"NTL News" wrote in message ...
Does anyone know what range of fish an adult grey heron can take...?

Last year I lost a 5" golden rudd to the winged hunter, I also had a 9" koi
suffer injury. I am pleased to say that the koi responded to treatment, I
did feel a fool on my knees holding a fish in a wet towel spreading
antiseptic on its wounds.


Heres a few notes collected from observations and other folks
experience

1) predator nets, cheaper than losing koi, downside, local animals can
get trapped in it, snared. Not very pleasant explaining to your
neighbour why their pedigree cat or dog lost its life or leg through
strangulation

2) suspend strong fish line taut, 12" around the pond, herons hate
trip wires. An elegantly simple way to baffle a dim fishbag on stilts,
it often works, many folk have reported seeing herons 'baffled' this
way....

3) step up cover within the pond... water lilies.... big bits of pipe,
float large sheets of black polythene, hiding places... for fish.
Surprisingly, many black plastic objects, when submersed become
virtually invisible, in a natural setting, so the idea of this clutter
in pond is not as bad as it sounds. I like this method, it creates a
lot of hiding places, and makes it very difficult for the likes of
persistent racoons when they raid.... useful in winter when foliage is
bare, and fish want somewhere quiet, to hibernate, bare crystal clear
ponds must be an easy target for predators....

4) when you make a pond, make 45° sides, herons have gangly legs, they
like 'easy walking' conditions, they hate 'trippy' pond surroundings

5) I can't be so fiendish, I cant advise you put out snares... a
simple loop of fish line can lock onto a predators leg. Nasty way to
die, that

6) I can't recommend a .22 air rifle, a bit politically incorrect,
even though a heron is easy to hit at 200' with a decent scope,
unfair, too easy I guess. Anyone who has used a rifle properly could
hit a quarter at 100 feet so for the squeemish, clipping some tail
feathers is quite possible .....or hit a bucket placed beside the pond
loud and close enough to frighten the bejasus out of the vile fish
bag... that is a quite effective clean way

.....Alas rifles in most peoples hands are quite counter productive,
you will waste a lot of time waiting for the opportunity to use it, to
learn how to be competent with a rifle, and the consequences of a bad
tempered fool with a lethal tool is well, unpopular...

7) For the flash and the opulent, linking a motion detector and a
sprinkler might provide some amusement to scare off the dratted bird.
Or, a hose with a timer, that briefly blasts water every 15 minutes or
so, enough to startle a pest

8) A heavily planted pond makes life very difficult for predators,
even though the big bright dumber fish will always be taken first, shy
nervous timid (smart) fish and the little 'uns ought to be able to
find good hidey holes easy...

9) fish feeding routine: have a special food signal, like tap a stone
three times at feed time. You don't want your fish to associate every
visitor to your pond, with a free meal.... one day it will be a heron,
looking for freebies...

10) Heron statue... what a novel idea, picturesque even. They always
seem to be coming on the market, second hand. Never heard anyone had
any success with them, other than folk who sell them, I guess....

11) There is a very promising new device coming onto the market....
sonic 'guns' that fire a narrow band of extreme noise in a confined
direction. Link this to a motion detector and it really will do the
job... herons are incredibly sensitive and nervous, a violent sound
like that pointed at the pond area will really blow them away when
they trigger the sonic gun. Because of the controlled direction of the
sonics, its not likely to bother neighbours, much.... Very promising,
that method.....

12) baseball bats. Herons by nature are incredibly careful hunters,
you wan't get within 50 feet with a bat. Anyone thinking of trying
such a method will quickly learn the bird is a lot smarter than them,
and that will be just sooooo embarrasing....

the time when predatory birds go pond hopping is often determined by
local factors, drought, floods or freezes have made difficult or
clouded their usual hunting places, early morning and fog is often a
factor to make them bold enough to go close to places where ponds are,
compact sushi bars are preferred....

regards, andy


over 100 aquatic plants listed!
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