Wind and Water

This photo was taken during the eclipse on August 21, 2017, but it shows the place where the pond is forming.

In the last two years we've had record rainfalls.  It drives me crazy that I don't have a water harvesting system in place.  I've been pricing metal cisterns, and looking at plans to build water storage of all different kinds from metal culverts, to brand new concrete septic tanks, to primitive ferrocrete tanks... And I've looked into roofing materials to see which ones not to use, though I still haven't settled on which ones to use.

Since early early morning we've been entertaining a storm.  The wind has been slamming into the house, and the water is pooling everywhere.  In the hen yard, the chickens have dug out a sort of a pond near the willow tree, and it even has an island on it.  They've manured it and broken down lots of organic material in that spot.  I am wondering if they have done naturally, what I had been hoping to do in that very spot...To create a small pond.  I was going to try digging a small pond and then apply gleying to the interior so it would hold water.  If that failed, I thought of using concrete or something similar.  Then the little darlings went and constructed it all for me.  I am eager to see what will happen when it stops raining.

I am used to magic happening all the time, so I guess this is just another example of it.

There is an old wives tale which encourages people who keep hens to "tell your hens" or keep them in the communication loop.  It's considered bad luck to keep them in the dark, news wise.  I chatter to my hens always, so I suppose it's possible I told them of my plans to put a pond in that spot.  

Or did they tell me to do it?