We are building on a former pasture in high-altitude UT. Our land is flood-irrigated, and naturally the building site is near the low end of the field. So we need fill.

We are thinking about digging some of the fill on the lowest section of the plot and turning the digging into a wildlife pond. No fish, my DH kept fish in his lab for 20 years, we are fine with local frogs, snakes and birds. If it looked like an old stock pond from agricultural days gone wild, that would be great. If a sandhill crane checked it out, we'd be thrilled.

We had this idea pretty late in the design process, so we will have to make decisions soon about how large, how deep, etc. We probably will need more fill than one pond can provide, but any is better than none if I'm already paying for the excavator on site.

2 locations make sense. One is closer to house (more enjoyable) and far sunnier, at least until the neighbors' new trees grow up. Other site is even lower, gets sun much of the day, but gets afternoon shade and more protection from our howling winds by a row of mature cottonwoods.

Which site would you choose?