A Winter Wake is a Disturbance in the Surface of Water
that Inhibits Freezing.

To Enlarge Images – Right Click Image then Open in a New Tab.

During the Warm Weather a Spray Fountain was in this Country Pond.

This is a Retention Pond. Guessing about FOUR Feet Deep in some Areas.

We Learned a Lot from our Visits with these Swans.

We Stopped Late on a Very Cold Afternoon to Drop-Off Bags of Lettuce.

Rob Walked out on the Dock.. I Came Down to the Pond for a Few Minutes.

It was not Long before Thick Clouds Covered the Sky.. Blocking the Sun.

The Air Chilled Quickly.. My Tolerance for the Cold has its Limits.

Discouraged by the Lack of Sun and my Cold Fingers, I went back to our Van.

I Always Enjoy our Pond Visits.. and Photographing the Various Swans.

The Following Series of Images were a Surprise.

While Rob Continued to Feed the Swans..
I Snapped the Following Images Sitting in the Van out of the COLD.

What I was Seeing in my View Finder.. were VERY Dark Images..

I Figured I would be Deleting these Once on my Computer.. TOO Dark !

I was Glad that I Captured these Almost Silhouette Images.

By 4:30PM.. it was OverCast with Thick Clouds and getting Dark.

When this Pair Saw our Van Pull-in.. they would Head Over for Treats.

Depending on Rain and Snow Melt.. The Pond Water Level would Vary.

Mid-March of 2014, a Fair Amount of their Pond was Still Ice Covered.

This is the Start of the Winter of 2014 – 2015..

I Tried to See what was Swirling the Water to Keep the Ice Free Area.

I Asked the Wife.. She said, it was a Sump Pump Attached to the Dock Post.

What I could See.. Reminded me of a Leaf Blower..
A Jet of Water near the Surface. * There is an Electric Cord in the Water.

Do a SEARCH for: POND Aeration SUMP PUMP
>>> : POND DeIcing SUMP PUMP

Sump Pumps Draw Water TOWARD the Unit and Discharge with Force..

This Action also Pulls any nearby Debris toward the Unit.
Leaves, Pine Needles, Trash, etc. can QUICKLY STOP the Water Flow.
This may cause the Unit to OverHeat…. > > > > POOF !! Short Life..

Do a Search for: Clean vs. Dirty Sump Pumps.
Not All Sump Pumps are Created Equal. Some are More Suited for this.

We Visited this Swan Pond for Nine Years.
The Same DeIcing Pump was there each Winter.

This was a Favorite Swan Pond we would Visit over the Years.

We got to Observe the Young Pair Bond, Mature, Nest and Hatch Cygnets.

These Swans knew us Well.. Enjoyed our Salad Greens and Treats.

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“For Your Information.” ..FYI .. SwanLover Linda March 2021
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We Frequently Drove Home as the Sun was Setting over Adams County.

This Country Colonial Farm was SOLD. All the Swans were ReHomed.