Something I meant to do more of last year

I made a post on The Yamakoshi Year last entitled 'Something I meant to do a bit more of', that being visiting and photographing Koi in mudponds.

With the sun shining brightly, late afternoon I decided to head out to Torazo's mudponds where we saw the jumbo and nisai Koi released earlier in the month - http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/370 and http://www.niigata-nishikigoi.com/node/368.

I passed by the nisai pond where the Koi could be seen quite clearly cruising in the still not too muddy water and headed for the far end of the jumbo pond where the auto feeder has been set up.  Interestingly, on the couple of occasions that i've visited this pond before the auto feeder was installed the Koi had always been located in that area, did they remember that was the feeding area?

They could be seen cruising around picking tidbits off the surface.

As I stood there watching the clack-clack of pellets firing from an auto feeder could be heard coming from a pond below. More nisai by the look of it.

I figured, or at least hoped, that this meant the feeders on the other 2 ponds would be going any time soon.  I headed for the bank between the nisai and jumbo ponds where it would be possible to see both feeding areas.

The nisai circling in the feeding ring made me sure that they knew food was iminent.

The picture below was taken at 5.30pm exactly and I felt I had the makings of a great late afternoon feeding shot. 

As I sat there willing the auto feeder to burst into life it reminded me of the many summer evenings spent in the past of the side of fishing lakes willing bite indicators to do the same.

5.45pm came and went, 5.50pm, 5.58pm, I was convinced that the feeder would start dispersing pellets at 6pm.

The picture below was taken at 6.06pm, the feeder had shown no sign of life and the sun had dipped behind the trees.

I didn't get the pic I wanted but watching the Koi was a wonderful way to end the afternoon.

I've just had a mail from Tsuyoshi san advising that tomorrow morning at 8am he'll be starting the final selection of his tosai and then releasing them to the mudponds.  I'll be there and shall be sure to find out what time those feeders are set for!