THE continuing saga of Qua Fen Common took another twist recently. The dispute about the number of hybrid (mongrel?) ducks still festers and the spoil from the dredging of the ditches has all but disappeared. The pond was looking a treat with plenty of fr

THE continuing saga of Qua Fen Common took another twist recently. The dispute about the number of hybrid (mongrel?) ducks still festers and the spoil from the dredging of the ditches has all but disappeared.

The pond was looking a treat with plenty of frogspawn floating about waiting to release tadpoles into the world. No more, unfortunately. From nowhere three Koi carp have appeared. They look nice in a domestic pond and enhance any suitable garden, but as they originate from Japan they really don't belong in a pond on a common. They have also eaten all the frogspawn. No doubt someone thought we were being left behind. After all there are Indian water buffalo in the Chippenham nature reserve and Hungarian horses on Wicken Fen, so why not Japanese fish on Qua Fen Common? Because we like to see the frogs, that's why.