Heron woes

[rubyduby]

I am curious to know why with herons of all sizes frequenting my pond (I actually have at least one in my backyard at all times during the day) I have yet to lose a fish in two years... I know that many of you have to net your ponds and I fortunately do not have to so far and I can only attribute this to the depth and possibly the steep sides? I think it would be interesting to hear from those of you that lose fish to herons to describe how the herons have been able to get fish...Is your pond shallow enough for the heron to actually wade in spots? Do you have overhanging limbs for them to be able to perch on? Do you have hiding caves, ect... for your fish to hide when predators are about? I realize they have a long reach and my pond is small but my fish stay hidden under lily pads ect...I imagine it is a different story for those that have large brightly colored koi that are not as skiddish as goldfish and tend to be slower... I would love to hear why so many have lost goldfish to birds....just curious

 

[j.w]

I am curious to know why with herons of all sizes frequenting my pond (I actually have at least one in my backyard at all times during the day) I have yet to lose a fish in two years... I know that many of you have to net your ponds and I fortunately do not have to so far and I can only attribute this to the depth and possibly the steep sides? I think it would be interesting to hear from those of you that lose fish to herons to describe how the herons have been able to get fish...Is your pond shallow enough for the heron to actually wade in spots? Do you have overhanging limbs for them to be able to perch on? Do you have hiding caves, ect... for your fish to hide when predators are about? I realize they have a long reach and my pond is small but my fish stay hidden under lily pads ect...I imagine it is a different story for those that have large brightly colored koi that are not as skiddish as goldfish and tend to be slower... I would love to hear why so many have lost goldfish to birds....just curious

When I had Heron issues before the net the bird would just come and stand and stab at my goldfish when they surfaced. The bird has a lot of patience and would wait forever for just the right moment. I had plenty of plants but no caves and deep pond of appx 3 and 1/2ft. Do have shelf down about 18" for plants. Had to put in a net or would have been wiped out. No more can Mr or Mrs Bird get near them! No raccoons can get in either at least so far and they were in there too before the net and short wire fence that it attaches too. Net up high at about 4ft above water. Maybe since your bird seems to be eating your birds at the feeder that is why no loss of fish. Now if you make the feeder area safe so the Heron's cannot feast on the birds then they might turn to a fish diet?

 

[Souper09]

There is a product that I used agains the heron intruders - I’m not promoting any product, this thing just worked.

The ScareCrow is a motion-activated sprinkler. It surprises intruders such as deer, raccoons, cats and other pests, keeping them out of your garden or yard area. It startles the pest intruders by a sudden burst of water, noise and movement, scaring them away from the area.
Good luck

 

[rubyduby]

I solved the bird feeder problem...It seems herons learn very quickly. All it took was my leaf blower and it hasn't landed on my feeder since. The next step was going to be the fishing line zig zagged across the top. Hopefully I won't need to do that....As far as my fish go, I think I have Very smart ones....They never hang out at the sides of my pond and only come to the surface when I am feeding them. NEVER when one of the many resident herons are standing on the edge...In fact one of the Great Egrets is peering in my pond as we speak....They have kept the snake, lizard and frog populations down to near zero though

 

[Tula]

Maybe you have smart fish and dumb birds - LOL.....only joking ! I hope your luck holds as it's always sad to hear about fish loss.

 

[rubyduby]

Maybe you have smart fish and dumb birds - LOL.....only joking ! I hope your luck holds as it's always sad to hear about fish loss.

Thanks Tula....yes, I have been lucky and can only hope it lasts... Just thought that I would bring up a few things that new people can take into consideration when building their ponds

 

[addy1]

My pond, deep end, is 5.5 feet deep straight down sides. I have videos of the heron fishing from the edge just waiting for a fish to come to the side.

 

[BenB]

I got rid of the Heron by buying a fake Heron from one of the pond outlets online (don't remember which one). When I put that thing out, right next to the pond, the Heron never came back.

 

[Primeline31]

The herons are giving us grief because it's spring and they all have baby herons to feed. They KNOW where all the fishponds are in their area because they can see the ponds as they fly overhead and remember where they are from year to year.

Incidentally, herons may not be your only problem if you live on the coast & have ospreys nearby.

The Oyster Bay, NY osprey cam (

) is right between 3 multi-million dollar neighborhoods and this couple frequently feed their young koi, goldfish and carp. [Once you open a Youtube cam, you can scroll back the bottom taskbar in time to look & see what they did/ate in the past 12 hrs from when you opened the link. They feed the young koi, goldfish, bunker/menhaden, porgies, bluefish, etc. You can slow down the video by clicking the sprocket icon at the bottom right.]

 

[j.w]

@Primeline31
Neat live cam of the ospreys!
Yep if you want to keep your pond fish safe a net is the only thing that really works for me! All those statues etc. they just get used to eventually. It may take awhile but they will learn they are fake. The squirting water motion sensor may work but not in the freezing winter and it will need to cover every area of your pond.

 

[jgrandmont]

My small backyard pond is coming up on 3 years old and only recently did I experience my first fish loss (2 goldfish gone and another with an apparent wound). I presume the culprit was a heron as I have since seen one flying over the house on a couple of occasions. I believe I unknowingly gave the birds a clear view from above when I had a large nearby maple tree removed earlier this year. The pond does have some caves at the bottom around the 3 foot depth, but I guess the fish didn't see the heron in time. I have now added netting on a frame above the pond.

 

[Souper09]

The herons are giving us grief because it's spring and they all have baby herons to feed. They KNOW where all the fishponds are in their area because they can see the ponds as they fly overhead and remember where they are from year to year.

Incidentally, herons may not be your only problem if you live on the coast & have ospreys nearby.

The Oyster Bay, NY osprey cam (

) is right between 3 multi-million dollar neighborhoods and this couple frequently feed their young koi, goldfish and carp. [Once you open a Youtube cam, you can scroll back the bottom taskbar in time to look & see what they did/ate in the past 12 hrs from when you opened the link. They feed the young koi, goldfish, bunker/menhaden, porgies, bluefish, etc. You can slow down the video by clicking the sprocket icon at the bottom right.]

Excellent viewing

 

[Jhn]

Have had ospreys around my pond, they are very good at catching fish. Also, get to see them out hunting everyday at work, very interesting to watch them dive bomb fish. they can catch and haul off very large fish, the size of 18-20”. Maybe put an osprey statue near our ponds, they absolutely hate blue herons, constantly chasing and harassing them.

Anyways, pretty much what everyone else has said @rubyduby you are lucky for some reason they don’t eat your fish. The scarecrows and fake herons are short term solutions, the herons figure them out eventually, have seen herons getting blasted by a scarecrow and ignore it. Although, those are entertaining when I had one and didn’t tell my friends about it when they walked up to the pond.