Heh, no the can of soup is to help give an idea of scale. People were a bit confused as to how small the chicks actually were, so I set a common object in there to give some reference. The fact that it is Chicken Noodle soup is just my own evil twist. :) Velvet !:>

It's been a while since I read the Skippy site so I went back to see what if anything it said. Sure enough, it had suggestions. See below. Of course a lot depends on the amount of stuff that ends up in the pond and how much filter material you have and how much water is being pumped. Mine often depends on the mood of the local raccoons. No two ponds are ever exactly alike. Remember, this hobby has variables. I have 1,000 gallons in the pond, a 100 gallon Skippy and a 1582 gph pump. I use a separate small pump for a UV light. Sometimes I hook up a floating skimmer which is pretty much a waste of money unless I can figure a way to make it more useful. One of these days I will make the pond bigger because the fish are getting huge. I may just add a couple more Skippys to make a bunch of catch basins for waterfalls. Sandy "Parts list: A Rubbermaid stock tank. -- Old Style -- New Style. They come in sizes 70gals, 100gals, 150gals, and 300gals. (Also available is a 50gal size but we find it too shallow to be used as a filter.) Which one is best for you? Of course the size you will need is dependant on the size of your pond. The bigger the pond the bigger the filter you will need. Makes sense, but, how about a rule of thumb? Let us say this first, these filters really work. We have a few thousand in use at this point and have not had a single failure. That is, every one we have put in is working as expected. Actually, using the S.A.G. approach (Smart As_ Guess) we think the following will work: Updated as we have found these filters to work better than even we expected... 70 gal size filter at least to a 2000 gallon pond size 100 gal size filter at least to a 3000 gallon pond size 150 gal size filter at least to a 4500 gallon pond size If you need a larger filtration system, we now suggest that you build two 150 gallon size filters. Worst case: If you built a filter so small that it did not work for your pond, you could just build another and connect it to the first one and double the capacity of the filtration process. Or, add another in a different area of your pond, doubling the filtering capacity and adding more circulation."

Hi susan, I am a newbee, and will be attending Brinnon. I have some Hens and Chicks, and a suculent that is red and black. I think it would work very well on your wreath. I will bring them. Katie

anyway, a bit later I saw a parent....looked like a Euro Starling perhaps? I saw her(?) feeding one of the little ones that was on the ground. But here's the thing...I then saw the mother fly away. Didn't notice the little one she'd been feeding fly away but...I don't see him in that location anymore either. But there is still one remaining on the ground, sort of behind some brush. He's been there at least 20 mins now. I occasionally see him open his mouth the way babies do...and one time I saw him open up his wings.... but I don't hear him making any sounds or chirps...I wonder if the mother will 'remember' or know to come back for him...call to him...if he'll be able to fly back to the her? As mentioned, he didn't look like he 'fell' from the nest so I don't think he's totally helpless...but perhaps not a pro at flying either... I did put some berries and seeds by him but he doesn't seem to be eating them.... Tx! Here is a link that might be useful: birds