Blue heron deterrents

[Coinr]

Like many I have a blue heron problem again. This is my second pond at a new (to us) house. I've only seen it once and it's only got 3 fish so far but my neighbor tells me he sees it daily after I've left for work. A little history. 5000 gal pond, 4 ft deep, surrounded by big rocks and no shelves for the heron to stand on. I have a scarecrow water deterrent and last week added a fishing line barrier around the perimeter to help. The bird still comes. I've read a lot of threads but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for. I've thought about setting up a "wind guy" like you see at a car dealer or store. I'd like to put it in a pot and set it to go on with a motion sensor. I also thought about making or buying a life size large dog wood cutout put on a pole that swivels. I've been told this helps keep the geese out of golf courses. Any thoughts, plans/directions and comments would be appreciated.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Nice looking pond

Some folks have had success with an alligator decoy.

 

[cas]

I've thought about setting up a "wind guy" like you see at a car dealer or store.

Pretty pond. Someone in another thread said they used one of these with some luck. I currently am netting my pond.

 

[addy1]

I net mine, wide weave netting hung 2-3 feet over the water. That works for me. I have too many lilies for the alligator heads to work they would get stuck and quit moving, the heron figured out it was safe.

 

[Tula]

Has your neighbor seen where the heron is "fishing". Straight dropped sides , at that depth, should be a fairly good deterrent, but herons are patient! It may have gotten fish as they swam, near the top of the water.

Large dog, nets, rope, or fishing line, zig zagged across the pond. Another member recently said they'd had good luck with the "wind guy", as you mentioned.

Lovely pond

 

[Coinr]

The heron Lands on the lawn and then works his way over. The neighbors small dog used to scare it away but not anymore. The scarecrow is imperfect. Sometimes the sensor works other times not. Ducks used to visit and they were not bothered by it. Sooner or later the herons seem to figure out what's fake. I'm trying to go with the multi deterrent approach and might change things up once in awhile. The wind guy sounds pretty good. I just don't know have a clue how to set it up with a motion sensor. I don't want it running non stop.

 

[addy1]

The herons took 30 - 45 minutes to walk up to my pond. They would land on the house roof watch the pond for a long time, then fly into the back field, walk up through the gate, then stalk the pond very very patient. I have straight sides, they would stand at the side until the fish get curious and swim up and around one quick movement, one less fish.

 

[Coinr]

While looking into deterrents I came across an electric fence made for ponds. Has anyone ever tried this?

 

[Timothy]

While looking into deterrents I came across an electric fence made for ponds. Has anyone ever tried this?

That's exactly what I was going to do. I have a small (low voltage) transformer designed for pets. I used it in my carport to keep the cats off the cars. Once they got used to seeing the white stranded wire and learned that it "bit" I could stretch a white wire almost anywhere and they'd stay away from it. I would imagine in the case of heron it would take a couple of strands high because of their long legs, but if they got hit a couple of times I suspect they'd respect it afterward. The voltage is high, but the amperage is low and there are battery powered units that don't use house current. The downside is any grasses or foliage touching the wire will ground it and make it ineffectual. The posts have insulators that totally isolate the wire making it seem pretty benign, but if you touch it during a pulse it'll make your arm ache for a moment.........ask me how I know
I would keep the wire high enough that a frog, turtle, duck, or any innocent critters don't get zapped.....knee high to a heron should be sufficient.

 

[Coinr]

Looked outside this morning to find a pipe line loose and my pond draining. A nightmare. Saw my "buddy" flying over and around close to the ground. I think I interrupted his breakfast plans.

For deterrents I also found a small bird with a motion detector that makes bird sounds, a fake swan that floats and a fake koi fish that floats at the top of the water. Don't know if my "buddy" would go after the fake fish or not. Has anyone had any luck with any of these?

 

[addy1]

I have so much growth a electric wire won't work, just the net works for me.

Never tried any of the above Coinr, Good luck!

 

[barryian]

I actually have a blue heron used as a decoy which is full size. Beautiful statue and never had a heron
approach my pond since it's there. It's cast aluminum in a blue grey color. Looking out my window, it actually looks real. It supposedly keeps others away if they see one by the pond. At 43", it really replicates the real thing ... More costly than most but been standing out there 4 years unscathed.

https://www.amazon.com/Achla-Design...210&sr=8-11&keywords=blue+heron+garden+statue

 

[j.w]

Took years for the heron to finally visit my pond. I had no deterrents but after his first visit it was off and on trying this and that to protect the fish. Loud talk radio worked near the pond for a long while then all of a sudden it didn't. Now I have the large weaved net over the whole top and attached to a short wire fence below. Nothing gets in there now, not even my cat!
Heron comes buy once in a great while now and walks around the pond, swears and takes off!

 

[Timothy]

Seems like the heron are protected all over the country! Not sure it's necessary in this area, every time you pass a farm pond or go by a marsh area it seems there's one standing around.
Any way, thinking about this and wondering......since the heron's hunt is visual it would follow that impairing his vision in the pond could be an answer. Since it wouldn't be politically correct to blind or blindfold them, I'm wondering how this would work;

This would obviously require an air pump and some hose or weighted plastic piping, but a lot of us have aerators any way and this would just modify the air delivery. I was thinking of using a section of the weighted air hose long enough to lay on the pond bottom in front of where the heron likes to fish. This hose would have holes drilled in it every 1/2"- 3/4" and could be left on a timer to operate during daylight hours, or set with a motion sensor. I'm sure the air bubbles wouldn't frighten the heron after a while, but the distortion on the surface that the bubbles would make might make his hunt futile because he couldn't see past the surface.
If nothing else, it would create an unusual aerating system.

Opinions?

 

[cas]

You are so creative @Timothy !
Years ago I went on a pond tour and one of the pond owners felt that her small fountain disturbed the surface water enough that the heron couldn't see clearly and that is why she hadn't lost any fish. She said a person just down the road from her had lost all their fish to a heron and was now trying a fountain.