preditors and protecting your pond

[addy1]

Get it and let us know! It seems it might work if herons don't like that sound.

 

[j.w]

Yep you be the Guinea Pig tmann!

 

[bettaozzie]

This is a great article with heaps of great info. I speak to at least 10 customers a week that are trying to reduce the impact of birds not just Herons eating their fish. There is nothing worse then when your kids love a particular fish and then over night it disappears !

 

[ComputerGuy]

Supposedly, heron aren't able to hear into the ultra-sonic range.

Wonder if this would work to keep the heron away..
http://www.amazon.co...ref=pd_sim_lg_1

 

[fishin4cars]

Guy, I haven't seen that one but Koiguy or Dr. Dave recommended I try the driveway alarms they sell at harbour freight. they actually work! Not 100% effective but better than the fake heron and the water sqirting crow thing. and a lot cheaper. I've been using the tree I bought now for almost two years and they still work great.

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

I was feeling pretty comfortable and confident I would not have issues with GB Herons since we have a 24' above ground pool that was converted to a pond in '09 out of necessity. Even though the second season either a young heron or one of those night marauding herons got caught in the dratted trees overlooking the pond. It untangled itself and flew off towards the lakes within 1 mile of our place. I continued to read this thread, feeling sorry for those that had to deal w these majestic murderers (yes I understand the cycle of life ) Felt safe, also because down the center of the pond, we have a guy line for our leaf netting to rest upon in the fall. Felt safe because in it's past life it was a pool and therefore we had a 4'tall privacy fence around it w another 2' of framed in lattice. Felt safe because we have a 60# Lab Mx and a 30# Cavie mix that do not allow any birds in this enclosure w/o sounding the alarms....felt safe until this morning. Got up and came downstairs to let the dogs out. Did not see a thing, until the big guy (dog) bound off the deck and the I saw it...A Great Blue Heron....OH NO!! It must have been perching on top of the fence, for if it were inside the enclosure, I would have seen it fly away this side of the fence...insttead it flew away on the other side of the trees. My initial thought was "What a beautiful, majestic bird." But then I remembered, I had not heard my resident Bull Frog serenading in the early hours of the morning. I remembered all the posts of fellow pond members and how these birds deciminate their finned friends and all I could do was scream "Get Away and Never come back!" Because the pond is 3 1/2' deep, I hope the GBH would not be able to have a sure footing in it. Because it has to walk over a 1' ledge and wall on the side it was on, I hope it would not have done so. Because the overhanging trees cover about 1/3 of that side of the pond, it would not have the small enough wingspan to land in the pond in addition to getting tangled in the guy line down the center. But I guess I will never know. I will now have to get up earlier to let the dogs out...then go back to sleep only to get up again to repeat until I am confident it will not return.....I can only hope. ;(

I walked around the pond but did not see any evidence of the maurauder. I also did not see Bully and he had just gotten comfortable floating on a makeshift float I made for him. I did see a few fish as I pushed floating planters out to the center of the pond. I can only assume I interrupted the GBH in his thoughts of getting breakfast this morning. I can only hope. UGH!! :goldfish:

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

Well, after a late lunch, I let the boyz outside and I saw the dern heron again...but this time on the house/deck side of the pond! All I heard was Thip, thip,thip as its' wings elevated it and it flew off. I postponed my afternoon errands and am sitting on the deck, under the canopy to see if it returns. UGH!! Not at all a happy camper...but I would love to catch a picture of it LOL My Bullfrog has surfaced and thankfully, I am dealing with pea soup algae in the pond so the fish are relatively unseen! I have my camera in the ready and have to be vewry vewry qwiet

 

[addy1]

Once they come, it takes them a while to learn they can't get food there. Mine came every day for a few months, eating out of the gardens, once it learned it could not get fish. It will be back. Peak out of a window if you can see if it is there, the second it saw me move in our windows it was gone.

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

Well, the GBH returned sometime in the early morning hours. I did not see it, but I saw the evidence. It ripped out some wh from a floating planter and another floating planter was on its side and the plant was as well. I think it also did a fly over about an hour ago, because the dogs were on the deck w me under the canopy and all of a sudden they took off ,running to the side yard, barking and looking skyward. I turned to only see part of a wing, but was unable to see much as the trees obliterated my view. Bully, my bullfrog, is still in the center of the pond, but he will not get on his floater. I so wish I had a survelance camera on the pond. Would loved to have seen it try to stand on the floating planters! I am now, so grateful for the green water in my pond. At least my fish are relatively safe as is Bully. I have some Mylar streamers I hope to string on the guy wire and may even string some old CD's to reflect the sun. I would still love to get a picture of it perched on the top rail of the pond. DH suggested I get up at the crack of dawn and sit on the deck...not so sure I want that picture quite that much!

:goldfish:

 

[addy1]

You can pick up a wireless camera pretty cheap, it does not need a dvr or anything. Also those game trail cameras. I love our dvr system, have had fun watching a bunch of different critters at the pond, and on our deck, the baby ground hogs.

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

I got up @ the crack of dawn today, took a chair and my camera and hoodie and sat on the deck in an obscure area and w8ed for my heron to arrive. I even woke up earlier than my dogs I w8ed for about 45 min. shivering, and finally I saw it in the distance, but not close. I then w8ed for another 10-15 and sure enough, it came this way, but landed on the top of a very high tree in the neighbors yard. I was as still as I could be, so I did not even get a pic as I did not want to cause it to fly away. I had hoped it would come closer. not to be. It may have seen me, or it did not like the mylar streamer I had put on the post or, most likely, it was the neighbors (other side of me) who put out their yappy,yippy dogs. It flew away. UGH! Here I could have gotten a pic of it in the trees but I opted for one possibly closer to the pond.. I sat there for another 40+ minutes and saw it again in the distance, going a different direction. By this time, my dogs were whining to be let out so I let them out, left the big guy outside and the little guy and I went back to bed. Maybe tomorrow?

 

[j.w]

He'll be back but he might be scared of the mylar thingy but he'll get used to it eventually and try to get your fish again. Got any plans on how to keep him away if that does not work?

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

Gonna keep on getting up really early and let my dogs out and most likely the big guy will be stubborn and won't want to come in so he will stay on the deck, ever wary of the heron. He also watches the sky for Red-Tailed Hawks and barks at them, hopping around the back yard. Now if I could only get him to also snap pictures of the heron. I also hope to add more mylar strips and possibly some old CD's to also reflect the light. Since the pond is an above ground pool w 3 1/2' of water and really no shelf for the heron to fish from, Ihope it will only take a few tries for him to find the water is too deep. The water is also green this year due to our early 90* weather in March and April....Did not get the filter set up early enough. With the green water and no shelf for it to fish from, and Rusty in teh ready, I think it will eventually get discouraged...at least I hope so!

:goldfish:

 

[j.w]

Yep sounds like you've got it covered but be wary of the Great Blue as ya never know what tricks he's got up his feathered sleeves!

 

[Shoestring Ponder]

Up @ 6:15 this morning and watched for about 1 hr. but no sightings. :sad: I just got too antsy this morning and wanted to get on with my day, so out the dogs came and I have no idea if it just observed or has gotten the message. Off to get brkfst. then to a friends lagoon to see if she has any natural reeds etc. I can transplant in my Shoestring Pond. B) :goldfish: