Heron Strikes Again!

[nancyp]

Three of my four beautiful little koi are gone! That's it - now the pond has a net over it. I hope that works to keep him out. I have to keep trying until something works. I do not want a pond with no fish!

 

[addy1]

I have to keep a net over almost all the time, even saw the darn heron in January. I do take it off in the real cold months, the fish settle to the bottom, 4 feet down and don't wander the water. I also float some liner to give them coverage. Once they start moving around the net goes on. I like the one I am using now, not real noticeable, so far has kept the heron away. Easy to put up and take down. I can work on the pond with it there.

So sorry you lost your fish nancyp...........

 

[Dave 54]

I also net, ours is secured around the pond by Bugee straps plus one across the center of the pond to support it.
So far so good but we did notice yesterday a hole in the 6mm hexagonal netting and some bird droppings firectly behind it on the surronds to the pond.
Time to get my high power catapult out not to hit the culprit but scare him/her off

rgrds


Dave

 

[pdpond]

lol sure its not to hit the culprit Dave,

that's like saying you buy a gun and camouflage just to hang out in the woods and watch the wildlife through your scope

 

[dieselplower]

Or like Joe Biden says... buy a shotgun, ladies, and fire a couple shots through the door..... hahaha

 

[Coinr]

Sorry to hear about the lost fish. It's not fun when they disappear. My neighbor showed me pictures of a heron in the backyard 2 weeks ago so I put up a camera. It didn't get any then or yesterday when it got it's picture taken, but I'm worried that it will.

So for those using nets is there a particular kind/brand or setup?

 

[D&RW]

we are using an above pond net made of hemp garden twine. stretched over the whole back yard at about 12 feet over our heads. largest opening is about 3X3 and the heron comes every day and says, damnit and flys off. works like a charm . easy to look at and takes a few hours and minimal change to build.

R

 

[HTH]

we are using an above pond net made of hemp garden twine. stretched over the whole back yard at about 12 feet over our heads. largest opening is about 3X3 and the heron comes every day and says, damnit and flys off. works like a charm . easy to look at and takes a few hours and minimal change to build.

R

I would like to see a picture of you net and pond.

My pond was mostly covered with lily pads. I had not seen a heron in years although I know there is a local group. When I pulled all the lilies from my pond to clean it a heron showed up within a day.

As far as I know we have blue herons here. I found this about green herons found in the Caribbean and Central American. The Little Egret and Grey Heron also use bait.

They commonly drop bait - such as live insects, bread crumps, berries, worms, twigs or feathers - onto the surface of the water to attract fish. When inquisitive fish appear, these herons grab them with a quick thrust of their bills.

 

[addy1]

Sorry to hear about the lost fish. It's not fun when they disappear. My neighbor showed me pictures of a heron in the backyard 2 weeks ago so I put up a camera. It didn't get any then or yesterday when it got it's picture taken, but I'm worried that it will.

So for those using nets is there a particular kind/brand or setup?

I am using a fishing net, 5 inch weave, from 3-4 feet above the water. With the way our land is, i.e. slope, it would be difficult to a net over the entire yard, or even pond area.



The company coated it with some black stuff that makes it uv resistant, also makes it not as see able, to our eyes. Maybe that is why the herons have been flying over all of the time rather than landing, they can see it from up high.

The net is over the pond in this picture, a little low, I can raise it real easily just by tightening the ropes. Sometimes when it rains real hard it stretches then rebounds. Here it is about 2 feet over the water.


I have been fighting them since 2008 when the water cleared up and the pond had fish in it.

We have had the green heron come by, it mainly walks the edge trying to find a small fish.

 

[nancyp]

My pond is netted now. Fish are safe, at last. I feel much better about it, even though it takes away from the beauty of the pond and is a bugger to pull up to do anything in there. But here is something funny! I have been keeping an eye out for the heron to see what he will do now that we have a net up. I have never actually seen him at my pond, but I have seen large bird droppings on the rocks around it. So I went out looking for any signs of him visiting and there was one large poop - RIGHT ON MY PLASTIC HERON DECOY!! That is what he thought of him! Haha..

 

[addy1]

It is a pain to net your pond, but way better than holes in the liner, missing fish, I have tons of fish, but it seems the heron gets the ones you notice, unique coloring, long fins..........etc They miss the "common" colors.

 

[fishin4cars]

My pond is netted now. Fish are safe, at last. I feel much better about it, even though it takes away from the beauty of the pond and is a bugger to pull up to do anything in there. But here is something funny! I have been keeping an eye out for the heron to see what he will do now that we have a net up. I have never actually seen him at my pond, but I have seen large bird droppings on the rocks around it. So I went out looking for any signs of him visiting and there was one large poop - RIGHT ON MY PLASTIC HERON DECOY!! That is what he thought of him! Haha..

If you have one of those plastic herons, Move it away from the pond, honestly and I back with witnessing it first hand, I think they attract more than they discourage. fake alligators do a far better job if your going to use something like that. I removed out fake herons, one plastic and one concrete away from the ponds. I've actually seen a heron go to the tree where they are just to check them out. My plastic one has been attacked and still has a hole in the side where the Big Blue Heron poked it a few years ago.