We've built our first pond in our Sebastopol,
California backyard, in the hole that was left when we took down our above
ground pool (the deep end was dug in). We've used almost all native plants.
A lot of the fun in building this pond has been finding the plants, identifying
them, and just seeing what will survive and what won't. We've also collected
our own rocks. One of our biggest joys is seeing all the `critters' our pond supports,
especially the dragonflies!
We encourage everyone to consider putting in a pond for wildlife.
It is a
real joy.
Watch an HOUR long Presentation that Kathy gave in 2013 to the Saratoga CNPS club on
Building Ponds for Wildlife
on YouTube: YouTube Presentation
A list of native plants for use in ponds in California and ajacent states.
2012 NEWS FLASH: We had a gorgeous mantled Black Bear come swim/bathe in our Mt. Shasta pond.
We put a one minute video up of his visit on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz4Rs6dTRFc&feature=youtu.be
This bear had cubs and they returned for at least a 6 yr time period!
Our Sebastopol, California Pond's Development and growth, from most current in time backwards to its formation:
To see a list and photos of the wildlife that has visited our pond, click here
This site is no longer kept current, but the pond is doing well as of this writing in 2024.
2024 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 29th year
2018 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 23rd year
2017 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 22nd year
2016 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 21st year
2015 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 20th year
2014 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 19th year
2013 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 18th year
2012 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 17th year
2011 - Catastrophe on Xmas Eve!!
2011 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 16th year
2010 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 15th year
2009 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 14th year
2008 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 13th year
2007 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 12th year
2006 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 11th year
2005 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 10th year
2004 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 9th year
2003 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 8th year
The Pond becomes 'famous' - June 2003 with photos and a mention in
National Audubon Magazine!
A Liquid Noah's Ark - by Tim Matson
Spring 2002 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 7th year
2002 started out with SNOW!
2001 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 6th year
Our new guest greeter: the front walkway wash tub pond!
The wildlife pond entered the new century:
Year 2000 [aka Y2K] - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 5th year
1999 - Our Sebastopol Bigsnest Pond's 4th year
1998 - 3rd year maturation.
1997 - 2nd year maturation
View our pond's development during its 1st year - 1996
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Our McCloud, California Pond on the southeast side of Mt. Shasta
We just couldn't live without a pond, even at our retirement home!
This pond is TOTALLY OFF THE GRID....
and for many years, we only visited it approx. once a month for a one week.
This site is no longer kept current, but the pond is doing well as of this writing in 2021.
Our Shasta Pond's Wildlife Visitors: list & photo links
NEWS FLASH! In 2020, while sheltering at our McCloud home,
we recorded a lactating female cougar at the pond!!
2016 - Our Shasta Pond, year 10
2015 - Our Shasta Pond, year 9
2014 - Our Shasta Pond, year 8
2013 - Our Shasta Pond, year 7
2012 - Our Shasta Pond, year 6
2011 - Our Shasta Pond, year 5
2010 - Our Shasta Pond, year 4
2009 - Our Shasta Pond, year 3
2008 - Our Shasta Pond, year 2
2005/2006/2007 How our NEW Mt. Shasta (McCloud) pond got started!
Read my articles:
Pleasures of Wildlife Ponding.
List of steps to Build a
Pond for Wildlife
List of (mostly) North American Native Plants for use in ponds
Please check out our
List & Photos of our Pond's Wildlife Visitors/Residents!
One of our greatest pleasures is watching & documenting them!
We no longer advocate the use of mosquito fish,
Gambusia affinis for mosquito control unless you live in the midwest or
southeast U.S. where these fish are native. We've had negative experiences with
their preying on our native western Pacific/Chorus Frog eggs and pollywogs and the
dragonfly/damselfly eggs and nymph. If you live in the west, please consider
using mosquito dunks, or a native fish such as Killifish or Sticklebacks that our tree/chours frogs, dragonflies, etc.
have evolved with. I don't know anything about this site, but I did find it as a link I could point folks to.
Most garden centers should sell this donut-shaped bacillus (BTi) 'dunk', please look for them. They kill ONLY members of the
diptera family, such as mosquitoes and black flies. They DON'T harm dragonflies, butterflies, cats, dogs, horses or people, etc.
Here is a link to an article I wrote on 'Wildlife-Friendly Pond Cleaning'
for the Internet Ponder [on line pond magazine] in March of '97
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Build a Pond for Wildlife eBook
This eBook explains the philosophy and techniques for creating a pond that will be attractive to wildlife,
and how this differs from building a pond for exotic koi or tropical lilies.
Click here for more information (Amazon.com)
by Kathy Biggs
UPDATED 2019
Get your FREE Kindle app here (Can be used on iPhone, Windows PC, Mac, iPad, Android, etc.) .
Use your back button to return to this website.
Learn how to attract wildlife to your home. This book includes a full chapter on Ponds for Wildlife, featuring the Bigsnest Pond.
The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds, and Other Animals [Paperback]
Nancy Bauer (Author)
Click on this link for more information &/or to buy:
California Wildlife Habitat Garden
This site is 100% privately maintained.
If you've found it helpful,
a donation to help keep it on the web would be appreciated,
thanks! K. Biggs
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Links to other wildlife ponds
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We built our pond, AND THEY CAME! ...the dragonflies that is!
I couldn't identify them as there were no guides for CA.
The long and short of the story is - I ENDED UP WRITING ONE - well, 3 now!!
Now I go all over the west looking at dragonflies and giving dragonfly and
wildlife pond presentations.
Building a pond really changed our lives.
Below are links to the CA & SW Dragonflies websites I've built & also links
that go to my books, INCLUDING OUR EDUCATIONAL COLORING BOOK and some other books that we now sell:
This will take you to our
California Dragonflies Site with links to pictures for identifying all of California's
damselflies and dragonflies and
this link will take you to our
Southwest Dragonflies Site with links to pictures for identifying all the
damselflies and dragonflies that are known to occur in California, Nevada, Utah,
Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
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Click here to read the article An Interview
with Kathy Biggs, on Dragonflies, Dragonfly Ponds and how She Became an
Author
If you have a pond, would like to make one, are interested in California
native plants or wildlife, or just would like to contact us, please do so bigsnest at sonic.net
Click here to go to a page of links to
other WILDLIFE ponds
If you have comments or could make contributions of stories, photos
or ideas please click here to email
me.
In 1998 this pond site received a "Links2Go Key Resource award" in the Ponds topic!
We proudly display the award, which is presented to "Fewer than one page in
one thousand....based on how actual page authors ..... index and organize links on their pages." |
This site is totally privately funded. If you've found it useful, a small donation will help keep it on the web!
Thanks, Kathy Biggs
This site was visited 86,336 times between when the counter was put on
it at its first web-host site (August 29, 1998) and when it was
moved to PowWeb on March 25, 2002.
Since it's move, this site is averaging 150 unique
visitors per week by folks interested in ponds.
We thank you for your interest - Kathy Biggs email Kathy
Hosted By
This site was moved to PowWeb because of their very attractive web packages.
They have a nice referral plan.
Click on the PowWeb image above to move your site there! Thanks!!