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The basic equipment needed for pond- and stream-dipping is very simple, and consists of:
a net to collect your samples;
a tray or tub to put your samples in and examine them;
a magnifier (and, optionally, a plastic spoon or pot); and
an identification chart or booklet (plus notebook and pencil or pen).
You can buy purpose-made nets, but there are many cheaper alternatives. Suitable nets can be home-made from any fine mesh material that can be sewn or stapled into a bag shape and attached to a suitable hoop of about 15 to 30 cm diameter: old net curtains or used tights can provide the mesh; and the hoop can be made from strong metal coat hangers (put two together for greater strength, and preferably enclose the wire in aquarium tubing) or the frame of a discarded racquet (squash, badminton or tennis). One simple alternative to a home-made net is to buy a cheap fine-meshed kitchen sieve of 15 cm diameter or larger, though – because they are rigid – these are not so good for collecting animals from the bottom of the pond or stream. Your net will be more useful (and you will get less wet!) if it has a handle of a metre long or more – this can be made from an old broomstick, or a length of dowel or stout bamboo. Attach the net frame to a solid handle with two jubilee clips or push the twisted ends of a wire frame firmly into the hollow centre of a bamboo cane, and use tightly-wrapped waterproof adhesive tape to secure the joint and cover any sharp edges.
Your collecting tray or tub should preferably be pale-coloured, ideally cream or pale grey. The ideal collecting tray is 5 to 10 cm deep and about 25 wide by 40 cm long (a light-coloured cat litter tray is just right), but you can use a large empty ice-cream or margarine tub, or an old lunch box, or any similar plastic container.
You will be able to observe many of the creatures with the naked eye, but you will see far more detail – and be able to identify the animals more easily – if you use a simple hand-held magnifying lens (from a general store or stationers). A plastic spoon, or a small pot or jar, can be used to lift a creature out of the tray for closer observation with your magnifier.
Just watching the animals you’ve collected in your tray can be fascinating but you will find it even more interesting if you can identify what they are and learn more about their behaviour and life-cycles. The best identification guide for beginners is “The Freshwater Name Trail” by Richard Orton, Anne Bebbington and John Bebbington: this is a laminated fold-out chart published by the Field Studies Council (see www.field-studies-council.org ), catalogue number OP39, price £2.50 (£4.00 for the totally waterproof version), available from FSC Publications, Preston Montford, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1HW or e-mail publications@field-studies-council.org. Remember to record your findings in a notebook so that you can compare what you found on this occasion with what you find in another pond or stream, or in the same pond or stream in a different month.
