How to Build a Wildlife Pond

No ecosystem is complete without water. A true wildlife pond is far more than a decorative feature—it is a living habitat that supports countless species throughout the year. It provides a home for frogs, dragonflies, and fish, as well as a reliable source of water for passing birds and animals.

It took me two months to build the pond, although i was not working on every day.

Within one week of constructing a wildlife pond in my backyard, local wildlife started visiting daily. An Indian grey mongoose, with its kit, and several bird species:

1. Indian peafowl
2. Red whiskered bulbul
3. Red vented bulbul
4. Blyth's starling
5. Common myna
6. White-rumped munia
7. Jungle babbler

I dug my pond by hand with a spade, hoe, digging bar, and wheelbarrow.

Hiring a small excavator is probably a better choice.

You'll also need:

1. a large piece of HDPE pond liner, UV protected (in my case a 20ft by 15ft rectangle)
2. Some nice river stones or other pebbles and rocks, tiles or gravel
3. Branches, dead and leafless
4. Mosses
5. aquatic plants
6. ferns
7. local wild plants

Look for an area that animals pass through often. If you can't find one, just build it somewhere anyway and animals will find it, but expect to wait a little longer before you see regular visitors.

It is better if the area is shaded so that less evaporation takes place and the pond stays relatively full throughout the year.

Important⚠️: If you can locate it where rainwater naturally collects, rains will ensure the pond stays full.

I built this one against a wall, because it was the best place I had. A teak tree at the edge of the pond gives plenty of shade, as well as the clump of bamboo I had planted a year ago. (don't plant bamboo next to your pond unless you are ready to make a barrier underground so that it doesn't puncture the plastic)

Depending on:

1. the place
2. the time you want to spend
3. the sizes of plastic you can get

determine the size of the pond.

The design i used was:

1. a deep refuge (that would hopefully survive the summer): 80-100cm deep
2. multiple shelves ranging from 80 cm up to 15-20cm deep
3. a shallow zone where animals and birds can bathe and drink safely

Once you have the pond dug out, measure the pond along its longest length in a straight line, from edge to edge, following the ground surface (not through the air). Then measure the widest point across the pond at right angles to the length, again in a straight line. This will decide the amount of plastic you need.

The pond i built was about 4.5m by 3m.

When ordering the plastic, add at least 1m extra to each dimension to be sure to have enough in the end.

I ordered a piece that measured 6m by 4.5m.

Slap sand on the walls, and put a layer 3-5 cm thick of sand on each shelf and 5-10 cm thick at the bottom. This prevents any sharp rocks or roots from puncturing the plastic.

The bamboo at the edge of this pond is sending out runners, so i dug the part around the clump about 50cm deep and made an underground wall with spare cinder blocks and some stones. I also nailed a bit of thick rubber sheet to the wall before installing the plastic for extra protection. I placed some random pieces of plastic and cardboard over areas where I had hit roots while digging.

Drape the plastic over the pond. It should naturally sink in a bit.

Start filling up the pond. The water will pull the plastic down and into the bottom of the pond, and will press it against the sides of the deepest section.

Getting into the pond helps, as you can pull the pleats into the plastic as it fills up and neaten the corners. Expect some large pleats in the corners and several smaller ones along the curved sections.

Cut off excess plastic, leaving 60-80cm excess around the whole pond.

Dig a small trench, about 25cm deep and 10cm wide, around the whole pond, about 15cm away from the edges.

Fold the plastic into it, place stones on the plastic at the bottom of the trench, and cover with dirt. Firm.

Repeat all the way around the pond until the plastic is fully anchored.

Once you have the plastic anchored, empty the water.

Place stones along the outside of each shelf, on the edge. Fill the area behind them with dirt.

Cover the dirt with gravel or tiny pebbles to keep it in place underwater.

(NOTE: i had already put the stones around the pond edges, which comes in the next step.)

Scatter pebbles and stones on the shallow part of the pond, enough to cover the plastic.

This is where most animal activity will occur.

Plant them in the shelves before you fill if you know you can fill the pond within the next few hours.

If not, wait until rain fills it, then plant them underwater.

Place large stones along the edges, with 2-5 larger stones in between.

If you can, refill the pond at this stage. The water will probably look muddy at first due to the dirt, but it will settle to give almost clear water within a few days.

Branches will be used by birds as they approach the pond, and give them a safe to place to preen after bathing.

Place some dead branches around the pond edges, ranging in height from a couple centimeters to a couple meters.

Make sure to place at least one or two branches that come up from the bottom of the pond and out of the water over the edge. This is a crucial step as frogs and any animals that may fall in need a way of getting out safely. The sides of plastic will remain slippery for some time and animals will not be able to get out unless a branch is available for them to escape.

Put some dirt in the gaps between the rocks along the perimeter of the pond.

I scraped moss off and collected ferns from a nearby wall. I planted the ferns in the dirt, and scattered the moss around them, and over the rocks.

I placed some rotting logs in a pile, and scattered dead leaves around one side of the pond. I planted a small bush and some other plants as well for ground cover.

If you have a camera and enjoy wildlife photography, a simple hide near the pond will let you get great shots of animals and birds that visit. The pictures of the birds are taken from my hide.

If your pond is very shallow, there is a likelihood of it evaporating completely in summer. The deeper, the better.

Don't puncture the liner or make any holes. IF you do (i did), I found that using hot glue and making several overlapping patches over the hole worked well.

Try to dig out any sharp stones before spreading sand and installing the liner.

Do not treat the water with any chemicals if you want your pond to flourish naturally.

Fish eat frogspawn and tadpoles, so avoid if you want a healthy ecosystem.

Planting invasive aquatic species may lead to a suffocation of any other plants underwater and life under the surface.

After a few days, you will probably notice birds visiting the pond.

Saw the first frog 3 weeks after completion. One day after the photo was shot of the single frog, two more appeared.

Water skimmers, water boatman and diving beetles keep the mosquitos in check. so far no larvae.

I witnessed an unlucky ant being caught and eaten by a passing skimmer

Aqautic plants growing well. Lily came up with 5 leaves so far.

A snail was perched on one of the stones.

A pair of mynas is laying its 3rd consecutive clutch of eggs this year, even at this odd time during the monsoon, in the box i constructed and installed on the teak at the edge of the pond. 3 eggs are in the box.

Really happy with how quickly the pond is developing!