first predator visit................

[addy1]

A bittern decided to visit, it had no luck with fishin!

A bittern decided to try fishin, all the fish and fry where sitting at the five foot level totally safe as it tried to find one not paying attention.

It very slowly one step at a time crept up to the edge, darn no fish! Was so much fun watching it try.

I took these pictures from the deck with a 400 ml lens.

 

[taherrmann4]

Neat looking bird....

 

[addy1]

I had one in arizona trying to fish out of my swimming pool ............the pond was just 40 feet away lol

 

[Rbritt]

Pretty bird but so glad he didn't manage to get your fish!

 

[j.w]

I appreciate the beauty and the patience of that little bird but am glad he didn't get your fish. I guess you do have enough to spare tho. Kinda makes ya sad he had no dinner but he'll find something sooner or later that isn't as protected as yours are.

 

[addy1]

The fish have the advantage, they mainly hang out in the 5 foot level, they do feed at the waterfall, but even there the water is 4 feet deep. So unless one of the fry came to the surface right where it was they are totally safe. The shallow end is covered with plants, occasionally see a fry swim under a lily pad. That is the only place the bittren would be able to score, but it seemed to like to stay on the edge of the pond, not in the water at all.

It has its work cut out for it, to get a snack.

 

[j.w]

Prolly will get bored and hungry at your pond and find somewhere else to feast.

 

[addy1]

don't think it bothered them one bit, here is the crowd hanging out today! Too much reflection, but that bird did not manage to spook them at all.

View attachment 7077

 

[j.w]

You really do have a large group of fish there and a fine bunch they be matey.............don't know where that came from........maybe I have pirate blood in me, arrgh :regular_waving_emot

 

[addy1]

The fry are turning out great! We have some plain brown ones that are coloring up really nicely.

BTW the lil bird did not bother to come back yesterday, if it had scored it for sure would have returned.

 

[j.w]

That's good............the fish won this round and :regular_waving_emot to the birdy

 

[CountryEscape]

Great pics of that bittern, Addy! Where I used to live, we had both the green herons and great blues. The green ones were not much larger than your bittern, but they are also sneaky predators. I have a couple of fish that are missing, and wondering if possibly they were dinner for maybe a heron, since my daughter's big Golden Retriever went back to UT with her. I've never seen one in my yard, but there's always a first time. From what I found today, he could have a feast in my bog if they care for large tadpoles.

 

[addy1]

I am keeping an eye out for the herons the great blues fly over twice a day, two of them, But have never stopped by.

I don't really have good wading spots for them, just one small area around 1 foot wide, that the water is 12-15 inches deep, then it drops to 2 on down to 5. Some of the small fry hang out there under the lilies, but the big guys stay in the deep.
If they come by I can always string fishing line to keep them out of that one area.

 

[j.w]

They come sometimes way early when the sun starts coming up so hope you are an early riser. Then they will come before dusk also. Hope they don't get your fishies. Maybe you could plant something in that area that would make it harder for them to get into the pond so you would have longer to catch them at it.

 

[addy1]

Up by 430a usually, honey goes to work at that time. So way before sunrise. Unless they like to hop down off of a wall type edging into deepish water there is one area 2 feet wide they could somewhat wade in. but even then they would need to hop off a rock and down around 18 inches into around 1-1.5 feet of water. With our windows I have a 180 view of the sky, yard anything that big coming in would catch my attention. That is how I saw the bittern, the flight of it in. The fish hang out in the far end 20 some feet from there and deep. So most likely they are safe.