is a huge grove of Robert Young bamboo. Not visible on the right is a grove of P.n. Bory (Snakesking Bamboo) and the picture was taken while standing in mature grove of P.vivax. We have a couple of snapping turtle living in the pond and regular visitors include a small green heron, a giant blue heron, and lots of kingfishers. Also an ocassional muskrat or beaver, along with wild ducks. And yes, we have lots of snakes. (Which we like!)

otter face otter swimming
Last summer I had one of the more exciting experiences of my life. I noticed an animal playing in the pond and went closer to take a look. It wasn't shy at all and allowed me to come very near. It was an Otter! I didn't even know we had any in Alabama. I ran to get the camera and was able to get these pictures. There was another, somewhat smaller one that stayed in the weeds and I assume they were a male and female. This one stayed in the open, diving to the bottom and bring up crayfish to eat. I could see the crayfish and hear the crunching. They both stayed for a couple of hours and I've never seen them since.

June, 2005
The pond continues to provide a great habitat for wildlife. Several turtles now make their home there, King Fishers dive for fish in the afternoons, and yes, the snakes are multiplying! We have a couple of dogs, Rocky and Cowboy, and my daughter also has a dog, Leo. It's very pecular but all three dogs love the water. Now that summer is here they all go swimming to escape the heat. Cowboy cruises the shallows, trying to catch large tadpoles. He will completely circle the pond and constantly puts his head underwater trying to bite them. I'm not sure if he ever catches one but he loves trying.

July, 2006
This summer was one of the driest on record. I've been wanting to clean out the pond for years and this was a perfect time. The pond had dilted up over the last 10 years. There was several feet of sandy soil in the pond. I hired a large front end loader to remove dirt and pile it near the pond. By the end of the day we had as much dirt as we could store - a small mountain. I used my tractor to smooth the dirt and we covered it with straw and planted winter rye grass. By fall there was a lush cover of green grass covering all the excavated dirt.

April, 2007
I stocked the pond with 200 catfish fingerlings a couple of months ago. I also placed 6 large goldfish in the pond. With the local herons, snakes, and other predators, they only lasted a month or so. I haven't seen the catfish but the water is still fairly cold. I'm feeding them now so hopefully they will be nice sized in a year or so.

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jmbamboo 4176 Humber Rd. Dora, Al 35062 205 283 5638	The Bamboo Farm Pond	Created and Maintained by: Jim Mortensen mailto:jim@jmbamboo.com
Copyright © 2000, jmbamboo, All Rights Reserved Although these pictures and text are copyrighted feel free to use any of the photos here. Life is too short to be stressed over someone using my photos. So feel free to use the pictures with appropriate credit to jmbamboo. As far as the text goes, well, try being a little creative and write your own. Good luck, Jim
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