The Eel Is Real: A Mill Pond Mystery Confirmed
Paul tells us about the thrill of dicovering the John O’Groats Eel
Question. What do you get if you cross a mill pond, with a primary school class and a ranger?
Answer. A perfect morning.
Screams of excitement at a wonderful discovery, smiling faces and wet hands, the sure signs of another successful ranger led pond activity. Pond dipping is one of my favourite activities to run with children. Adults certainly enjoy it too, if given the chance.
I’ve spent most of my life loving being by the water’s edge, whether that’s fishing, walking or just guddling around with a net. There’s always something to see, or something to find, if you are prepared to spend the time and crucially slow down. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s a small garden pond or the seashore, the fascination never diminishes.
Children of today are often much maligned as being glued to screens, or not interested in going outdoors. Get them by a pond, with a net in their hand and I can assure you they are just how I was at their age. It’s free, it doesn’t need recharging or batteries and they are outside in the fresh air.
The other day we ran an activity at a popular venue the recently renovated John O’Groats mill pond in north Caithness. The sun shone but as is often the case in Caithness, a strong breeze was blowing. Canisbay Primary School P4-7 class, joined my ranger colleague and I for three different outdoor activities. The class teacher just happens to be one of our Caithness ranger colleagues too!
The kids were split into groups and rotated around each of the three activities in turn. Spotting and identifying animals, nature life cycles and pond dipping were the options available in the morning. I was running the pond dipping activity….
…Hooray!
As we were just at the beginning of April, catches were a little slow to get going. A number of lesser water boatmen were captured along with some tiny daphnia (water fleas). We soon discovered the section to our right, with slightly more vegetation, was the place to focus on. Several three-spined sticklebacks were then caught along with lots more water boatmen and pond snails.
After this, each group soon got the idea about where to catch most creatures and more numbers and species were added to the species list. Diving beetles, caddis fly larvae, alderfly nymph and a couple of damselfly nymphs. All species captured were recorded and will be added by the school to the Champhibians online data:
The final group were busy catching similar species, when a cry went out,
“I’ve caught a long fish!”
An excited pupil came hurrying over to me, dripping net in hand.
Surely it can’t be I thought, but it certainly was. There in the net was a perfect yellow eel, about 10cm long.
As a ranger I was especially excited that one of the children had captured it and not me. This is always so much better and hopefully can help lead to a lifetime of interest and love of the natural world – always a primary aim of the ranger service.
We suspected eels may be present in the small burn and mill pond, but this was based on anecdotal evidence, from one of the John O’Groats Mill Trust members. This perfect little specimen was confirmation of their existence on site. How exciting!
European eels are now one of the most endangered species in the world and this little fella was top of my species list to hopefully find in the pond. The girl who captured it was delighted; I was delighted and my ranger colleagues were delighted.
Everyone had a great time but one tiny, seemingly insignificant fish, lit up the whole day even brighter for so many of us. All captured by a young person out with a net in the fresh air.
What could be better?
Paul Castle is the dedicated Countryside Ranger for North Sutherland and North Caithness with High Life Highland. Paul has devoted over two decades, to the ranger service of this area. His commitment reflects his love for the area, marked by its breathtaking landscapes, diverse wildlife, friendly communities and rich natural heritage. Paul's work plays a pivotal role in promoting and protecting the wildlife, flora, and fauna that make this part of Scotland so extraordinary.
Read more about Eels on Nature Unveiled:
Silent Swimmers
When the Rangers are invited to hold an educational event or session, there is often no particular subject or theme in mind, the group (which may be a school class or a community group) usually let us bring something to them, things which we hope they will find interesting or relevant. We will then spend time thinking about what would be appealing, suit…
What a great story! That girl will remember her catch and get a glow of pride and happiness. We used to home educate before settling in Highland and have crouched together with other families over many white trays with life wriggling in them.
Love a bit of dipping or rock pooling maself! Great for getting kids interested in nature, as you point out.