Making the pond
A damp hollow in our meadow, how to drain it? We decided to try a wildlife pond. With a 50% grant from West Sussex County Council the project went ahead. A large digger was brought in and excavation started. The soil being mostly solid clay meant that we could avoid using a liner, instead, we just used the clay itself.
A bank on one side was sown with grasses and wild flowers, with native trees planted all around. Reeds and rushes were planted around the edge of the pond in the hope that it would create a habitat for birds and insects etc.
As the years have progressed the problem is how to control the re-growth rather than whether anything would grow! The pond now supports a variety of wildlife including the moorhen family, mallards, dragon flies and occasionally water voles. Swallows and Martins skim for water and insects every summer as well as a variety of other bird life.
