Heart of Reeds camera off for maintenance
Heart of Reeds camera will be off line for a day or so but we hope to get in back on Sunday.
Live camera report
I thought it would help to give a rationale to the current camera positions of which pond cam has been superb lately with material floating up due to gasses being trapped under it and then sinking back to the bottom as the gas is released at the surface - a movement we don't often think [...]
Life in a drop of water
Pond cam has being providing views of how rich the life is in the woodland pond. Some of the pond life is quite large, such as the fish and the newts. But some of it is very tiny, too small to see in detail but you can see lots of tiny creatures swimming in front of [...]
Amazing fish parasite called Argulus
Last Friday, after Robsac School's pond dipping session, we found a small pond animal swimming around in the container which was pointed out by one of the children. We had already chosen the 10 pond creatures for the broadcast so it was not mentioned. However this fascinating pond creature is called Argulus also known as a fish louse. [...]
Common freshwater eels and their migration
In the autumn last year, adult common eels migrated down the river Ouse and other Sussex rivers to the sea. Their return to the sea was the first stage of a very long migration when thousands of common eels swim to the Sargasso Sea where they are believed to breed. The adult eels live in [...]
All cameras working now
Thanks to Paul, all cameras are working now and we may change ditch cam as the Azolla fern has become very thick on the water. But all working now.
Winterbourne camera down and a warning on school broadcasts
We are very sorry to have lost pictures from the new Winterbourne camera which is not likely to come back on stream for a few more days. There are always a few teething problems with new camera positions but we are doing our best. Also for our group of schools that have access to the [...]
Fish sightings
We are seeing some great views of fish through the underwater cams. The stripy fish are 3 spine sticklebacks and they have been coming right up closed to underwater cam in the pond and also the Heart of Reeds. We have also been seeing a fish called rudd in the Heart of Reeds. These are [...]
Frog or toad?
Frogs and toads look quite similar so here are a few tips, to help you tell the differences between a common frog and a common toad. Firstly, the skin of a frog is quite smooth while toads have bumpy ‘warty’ skin. A frog’s skin also appears wet and slimy [...]
Common frogs return to the ponds and ditches
One of the big wildlife events of the year in the ponds and ditches is the arrival of common frogs, following their winter hibernation. Frogs spend most of their life on land, but when they awaken from hibernation they feed and then head off to the pond and ditches to mate. The frogs feed using [...]