Sandhill Crane

[DaBagBoy]

My three year old Michigan pond now has a visiting crane. possibly a great blue heron...Yesterday it ate a 16" all white Koi yesterday and a 8" shubunkin this morning before my very eyes. The yard is about a half acre in a fairly urban setting.

I've read here and other places about decoy birds, fishing wire, and water guns, all seemed to work occastionally, but I'm more inclined to seek a permanent solution and use a .22

From these links from the MiDNR
Heron
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_12202-60857--,00.html

Sandhill Crane
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_12202-60858--,00.html

I cannot tell if these birds are protected?

Does anyone know definitively if they are protected?
or have a good way to rid my pond of this flipping bird

 

[addy1]

I live near a heron rookery, rather than kill them I put a wide weave net over my pond, around 3 foot up. It is a fishing gill net, 4 inch openings. The herons used to visit every day, now they just fly over and look down. If I shot them I would need to kill all in the area, they fly over my pond every evening, every morning. We are in their food flight path.

They are beautiful birds. The heron is around 4-5 foot tall, blue gray in color

I, personally, can't kill critters.

 

[DaBagBoy]

Thanks I respect your bird conservancy, but as an avid hunter and fisherman I've never had that concern. So long as they aren't endangered. This morning I put a blue tarp over my pond as a temporary cover/deterrent, as once the lilypads fill in the fish have a place to hide and I've never had an issue in the summertime.

I'm thinking about adding more "structure" (like rocks and maybe a bridge/dock for hiding places but a net just sounds hideous IMHO I'd rather not have fish than a net...

 

[addy1]

Well mine is a compromise, I like my fish, I like the birds. Being where we are no way I kill off all the herons to protect my pond.
The net is not intrusive to the eye or working on the pond. The two big ponds are netted, the other three in the big pond loop un-netted.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I cannot tell if these birds are protected?

Yes, they are Federally protected.

 

[Tula]

Another effective deterrent is a dog, preferably a large one

 

[DaBagBoy]

Yes, they are Federally protected.

Thanks, a friend told me that this morning as well and sent an article of a Michigan ponder who was prosecuted for shooting Great Blue Herons. So I'm taking the murder off the table of options....

I have a shitty little dog, not likely to get a bigger one to deal with this bird.

So...now I'm also told that stinging the thing with a slingshot won't kill it but will almost certainly drive it away so it won't return. Anyone ever try that?

 

[addy1]

They are smart patient birds, I tried a lot of scare tactics, the floating alligator heads helped until they got trapped in the lilies and quit moving around. I had them tied to a rock with fishing line so they would move a lot.

 

[Smaug]

My aunt stopped keeping any fish because of them. I have been fortunate because of the layout of my backyard. Herons do not like areas where they cannot see trouble coming and my yard is fenced in with many view blocking things in the way. They fly over all the time and they go to the creek and meadow behind my house so I know they know the pond and fish are here. Maybe 8ts my constant presence in the back yard with my high end pellet rifle as well.

 

[Tula]

I've seen one here twice, last time we let our dogs out. They ran for it and almost got it's feet as it lifted off....hasn't returned yet. I should mention we have 7 dogs, 3 of them newfoundlands!

 

[Swamp Lady]

Late to the convo...

We have a LOT of wildlife where we live in Florida. The heron being the biggest nuisance for our pond. It comes by every morning and every evening and sometimes during the day. I tried all the usual decoys, but the bird gets used to them all after a few days. The only thing I have found to work is one of those air dancers you see outside shops to get your attention. Ours is 6'. It's a hideous thing, but when no one is home, I trust it 100%. I don't think the bird will ever get used to its erratic movements. When not inflated, it takes up no space at all and only weighs 10lbs, so it's easy to pick-up and move out of sight. I keep it in a large planter lined with a rubber material to keep the noise down. I haven't lost any fish since we got it.

 

[Tula]

Wow, clever idea, never heard this one before!!

 

[Smaug]

Not a bad idea if you could hook it up to a motion sensor .

 

[Swamp Lady]

We used a motion sensor sprinkler for a long time, but eventually the bird figured out that if it walks really slow, the sprinkler won't come on.

 

[Smaug]

I clever pondkeeper could rig one of these with a motion sensor.