"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 15/3/07 16:37, in article
, "Sally Thompson"
wrote:

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:12:44 +0000, Sacha wrote
(in article ) :

On 15/3/07 14:50, in article ,
"Alan
Holmes" wrote:


"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
A wretched heron has been to one of the ponds this morning and either
it's
cleared it out or all the fish are hiding! I feel sure it's the
latter as
it's a well-stocked pond but while I don't begrudge it one or two
fish,
we'll be furious if it takes the koi. And we *are* furious that it's
taken
a mass of frog spawn. ;-(

If you put a sort of fence around the pond, a wire suspended about 6in
to a
foot high on some samll stakes, it will stop the herons getting in, as
they
walk to the side of the pond and anything which stops them moving into
the
water deters them.

We can't, Alan. This pond is paved all around. There's nothing to put
the
sticks into - and sure as fate if we could do it, someone would trip
over it
and take a dive into the water!


Sacha, I have never tried it but some friends once swore by positioning
an
artificial heron at the edge of the pond. The theory is that they don't
take
to a rival and will stay away. You can get some very life-like ones :-)


Might try that. Do we have to get a gnome, too? ;-) The kind with a
fishing rod might not be too tactful! Thanks, Sally.

I don't know where the idea came from that herons are solitary birds. I've
frequently seen several using the same wetland area, and suspect that if
they get the idea a location is a good feeding spot, because they see
another heron there, they will investigate, sooner or later.

Have you thought of the grid available from

http://www.safapond.com/

It would keep out herons, cats, and children, too.