Great Blue Heron - How Big of Fish Will They Eat?

OK, this is becoming a daily occurrence, a GBH flying up and perching on a
tree limb high above the pond or strolling around the pond perimeter. No
real danger now because the pond is covered with netting and the fish are
resting comfortably on the bottom of the pond. My 3,000 gallon pond is 18"
at it's shallowest but I'm guessing that any fish in this range is a
tempting target for the GBH. Here's my question: How big a fish will the GBH
eat? I have three Koi that will go over 10 lbs each, surely they aren't at
risk, are they?



JB

I have never weighed mine, how does 10 lbs relate to length?

JB wrote:

> OK, this is becoming a daily occurrence, a GBH flying up and perching on a
> tree limb high above the pond or strolling around the pond perimeter. No
> real danger now because the pond is covered with netting and the fish are
> resting comfortably on the bottom of the pond. My 3,000 gallon pond is 18"
> at it's shallowest but I'm guessing that any fish in this range is a
> tempting target for the GBH. Here's my question: How big a fish will the
> GBH eat? I have three Koi that will go over 10 lbs each, surely they
> aren't at risk, are they?

Herons don't seem capable of telling how big a fish they can manager. They
have been known to skewer some pretty big fish (though 10lbs sounds bigger
than anything I've heard of) and leave them dieing beside the pond when
they realize they can't fly off with them.
--
derek

I have an arch made of fiberglass that is about 4' long and 12" high sitting on the bottom of my pond. I have weighed it down with slab rock, similar to what is used in walkways to hide it and keep it secure. All my Koi hide in it and therefore are not always visible to the birds or accessable when they do try to get them. Additionally I have built PVC/netted frames so the open water is protected.

The arch is from a old water softener I think. It was given to me by a friend who has used the other half successfully to protect his fish for the past few years.

"JB" <> wrote in message
news:...
> OK, this is becoming a daily occurrence, a GBH flying up and perching on a
> tree limb high above the pond or strolling around the pond perimeter. No
> real danger now because the pond is covered with netting and the fish are
> resting comfortably on the bottom of the pond.

If he can reach them through the netting he will kill them although not able
to pull them through the net. The GB here has killed several of my
beautiful goldfish. They pull on them and pull on them before giving up,
leaving the fish paralyzed and sliced into their flesh. Then they try
another,.... just to leave it dying in the tank and go after another. They
probably manage to manipulate the smaller ones through the netting. He put
a deep gash in my Goldie's head a few weeks ago. She's at least 10 years
old and quite large. They're strong enough to flip a large fish onto the
ground. Rip off their fill and leave the rest to rot. We're having a
serious problem here with this bird.

My 3,000 gallon pond is 18"
> at it's shallowest but I'm guessing that any fish in this range is a
> tempting target for the GBH. Here's my question: How big a fish will the
> GBH eat? I have three Koi that will go over 10 lbs each, surely they
> aren't at risk, are they?

Indeed they are. The GBH can do enough damage through a net to cause the
fishes death even if it can't flip the fish onto the bank. These birds are
bad news to fish keepers.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>

That's how my neighbor lost 2 Koi.
Speared them and then dropped them.

"Derek Broughton" <> wrote in message
news:...
> JB wrote:
>
>> OK, this is becoming a daily occurrence, a GBH flying up and perching on
>> a
>> tree limb high above the pond or strolling around the pond perimeter. No
>> real danger now because the pond is covered with netting and the fish are
>> resting comfortably on the bottom of the pond. My 3,000 gallon pond is
>> 18"
>> at it's shallowest but I'm guessing that any fish in this range is a
>> tempting target for the GBH. Here's my question: How big a fish will the
>> GBH eat? I have three Koi that will go over 10 lbs each, surely they
>> aren't at risk, are they?
>
> Herons don't seem capable of telling how big a fish they can manager.
> They
> have been known to skewer some pretty big fish (though 10lbs sounds bigger
> than anything I've heard of) and leave them dieing beside the pond when
> they realize they can't fly off with them.
> --
> derek
>

Here is a quiet way to deal with the varmit.

.22 CB Cap (Conical Ball Cap) is a variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition which has a very small propellant charge (usually no gunpowder, just the primer), resulting in a low muzzle velocity of between 350 and 700 ft/s (110 to 210 m/s). This is similar to the muzzle velocity produced by a low to mid-power .22 pellet gun, however it should be noted that the bullet from a .22 CB cartridge is significantly heavier than a typical airgun pellet and therefore carries more energy. Due to their low power, CB rounds can be trapped by most pellet gun traps. In longer rifle barrels the CB has a seemingly non-exsistent, very quiet report due to the lack of residual pressure at the muzzle.

Not enough power to harm much after a couple hundred feet. Very effective at 50 feet.

"Reel McKoi" <> wrote:
> "JB" <> wrote in message
> [ . . . ]

I mounted my netting 2' above the surface of the pond , which was up to 4'
deep. After netting, I had no more losses from GBH (San Fernando Valley).

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War. They
are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not
forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

"Nick Cramer" <> wrote in message
news:20071218165412.120$...
> "Reel McKoi" <> wrote:
>> "JB" <> wrote in message
>> [ . . . ]
>
> I mounted my netting 2' above the surface of the pond , which was up to 4'
> deep. After netting, I had no more losses from GBH (San Fernando Valley).
=======================
Yes, that's what I did with my in-ground ponds but I can't do that above my
720g grow out tanks. I would have to raise the sides 2' with hardware cloth
or 4x2" X 4' fencing. That's a big job and not cheap. The nets are only
about 6" above the surface of the water. The GH reaches right through the
netting and grabs them, then kills them trying to force them through so he
can swallow them.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö>

Go to Home Depot and buy this:
Tenax 3 Ft. x 25 Ft. Green Poultry Fence
Model 090786 $15.02/Roll


It's cheap for 3 ft X 25 ft. Anyone can afford this... No bird, no matter how big, is going to get through it. See one of my earlier posts with pictures of it in use on my pond.