herons

[Storming]

I'm fed up with our local herons using our pond as a lunchbox (and midnight snackerie) and I'd like to persuade them to go elsewhere. It's too big to net. Wires at 18 inches high are easily avoided. Any ideas, please?

[Wild-Woman]

A sunken drainpipe that the fish can escape into. That is what we have. The heron is down in our pond quite often and seem foiled by it. ww

[Storming]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

A sunken drainpipe that the fish can escape into. That is what we have. The heron is down in our pond quite often and seem foiled by it. ww

The heron can only get into the very edge of the water and the bank slopes steeply in down to about 4 feet so the fish can easily get out of reach. In fact, the fish must have to nearly volunteer themselves by getting in close enough to the heron.

Having said that, I'm blaming the heron for the depletion in numbers. I don't believe that any mink have been, human predation can be ruled out and I'm unsure of any other hazards. I keep blaming the heron on the basis he wouldn't be here so often if he wasn't rewarded for his patience.

Am I missing anything?

[JJ]

Although I live on the edge of a large wood I had a visit from a heron a few months back. I was devastated as I thought I had lost all my fish. However, after nearly a week they reappeared - very cautiously, AND i THINK i LOST ABOUT 5 TO THE HERON.
i TRIED NETTING BUT IT SPOILT THE LOOK OF THE WHOLE AREA SO i TOO HAVE PLACED A PIECE OF DOWN-PIPE IN THE POND IN WHICH THE FISH CAN HIDE.
SO FAR, SO GOOD.
eXCUSE CAPS - i'M JUST TIRED!

[Airehead]

My mother used to have a plastic heron at the side of the pond to keep them away. Since she live in the middle of town I doubt if any herons would have appeared in any case, so I don,t know how effective it might be, but I think it's worth a try.

[Wily Trout]

We have a big family of resident jackdaws and they mob the local herons - I saw them knock one out of the sky last year. So perhaps the trick is to encourage corvids and let them patrol!

[Airehead]

I have watched crows 'buzzing' herons both on foot (the heron) and on the wing. The crows obviously think it is highly amusing. Sometimes the heron actually ducks as the crow comes over.

[catalaze]

[color="DarkSlateBlue"]I've never been sure about artificial Grey Herons as a deterrent as I've also seen them for sale for attracting the species ...

Try the RSPB's website, as they always used to have handy information packs about deterring Grey Herons. There are various options, some of which are very successful. You could look also for commercial products. A particular sensational one (doubtless expensive) involves a motion activated, self-aiming, water jet. It isn't the sort of jet that would harm but I bet it would scare any heron away.

I'm not sure how people are supposed to approach it, though... [COLOR]

[nightshade]

Dummy Herons do not work,the sunken pipes do, I linked two together and sit the pump on top.This gives them an air-raid shelter
Herons like to land and walk-in so make the approach more difficult, a double ring of wires or fishing line one high one lower say 10" and 15" around 10" apart and cds hung about to spin
and flash, random bamboos used to temporarily inhibit landing are also useful.
The ultimate is an electric fence.Around my pond there are usually corvids or gulls these are a definite deterrent

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by Storming

Having said that, I'm blaming the heron for the depletion in numbers. I don't believe that any mink have been, human predation can be ruled out and I'm unsure of any other hazards. I keep blaming the heron on the basis he wouldn't be here so often if he wasn't rewarded for his patience.

Am I missing anything?

Grass snakes? I know they visit ponds in the summer.

Re: encouraging crows. The people who live in front of us have lots of crows in the garden which are attracted to the dog's food bowl - hasn't deterred the Heron on iota from snaffling their Koi Carp! LOL