In the last chapter: Bonnie Espenshade picked up the keyboard and
::
:: I'm not the type to agrue, but this is what happened in my
:: yard. I saw the green heron trying to stab the goldfish
:: through a net leave and later found the fish under the net
:: on the slate next to the pond.

** Oh, I see what you mean. They can't get them through the net I use.
It's too fine (almost invisible) and the mesh is only 1". If a fish jumps
or something like that happened over our ponds, the fish would fall back
into the water, maybe on the rock necklace and still end up back in the
water. The net doesn't extend over the ground but a few inches.

:: The other occasion, I saw a great blue with a koi in it's
:: beak I chased it off and I tried to save the young koi but
:: it had a hole in it's head.

** They will "peck" them like chickens do and make holes. I've seen that
happen. If the fish is on the ground they'll peck their eyes out.
Gruesome! I can honestly say I never saw a heron here use it's beak like a
spear to spear a fish. We see them down by the lake all the time, and they
SNATCH them in their beaks there too, flip them around and swallow them
headfirst.

The only way I can imagine it
:: got a hole in it's head was that it was stabbed by the
:: heron.

** A heron can peck almost like a chicken. You've surely seen how a hen
pecks a hole in a ripe tomato for example.

I put the netting up again. My netting was
:: supported by pvc pipe. The great blue would stand on the
:: pvc and watch the fish and try to get them through the net.
:: It finally gave up and left and hasn't returned this year.

** My nets are strung over the pond on that garden fencing from Wal-Mart.
First I made a skirt of the net, on this fence, then a cover so it's easy to
remove to tend the pond. Wood clothespins hold the top on tightly and are
barely visible with the plants around the pond's edge. If we ever decide
NOT to keep fish anymore I'll get rid of the nets.
--
Carol.......
"Beat the 5 o'clock rush - leave work at noon."
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