This means WAR!

[capewind]

I've got a short wire fence around mine w/ extra wire tied in between and shrubs and some short trees here and there. Lots of stuff jangling in the wind and the MAIN MOTHER that appears to work the best is the water proof radio I put out on the front deck under cover that faces right at the pond. I set it loud to talk radio when I'm not sitting out there. It is hooked to a timer to blast on at dawn and go off at sundown. I'm telling ya it's been years now since any of those darn birds have darkened my pond! My neighbors are far enough away to where the noise does not bother them. I think since it's on talk radio the different voices and such make the birds think there are people around. I just hope it is really working and they don't appear one day but so far so good.

Will hope the radio keeps working for you, but I am a nonbeliever for this guy ... the main pond is against the familyroom, and I had the tv pretty loud most of the day on a news channel ... so I can hear the tv away from it ... I will however try to find a talk channel on the radio tomorrow and set it out there and see if it helps ... game to try ...

 

[capewind]

i recommend getting a dog i have two of them myself and no critters have the nerve to venture over to my pond if the did they would be the ones on the menu not the fish lol

The one dog we have now is ABSOLUTELY USELESS for other animals!!! She was raised around all kinds of small critters and knows to be GENTLE. She has ZERO prey drive. Dont raise your voice around her though, as now that she is the only dog, is super protective of people ... When I shot out earlier to run a kid to work, I left her OUTSIDE ... I came back to her SLEEPING about 20' away from where the heron was standing at the lily/baby pond ... Her dam on the other hand took out some of the GEESE we used to have ...

 

[adavisus]

A 100lb load bearing wire could hold up a net which is likely to cover most ponds.

Bang hooks into two trees...

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[JohnHuff]

Having seen your setup, I'd definitely net up the whole area. It'll take some work and cost a little, but I think it can be done. It'll be worth it, with that beautiful pond you have.

 

[davepratt]

blow off some firecrackers every time you see that heron that will prolly scare the shi... out of him putting a net over that beautiful pond seems not only a pain but will be ugly dont you think

 

[capewind]

Having seen your setup, I'd definitely net up the whole area. It'll take some work and cost a little, but I think it can be done. It'll be worth it, with that beautiful pond you have.

I am thinking in the end, that is what will likely have to happen. Have another issue that I forgot about. Our original neighbor sold the house a few months ago, and will be meeting the new neighbor for the first time this weekend (they dont live here). One of our clients gave out our son's name to call to mow the property, having no idea it was our new neighbor. Son looked at it Wednesday night, and found the new owners put in a pond. New owners are having an open house this weekend (too much property for them to take care of, so putting back on the market) and needed it mowed by today. Son cant get there, so hubby went first thing this morning to do it for him. Hubby came back over here, asking if the heron has been here, as he just chased it OUT of the neighbors pond. Hubby chased it out of our yard at 6:45 am, so it looks like it may be going back and forth. No wonder it keeps perching in the two trees it has been ... it can see both ponds from that height! When someone else can be here to babysit our ponds, I'll walk over to check out their pond. All I know is hubby isnt happy with their design since the bird can stand in it .. hubby said they also have a motion sensor water sprayer, and it got him wet, but doesnt bother the bird .. So I know to scratch one of those off my list! But back to our ponds ... when hubby saw it here at 6:45 am, he chased it off before it could land, so I dont know if it will try to put its head between the yarn I strung or not... I dont think we will do more than the yarn for the weekend, as hubby will be home to work in our backyard. He says he has some deer netting in the basement that I can take to wrap around the ponds too (not enough to COVER both ponds) ... I just wish I knew if it will try to go THROUGH things to access our ponds from the side of the ponds... I have long handled items propped up too ,, thinking of putting buckets on them up side down to rattle and move in the wind where it likes to go ...

 

[capewind]

blow off some firecrackers every time you see that heron that will prolly scare the shi... out of him putting a net over that beautiful pond seems not only a pain but will be ugly dont you think

LOL ... I said that to hubby when we first spotted him ... I forget what they are called ... come in "bricks" some are red, and some are either blue or black ... you light the fuse and toss them ... or you can light off the whole brick at once and it sounds like a rapid fire gun ...

I am used to the whole backyard being a war, I mean construction zone, so looks really dont matter right now. After the money I just spent though on the delivery that came yesterday for the backyard, I dont want to spend much on a temp fix. The bird netting I want (at least on the main pond) is almost $500 without the misc other materials needed. For lack of better wording, want to do something almost pergola style over it.

 

[garcan]

I understand from my pond contractor that herons are territorial bird. If you put the statue of a heron by the pond, they would not join in. Not sure this is true or not.

 

[capewind]

I understand from my pond contractor that herons are territorial bird. If you put the statue of a heron by the pond, they would not join in. Not sure this is true or not.

From what I was reading, the statues depend on the individual birds. Some may avoid them thinking that buffet is occupied, and others have been known to attack smaller herons, real or not. I guess it depends on how determined an individual bird is. I saw a statue of a heron that I really want, NOT related to the current problem, but it was more than I can justify spending right now.

 

[j.w]

Before I added the extra wire in-between the wire fence I put up and added the radio and all the other this and that jingle jangle spinning things this bird lowered his neck down and just squeezed right in-between the narrow spaces in the fencing so beware they are not stupid and will try to fit wherever they can to get to the sushi bar!
I had to grab a camera before this one left:

Scoping the place out



Found his way in



Surveying the area



Has not been back since I reinforced the fence and added the loud radio :fingersx:

 

[capewind]

He hasnt been back since the visit here, then the neighbors this morning ...

I dont expect to see much more of him today, as hubby just brought the machine out back, and next is the truck ... finally have everything on hand to secure the cap blocks and install the upper patio and mid level walk way ... and a bit more area If he doesnt like noise, I'm sure he wont appreciate the sounds of cap and pavers being cut all day either!

 

[j.w]

He will not bother you w/ all that construction going on but he will be back to check things out when the quiet times comes back! As long as he does not feel threatened and can find a way in he will try again! He is hungry and the easier of the targets he will choose first. Your neighbors better get busy and reinforce that pond of theirs too or if nobody is living there now then bye bye fishies.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I used to have a big blue heron problem a couple years back, and he almost got all my fish out of the bottom pond. the fix is very simple. The big blue heron has a very large wing span, and if you hang twine high above the pond from the trees to the house or something, and cross cross the twine several times, the big blue heron will not be albe to land, and if he can't land cause you take away his runway, then he can't fish the fish out of your pond! I have done this like the Japanese, but I hung pretty sparkling plastic jewels from the cheap dollar stone, and that big bad blue heron has not been back! The twine is hung high high above my head and so the pond, so it does not look bad. You only need to string a few lines for this to be cheap but effective! (You can also tie thin strips of cloth to dangle instead of jewels and I did that for two years, then this year I switched to the jewels)

 

[capewind]

Since hubby is home, and his buddy stopped by, the wife and I took off to get our nails done ... Came back to my ipod cranked through the houses' surround system and the guys reported no sighs of him ... gee construction going on in the yard and it sounds like a rock concert, I wonder why he didnt stop by ... can herons FLOAT at all ... I mean like a duck or a swan ... the way they can swim and put their heads under water? It wouldnt take any effort to run more lines across the lily pond ...a bit of a challenge to run some over the main pond, but sure I could rig something ... NO trees to help ... those havent been planted yet LOL.

 

[DOUBBLE TAP]

Something that worked for a friend of mine was fake/toy fish that floated. He tied it to a rock so that it was just below the water line and came home the 3 of the 5 fake fish where out of the pond in the yard and pretty banged up but he never saw the heron again. And yes herons can float but its not there preferred method of hunting. I think that we all have a special type of hate for those birds Good luck.