"Sacha" wrote ...
"Bob Hobden" said:
"Sacha" wrote...
"Bob Hobden" said:
"Sacha" wrote...
We were just finishing lunch (well, a sandwich) when Ray spluttered
and nearly dropped his water glass. He'd seen a heron stalking
purposefully across the lawn towards the old fish pond. By the time
he got to the back door it had reached the pond and it flew off as he
shouted and clapped his hands. I'm pretty sure it ws clasping
something in its beak. Why they can't use the River Dart which is all
of 2 miles away, I don't know!

Last week I had a visit from one of our neighbours, she was just going
out and saw something land in her garden just after she saw a Heron fly
over low. She noticed it was a fish flapping around and went out and
found a Koi a bit worse for wear, put it in her pond and it swam off.
It was not one of her fish.
It is still alive a week later.

A rescue story from a Knightess in shining armour! We don't begrudge
them the odd fish or three but we really don't want both ponds cleared
out. Both fishponds are around 3' to 4' deep and there's plenty of
vegetation for the fish to hide in but the poor things are traumatised
and don't re-surface for days after a heron visit.

Always worth putting some large clay flower pots on their side on the
bottom of the pond so they have somewhere safe to hide.

There's so much vegetation I don't think hiding is their problem. Daring
to re-surface is, however!

Whilst your ponds are quite deep a lot of people have them only 18 inches
deep and a Heron will pad around in the greenery and frighten the fish out,
a solid pot or wide necked jar or some other sort of solid "house" will stop
this happening.
That said I did see a Heron once wading so deep it looked like a duck
floating on the water, quite confused me at first.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK