Filling in pond, making nature pond

Hi,
Just after some advice. Inherited a pond when we bought our house. Not done anything with it for a number of years (husband didn’t want a pond)
Decided recently that we would like a nature/wildlife pond. Trying to do it ourselves. Managed to remove all the weeds, and bucket out the majority of the water. Left with around 3” of muddy silt. I poured some chippings in.
I am going to use a preformed pond. I have pierced the old liner a number of times, to help drainage. Placed the new pond on top with A bit of water in to help with the level.
Do you think I would be ok to backfill with soil now even though it Is a bit muddy/silt underneath ?

 

Just a thought, but most wildlife ponds have shallow areas, the new pond has steep sides.
Wildlife tend to like a beach effect, so they can get in and out.

You can back fill around it, but personally, if the old liner was still intact, or even if it wasn't, you could have put a new liner over the top, I'd have stuck with the pond the way it was and alter the edging which looks lose anyway.

 

My tiny (75L - I know because I filled it up with a 10l watering can) natural pond has no beach but the birds love it. The blackbirds walk in to splash themselves but the sparrows just fly in and out like tennis balls They seem to be having a great time popping in and out and then finishing the grooming on the fence.

Any bit of water is great for wildlife. You can't go wrong. A preformed pond is perfectly ok, it also allows some nice planting around the sides. As there is already a liner, it could easily be transformed into a bog garden around the pond.

 

I would remove all the bricks clear out and fit a new liner. The liner would be tucked under the bricks. Then clean bricks and lay on a sand cement base. It would look very nice as I'm sure this one did a few years ago. A Butyl Liner will last very many years and are very tough.