bad bad night

[CountryEscape]

Holy cow, great pics showing what he did. Unbelievable that JW was watching it real time! Neat that you could go back and review how he got in there. Maybe that is the only reason he was swimming, trying to get back to the wall to get out of there. I don't think they typically swim after fish, but I'm not sure. Never seen one swim before.
Yellow jackets will keep chasing. When my son was little, 3 or 4, he came screaming into the house, the yellow jacket was still attached and stinging him at the base of his skull. Poor little guy. They will chase horses for a LONG way! When we ride with a group, the first few would stir up the nest, and the 4th and 5th horses usually got attacked. We learned later on to NOT run through them, but to stop and go back and go around. Live and learn! Always put the littlest kids on horses in front of the pack in dry summers. Hope you are able to locate their nest and pour gas down it to kill them. Or, maybe you are going to leave them alone, if they are far enough away from the pond and where you normally walk. I would get rid of them, as they and anything that stings is my fear! I can handle snakes, mice, etc., but not things that sting, I go nuts!

 

[addy1]

They made a nest right on the edge of my veggie garden, which I need to work on for, ie clean up, dig etc. They are going to go bye bye, I think they made a nest in the pile of mulch I have sitting there for the garden. I was just taking the chicken wire off the supports as a quick fix in case the bird came back, when they attacked me, my arms got the worst of the stings.

It was swimming and dipping its head down to try and snatch a fish, but the pond is deep enough to protect them. They were all on the bottom and still hanging out low. Water is really stirred up from the bird hitting all those plants, the debris collected on the roots is floating everywhere.

 

[Sunshine]

Wow Addy, what a night you had. Hope the stings are better. So glad your fish are all accounted for.

 

[taherrmann4]

Thanks, luckily no fish loss, unluckily sure did get stung, taking benadryl brain a little goofy from it, the stings itch and hurt at the same time

At least we weren't in florida watching it fish from our pond, we were here and taking action. The fish have grown enough to be easily seen now, think that is what has caught their attention.

I don't think your goofy brain is a result of benadryl though..

 

[addy1]

I don't think your goofy brain is a result of benadryl though..

roflmao.................my blond is showing?

 

[Becky]

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear about that! I hope you recover quickly from the stings - and I hope your fishes recover from the attack!

 

[HARO]

Sorry to hear about your harrowing ordeal, Addy. You seem to have gotten off relatively easy with the yellowjackets; my dad had two run-ins with them...two ambulance rides to the hospital...two days in hospital each time. The first time, a doctor counted 125 stings before giving up! Get better soon. John

 

[toadfarm]

Quite an exciting story. Glad you and the fish are ok and recovering.

Is this your first heron issue?

 

[sissy]

hope maybe the scare will keep him away long enough to protect your pond .I guess though birds have short memories .Have you tried what jw did a radio set on a sensor to go off ,maybe if it is load enough it may scare him away .May neighbor ha a screech alarm and it has a sensor .It is supposed to be for a door area and has a sensor ,he has it set up by the driveway area .Scares the crap out of a person when your outside and it goes off .I think he said it came from some kind of haloween decoration he added speakers to.He has it under the carport .I can here it all the way up at my house and it even scares the birds off up here

 

[j.w]

Well it sounds like he hasn't been back today addy. Maybe he was really scared by the shotgun blasts. Thing is he's not the only one around. Hope all you have done now will make it impossible for them to get in.

Sissy that would be funny to hear that screeching from your neighbors house all the time! Something like that might be a good idea. Does it only work during the day? Cuz at night the neighbors might have a cow!

 

[addy1]

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear about that! I hope you recover quickly from the stings - and I hope your fishes recover from the attack!

The pigs ate like normal just now, all at the surface of the pond again.

Sorry to hear about your harrowing ordeal, Addy. You seem to have gotten off relatively easy with the yellowjackets; my dad had two run-ins with them...two ambulance rides to the hospital...two days in hospital each time. The first time, a doctor counted 125 stings before giving up! Get better soon. John

I was lucky John, ran for the house, all I saw were yellow jackets following me.... My arms hurt, but the benadryl seems to be working.
I would be in the hospital too if stung that much.

Quite an exciting story. Glad you and the fish are ok and recovering.

Is this your first heron issue?

We have had some small birds, a bittern came and left with no luck a few months ago and just recently. I though I saw a larger, but not this large heron two days ago. That made me run the fishing line. This is the first time I have seen the great blue heron.

It did act as if the fishing line would have stopped it, if strung closer together, in review of the dvr it walked up to the edge bumped the line, backed up tried another place. Where it went through the gap was larger. Looks like it stepped on the bog wall, I have loose rocks on the top, they are now in the pond. Think they gave way under the birds foot, made it do a header into the pond.

Sissy, the problem I have is the plants, they are always moving in the wind, so it would constantly be going off. We are going to fence the edges, more line across the top.

According to what I have read, they have a 7 foot wing span, no way it could fly in with the lines across the pond. It was having issues getting out because of the lines.

 

[blessedfamily]

Wow Addy sorry to hear you got stung and hope you are getting better, so glad to hear the heron did not get any snacks though

 

[addy1]

At first we thought it had taken the large white butterfly rescue fish, it was always hanging out on the top of the water, a very visible fish. Didn't see it again until about an hour after the heron left, think it was in hiding under the hyacinths.

 

[j.w]

Those birds move in slow motion. The one that came to my pond moved so slow that I had time to hunt for my camera and get back to the window and take pics before he was able to sneak in between my fencing and get to the pond edge before I had it fixed tight. And they have the patience of Job. Beautiful birds. Love watching them, just not at my pond!

 

[sissy]

He has what is called a heat sensor on his and it only goes off when it sense's some heat and yeas she keeps it on all the time and it very seldom goes off but you know when it does .He had a large water rat from down by the creek that set it off a couple of times .I think he told me he got the sensor at radio shack ,I will have to ask him again .I guess just general movement does not set it off as she has shrubs nearby and a tree and they never set it off .You may be able to google it and see what you come up with