Quelle surprise!
Who’d have thought it? Blow me down! Well, I never! You could have knocked me down with a feather (yeah, right) . . . and other expressions of delight, amazement and astonishment.
What caused this delirium? After a period of at least two years of absence, two fish surfaced in our pond. We don’t know where they’ve been hiding.
Newly hatched fish fry are tiny and prey to many other aquatic species, like dragonfly and damselfly larvae and diving beetles. Parent fish cannibalise their young, but all our large adult fish had inexplicably disappeared and we hadn’t noticed any overweight herons bumbling around. The fish we saw have clearly survived the perils of fish babyhood.
So, it remains a mystery, but we were so pleased to see two little fish swimming about. There may be more, but those are the only ones we’ve seen. They are around 3” long, so may be mature enough to spawn. We shall see.
Two fish? I see six fish in that first photo! I've never heard of Silver Rudd, but I'll keep them in mind should I ever have a fish pond.
ReplyDeleteWe had tropical fish at one time - never again.
DeleteAfter 2 years that must have been quite a surprise!!!
ReplyDeleteIt was quite exciting. (What a sad life I lead!) 🐟
DeleteHello my friend
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful surprise indeed! Nature always finds a way. So lovely that the fish reappeared after all this time little miracles like that bring such joy.
Hopefully more will show up soon! Thanks for sharing this peaceful pond moment, and fingers crossed for some fishy babies in the near future!
It would be nice to have some more - we shall have to be patient.
DeleteNature always has ways to surprise us, is it not? The fish look nice!
ReplyDelete-- Pradeep / Time and Tide
Nature always surprises us.
DeleteLovely surprise, I wonder if any more are lurking in the depths?
ReplyDeleteI hope so.
DeleteGood way to start the week, nature always fights back.
ReplyDelete😊🐟
DeleteWe used to have Golden Rudd in our fish pond. They had masses of babies every year although not all survived. We would see the little shoals of splinters huddling together and darting under the pond weed when we came close.
ReplyDeleteI hope yours do well. Swim little fishes! Swim!
Golden rudd show up better than silver. It is lovely to see baby fish but just as well that they don't all survive!
DeleteOnly my guppies keep multiplying but my koi stay the same. I do see few fry but they disappear very fast.
ReplyDeleteGuppies are prolific. We used to keep tropical fish, but no longer.
DeleteFish fry are tasty snacks for so many. 🐟
How exciting I'd be there back and fro all day checking, getting nothing else done!
ReplyDeleteI have been out there a few times, but the fish have gone into hiding again. 🐟🐟🐟
DeleteWhat a surprise indeed, I wonder if there'll be any more lurking in the depths of your pond! xxx
ReplyDeleteWe live in hope rather than expectation. 😁
DeleteGreat news about the fish. If you have mosquitoes in your area the way we do these fish will help eat all the larvae.
ReplyDeleteMosquitoes - the bane of all our lives, and yet they must do some good.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice surprise. Another blogger used to have a fish pond and would often blog about the perils of it's inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteWe had some really quite large fish and the local herons heard about them . . .
Delete“Well, I’ll be jiggered!”
ReplyDeleteJust popped into my head. I think from my maternal grandfather.
I haven't heard that for a long time.
DeleteSo awesome! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete🐟😊
DeleteFor me a fish is a fish, a big or a small one, I love all animals you can pet. A fish is too wet !
ReplyDeleteHaving a relationship with fish is tricky.
DeleteWell, now, that is a bit of joy, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt is, indeed.
DeleteThere must be some secret hiding place in your pond.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite deep in parts, so I'm glad they found somewhere to hide and grow.
DeleteWow! I had no idea fish could conceal themselves so well for so long!
ReplyDeleteThey are extremely small when first hatched, but also very vulnerable, so it's quite a happy event.
Deletefabulous news. similar things happen in the pond at Bro's place and fish strangely reappear. He has a sort of bursery pond but the principle has been somewhat neglected and the little fish just end up taking their chances in the main one.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to see things in the murky depths, but we were pleased.
DeleteInteresting to know that your brother had similar experiences.
Well isn't that quite a happy surprise!
ReplyDeleteIt was, indeed.
DeleteTwo fish? Hopefully, they are the opposite sex. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.
ReplyDeleteYes, that occurred to me, too. Time will tell. 🐟🐟 Dr Seuss obviously had similar questions.
DeleteWhat a lovely surprise and yes ... it is exciting :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
I just hope the local herons don't spy them!
DeleteHow lovely! I hope nothing eats them
ReplyDeleteSo do I!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lovely surprise to see the fish in your pond. I hope a few more come out and play if they have been lurking in other parts of the pond.
ReplyDeleteBreathless anticipation here!
ReplyDelete