Heron raid!
 

On 2009-12-17 08:50:08 +0000, "Bob Hobden" said:



"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.

It sounds comical, if it wasn't so lethal to the fish. In a previous
garden we put some fine mesh over the pond but I had to rescue a
blackbird from it and I've never tried that again. We then resorted to
fishing line pegged around the edges, as has been suggested above. It
did work but as I've said, we can't do it here - thoroughly recommended
for others, though.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Heron raid!
 

On 16 Dec, 16:06, Rusty Hinge
wrote:

Remember, when a heron alights, it always does so some distance from the
water, then walks in. To deter them, drive some pegs into the ground a
few inches from the margin, and tightly run a strand of thin nylon
fishing-line round the pond at about four to five inches above the ground.

or get a dog.

Heron raid!
 

On 2009-12-17 09:47:40 +0000, bobharvey said:

On 16 Dec, 16:06, Rusty Hinge
wrote:

Remember, when a heron alights, it always does so some distance from the
water, then walks in. To deter them, drive some pegs into the ground a
few inches from the margin, and tightly run a strand of thin nylon
fishing-line round the pond at about four to five inches above the ground.

or get a dog.

One Jack Russell, one wire-haired Dachshund, nul points!

--
Sacha

Heron raid!
 

On 2009-12-17 10:43:26 +0000, Martin said:

On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:49:42 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-12-17 09:47:40 +0000, bobharvey said:

On 16 Dec, 16:06, Rusty Hinge
wrote:

Remember, when a heron alights, it always does so some distance from the
water, then walks in. To deter them, drive some pegs into the ground a
few inches from the margin, and tightly run a strand of thin nylon
fishing-line round the pond at about four to five inches above the ground.

or get a dog.

One Jack Russell, one wire-haired Dachshund, nul points!

For points you need pointers.

We've also seen a heron appear to be floating like a duck, it caught a fish
whilst doing it.

There seem to be some very strange herons around! We saw one here
sitting on top of a hedge - it looked very silly.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Heron raid!
 

On 17 Dec, 09:49, Sacha wrote:
or get a dog.

One Jack Russell, one wire-haired Dachshund, nul points!

Odd. I'd have thought the terrier would have seen it off.

Get a bigger dog?

Heron raid!
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-12-16 17:58:37 +0000, (Larry Stoter) 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!

Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)

Larry

But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around us
is too open, I think.



Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

Regards
Pete(with heroned out pond)
www.thecanalshop.com

Heron raid!
 

On 2009-12-17 17:49:43 +0000, bobharvey said:

On 17 Dec, 09:49, Sacha wrote:
or get a dog.

One Jack Russell, one wire-haired Dachshund, nul points!

Odd. I'd have thought the terrier would have seen it off.

Get a bigger dog?

Have the dog awake instead of snoozing in front of the Aga would be a
start! ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Heron raid!
 

"Pete Stockdale" wrote ...
"Sacha" wrote
Larry Stoter 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!

Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)


But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around
us is too open, I think.

Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

You have to put it right next to the pond, they don't like flying into
water. A fake Heron also works but you have to keep moving it around the
pond otherwise the real one will smell a rat.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Heron raid!
 

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)


But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around
us is too open, I think.

Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately
anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

You have to put it right next to the pond, they don't like flying into
water. A fake Heron also works but you have to keep moving it around the
pond otherwise the real one will smell a rat.


I must confess that I have not tried the moving fake - but it seems a bit
risky to me.
Sorry - but round here the have overcome the dislike of flying in to the
water.
Plan 3c - this summer, is to chicken net over the whole pond.

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Heron raid!
 

Pete Stockdale wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-12-16 17:58:37 +0000, (Larry Stoter) 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!
Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)

Larry
But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around us
is too open, I think.



Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

Regards
Pete(with heroned out pond)
www.thecanalshop.com



They do work - every time. The herons either don't see them, or don't
understand what they see.

--
Rusty

Heron raid!
 

Pete Stockdale wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)

But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around
us is too open, I think.
Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately
anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

You have to put it right next to the pond, they don't like flying into
water. A fake Heron also works but you have to keep moving it around the
pond otherwise the real one will smell a rat.

I must confess that I have not tried the moving fake - but it seems a bit
risky to me.
Sorry - but round here the have overcome the dislike of flying in to the
water.
Plan 3c - this summer, is to chicken net over the whole pond.

I hve never known a heron to fly straight into water - and I've been
watching them since the 1950s.

We are well-favoured with harnsers here, and while I won't claim they
are a daily visitor, seldom does a week go by without one dropping in to
a pond's or a stream's bank within my sight.

--
Rusty

Heron raid!
 

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
Pete Stockdale wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-12-16 17:58:37 +0000, (Larry Stoter) 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!
Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts Herons
and Kingfishers :-)

Larry
But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land around
us is too open, I think.



Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately
anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they fly
over.

Regards
Pete(with heroned out pond)
www.thecanalshop.com



They do work - every time. The herons either don't see them, or don't
understand what they see.

--
In the case of low ones how can they possibly work every time if the herons
step over an unseen one
and nick all your fish.

You also wrote

"I have never known a heron to fly straight into water - and I've been
watching them since the 1950s."

Well, you would add another sighting to your repertoire if you twitched at
my pond !

You have obviously not yet come across the right factors of
depth of water, a visual on the fish and the pond bottom.

I must confess that the aerial dynamics could be more aptly described as an
ungamely extended flappy hop
as compared with straight flight.
It still gives them a two or three foot lift over a fence.
btw --- current pro- built heron cover, tailored to shape of my pond
quote - £620 (:-(

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Heron raid!
 

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
Pete Stockdale wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...
Only too happy to keep topping up my pond with fish if attracts
Herons
and Kingfishers :-)

But I have some pretty ones in there that I..........oh, never mind!
We've never had Kingfishers here and I doubt we would. The land
around us is too open, I think.
Larry - perhaps you would be happy to keep topping up mine as well .

I do not reckon any of these wire surround systems work ultimately
anyway.
If it is a low affair , they step over. If it is a high affair, they
fly over.

You have to put it right next to the pond, they don't like flying into
water. A fake Heron also works but you have to keep moving it around the
pond otherwise the real one will smell a rat.

I must confess that I have not tried the moving fake - but it seems a
bit risky to me.
Sorry - but round here the have overcome the dislike of flying in to the
water.
Plan 3c - this summer, is to chicken net over the whole pond.

I hve never known a heron to fly straight into water - and I've been
watching them since the 1950s.

I tend to agree with you, that has been my experience, but if someone says
they are flying directly into their pond, I cannot disagree with them.

Tina

Heron raid!
 

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
into
..

I must confess that I have not tried the moving fake - but it seems a
bit risky to me.
Sorry - but round here the have overcome the dislike of flying in to the
water.
Plan 3c - this summer, is to chicken net over the whole pond.

I hve never known a heron to fly straight into water - and I've been
watching them since the 1950s.

I tend to agree with you, that has been my experience, but if someone says
they are flying directly into their pond, I cannot disagree with them.



Well- as I tried to explain earlier, it is more of a hop, skip and a flappy
jump, than direct flight (:-)

End result is the same - fish gone (:-(

Not after plan 3c) though (;-} )

Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com