Since my pond is a fishless nature pond I do not have Blue Heron issues yet I know many of you do. Having plenty of free time I've researched the topic. I hope at least one of the following is a new idea for you. Good luck.
• DECOYS/SCARECROWS – There are many types of decoys available to help deter the Great Blue Heron. There are owls, coyotes, snakes, and crocodiles but the most popular decoy is a fake Great Blue Heron. The decoy is shaped, colored, and decorated to appear like a small 30”H GBH. The theory is that herons like to hunt alone; and this is true when it is a smaller body of water like a backyard pond. However, if a larger heron sees a smaller heron hunting pond side there is nothing that will keep the bigger bird from chasing away the smaller bird from the hunting grounds. I have seen video of a rather large Great Blue Heron beating the heck out of a decoy, and the real heron won! All things considered, even if the fake little heron decoy keeps the hungry real life heron away from your pond even just once or twice, then it is money well spent. A good thing to do also is to move the decoy heron to different areas from time to time so it is not too easy for the real GBH to figure out it is looking at a mannequin of itself. Other decoys available are owl decoys, wide eyed and freaky looking, some of them even come with sound effects and moving parts; these would be the most effective decoy, but it will also scare away other more desirable birds from your pond too! I’ve seen decoy coyotes that can help as well. Remember the idea is to have a multi level approach to keeping the heron away, and a fake snarling coyote near the pond (not necessarily next to) may save the day for you. Remember if it works even once, it is money well spent. Another great decoy to use is an artificial koi, called “de-koi”, these life size and realistic looking koi fish can be tethered in your pond to float just below water surface. When a heron is hunting your pond it will try to work as little as possible for its meal, and when it sees that big juicy koi just hovering there like easy pickins’, the heron will likely attack the de-koi which creates an alert to the real fish that can now go into hiding with the presence of a predator brought to their attention. The de-koi is a brilliant last defense for your koi, the down side is that the GBH has to be IN your pond for it to work. The Scarecrow is not a straw filled, flannel shirted, wide brimmed hat, man on a stick; no, the Scarecrow is a motion activated mechanism that points to its target and shoots a sudden and startling burst of water at or in the direction of what ever is moving around your pond, including YOU! They can be very effective the first few times which makes them a good investment. This heron deterrent also should be moved around the pond to keep any persistent predators surprised at the blast of water. This is a good deterrent to have in your arsenal of defenses. Approx. cost $45.00 – $120.00
• SHADOW/SILHOUETTE CUT OUTS – We’ve all seen the shadow cutout of the leaning cowboy, or the even more popular German Shepard cut outs that are used to keep geese away from municipal, golf course ponds, or even open fields. Well, why shouldn’t koi pond owners use them too? A cut out can go a long way in protecting your pond from predators and it does not even need to be next to the pond. Strategically place the cut out in an area of proximity to the pond that you are sure will be seen by the heron while it is scouting out your pond. This cut out should give the bird enough doubt about the area being safe to hunt that it will likely choose to move on to another hunting ground that does not have the shadowy outline of a large dog standing close by. Approx. cost $120.00
• TALK RADIO – Ok, now here is my secret method. Talk radio. A Great Blue Heron will not usually want to get to close to an area that has human activity. Try leaving an outdoor radio left on by your pond while you are away from your pond. A GBH will not get too close to any area that has human voices chatting away, so any good news station or talk radio station will work very well at keeping our big blue friend away. If you really want to terrify the bird, put on The Howard Stern show, Great Blue Herons and most local wildlife may never return! (j.k. love ya Howard!) Approx. cost $15.00
• PREDATOR CALLS – On one hand they are hilarious, and I have found it is a great way to scare not just herons but daughters too. Yes that’s right, a motion activated predator call broadcaster. Broadcasting the sound of calls from various land predators and birds of prey is a technique that has been used by wineries and other agricultural industries to keep away pesky crows and other critters that want to eat their crops. Now small models are available that can be installed close to your pond. Let the neighbors try to figure out why growling noises and screams from large birds of prey keep coming from your general direction, the GBH does not have time for that and the first call will have him high tailing it out of the vicinity of your pond! Approx. Cost $90.00+
- I use the Scarecrow and have had no fish losses. I got it at AZ Ponds two years ago for $58 on sale. The Motion Activated Scarecrow: This motion-sensored sprinkler is a great way to deter not only herons but other predators as well. The sprinkler simply hooks up to a garden hose and is triggered by motion. There is a dial on the sprinkler that adjusts the sensitivity. When a heron/predator approaches sensor, it shoots a 3-second burst of water up to 180 degrees.
- The only thing that I can say works is the heron chaser. http://www.pondfiltration.com/heron.html
- http://www.birdcontrolpro.com/control_heron.htm
• DECOYS/SCARECROWS – There are many types of decoys available to help deter the Great Blue Heron. There are owls, coyotes, snakes, and crocodiles but the most popular decoy is a fake Great Blue Heron. The decoy is shaped, colored, and decorated to appear like a small 30”H GBH. The theory is that herons like to hunt alone; and this is true when it is a smaller body of water like a backyard pond. However, if a larger heron sees a smaller heron hunting pond side there is nothing that will keep the bigger bird from chasing away the smaller bird from the hunting grounds. I have seen video of a rather large Great Blue Heron beating the heck out of a decoy, and the real heron won! All things considered, even if the fake little heron decoy keeps the hungry real life heron away from your pond even just once or twice, then it is money well spent. A good thing to do also is to move the decoy heron to different areas from time to time so it is not too easy for the real GBH to figure out it is looking at a mannequin of itself. Other decoys available are owl decoys, wide eyed and freaky looking, some of them even come with sound effects and moving parts; these would be the most effective decoy, but it will also scare away other more desirable birds from your pond too! I’ve seen decoy coyotes that can help as well. Remember the idea is to have a multi level approach to keeping the heron away, and a fake snarling coyote near the pond (not necessarily next to) may save the day for you. Remember if it works even once, it is money well spent. Another great decoy to use is an artificial koi, called “de-koi”, these life size and realistic looking koi fish can be tethered in your pond to float just below water surface. When a heron is hunting your pond it will try to work as little as possible for its meal, and when it sees that big juicy koi just hovering there like easy pickins’, the heron will likely attack the de-koi which creates an alert to the real fish that can now go into hiding with the presence of a predator brought to their attention. The de-koi is a brilliant last defense for your koi, the down side is that the GBH has to be IN your pond for it to work. The Scarecrow is not a straw filled, flannel shirted, wide brimmed hat, man on a stick; no, the Scarecrow is a motion activated mechanism that points to its target and shoots a sudden and startling burst of water at or in the direction of what ever is moving around your pond, including YOU! They can be very effective the first few times which makes them a good investment. This heron deterrent also should be moved around the pond to keep any persistent predators surprised at the blast of water. This is a good deterrent to have in your arsenal of defenses. Approx. cost $45.00 – $120.00
• SHADOW/SILHOUETTE CUT OUTS – We’ve all seen the shadow cutout of the leaning cowboy, or the even more popular German Shepard cut outs that are used to keep geese away from municipal, golf course ponds, or even open fields. Well, why shouldn’t koi pond owners use them too? A cut out can go a long way in protecting your pond from predators and it does not even need to be next to the pond. Strategically place the cut out in an area of proximity to the pond that you are sure will be seen by the heron while it is scouting out your pond. This cut out should give the bird enough doubt about the area being safe to hunt that it will likely choose to move on to another hunting ground that does not have the shadowy outline of a large dog standing close by. Approx. cost $120.00
• TALK RADIO – Ok, now here is my secret method. Talk radio. A Great Blue Heron will not usually want to get to close to an area that has human activity. Try leaving an outdoor radio left on by your pond while you are away from your pond. A GBH will not get too close to any area that has human voices chatting away, so any good news station or talk radio station will work very well at keeping our big blue friend away. If you really want to terrify the bird, put on The Howard Stern show, Great Blue Herons and most local wildlife may never return! (j.k. love ya Howard!) Approx. cost $15.00
• PREDATOR CALLS – On one hand they are hilarious, and I have found it is a great way to scare not just herons but daughters too. Yes that’s right, a motion activated predator call broadcaster. Broadcasting the sound of calls from various land predators and birds of prey is a technique that has been used by wineries and other agricultural industries to keep away pesky crows and other critters that want to eat their crops. Now small models are available that can be installed close to your pond. Let the neighbors try to figure out why growling noises and screams from large birds of prey keep coming from your general direction, the GBH does not have time for that and the first call will have him high tailing it out of the vicinity of your pond! Approx. Cost $90.00+
- I use the Scarecrow and have had no fish losses. I got it at AZ Ponds two years ago for $58 on sale. The Motion Activated Scarecrow: This motion-sensored sprinkler is a great way to deter not only herons but other predators as well. The sprinkler simply hooks up to a garden hose and is triggered by motion. There is a dial on the sprinkler that adjusts the sensitivity. When a heron/predator approaches sensor, it shoots a 3-second burst of water up to 180 degrees.
- The only thing that I can say works is the heron chaser. http://www.pondfiltration.com/heron.html
- http://www.birdcontrolpro.com/control_heron.htm
