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I believe the aqua buffers survived a pretty big scare today. The hawk of yesterday was probably back at it between the time I fed them this morning and this evening.
I say that because the netting we put over the pond after the last time we saw Mr. Hawky, was in the water at a corner of the pond to the left of the waterfall. The rock that battened down that part of the netting was also in the pond plastering the netting into the pond rocks and closing off the aqua buffers from that portion of their home.
It was as if an earthquake had come and uprooted a piece of the buffers’ sanctuary. Could it have been the hawk? Very likely. There is a lot of black and white pasty poop all around the patio furniture near the pond. Me thinks it’s hawk poop, but I’m no expert. All I know is it’s likely not human poop.
What are the other possibilities?
Perhaps the rock just shifted and ended up in the water from wind? Not likely. While not that big, it was big enough not to move from wind or even from a squirrel running over it. Or a rabbit. Or a chipmunk that lives near there. I say it had to be the hawk. He probably tried swooping in for a breakfast filet of fish sandwich and all his talons ended up getting were net–just like MJ–Michael Jordan…nothing but net!
It is somewhat ironic to me that fishermen in many parts of the world use nets to troll for their catches of fish. In our case, nets are used to protect the fish by keeping predators like Mr. Hawky out.

When I saw what had become of the netting and the rock when I went to feed the aqua buffers this evening, I realized something traumatic had occurred. I threw food into the usual corner spot next to the waterfall for the buffers to enjoy but they weren’t getting to it. It was as if they were closed off from it. As I moved closer I realized the rock was pressing down the net into that portion of the pond. It prevented them from enjoying that section of real estate where the algae really is always greener.

Anyway, I went about the process of restoring the netting to its normal spot. I lifted the rock from the water and refastened the netting so it once again hung over the buffers’ waterpark like the roof over the old Metrodome once fully inflated. Once their “ship” was righted again, it didn’t take long for the fun to break out in what I think will be affectionately referred to as Kiner’s Korner–the post game interview show hosted by baseball Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner that was broadcast after New York Mets baseball games. Or maybe I won’t. But “Buffers’ Corner” seems so trivial to me right now. Sometimes it’s good to digress when you can throw an old baseball reference into a blog. What about “Hawk’s Hideout?”

Anywho, the buffers were overjoyed to be able to swim to their beloved corner to retrieve the last vestiges of food I had left for them there. They proceeded to reward me with back flips and water breaking–the signs of happy aqua buffers.
The buffers stayed in the corner to begin nibbling their prized algae. You could see how energized they were, how grateful. It was as if they were like mini-Flippers. If they could have made sounds, they would have. The sounds would have been somewhat Flipperesque. Somehow I believe the buffers knew they were safe to swim another day and proceeded to put on a show for me to express their appreciation.
I refuse to believe there are any explanations for what happened here other than the hawk being responsible. Why would the buffers do what they did after I restored their home to normal, if it was just something that did not involve a predator like the hawk? I say they would have behaved indifferently. I know gratitude when I see it, no matter the species.
 
 

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