Hello All

Y'gotta admire the Heron really.

I have a large pond, approx 12' x 50', 24-36" deep. Steep shelving
apart from one sloping edge. Heavily planted and with about 60% of the
free water covered with oxygenators.

In one hour (from dawn to when I let the dogs out), a heron took 9
adult 6" goldfish and approximately 100 2" black immature goldfish.

It's left a single black immature fish that I've been able to see.

Kinda solves my "I've got too many fish, what am I gonna do with
them?" problem.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

We had lots of problems last year. Tried putting a line of string round the
pond but Heron was not to be deterred.

Then tried additional lines at varying heights but Heron was still not
deterred.

We kept going out to shoo him off and 5 minutes later he was back again.

We finally put an electric fence round the pond (4 strands of wire) and this
has certainly done the trick. Might seem a bit OTT but we really were
getting desperate. The wire won't kill the herons - just gives them a nasty
shock. He did come back a couple of times afterwards, had a look and then
flew away again. He is still in the area - we live alongside the canal and
he is often on the other side and will also go in the field at the bottom of
our garden but he now keeps well away from the garden itself

Jeanne Stockdale


"Simon Avery" wrote in message
...
Hello All

Y'gotta admire the Heron really.

I have a large pond, approx 12' x 50', 24-36" deep. Steep shelving
apart from one sloping edge. Heavily planted and with about 60% of the
free water covered with oxygenators.

In one hour (from dawn to when I let the dogs out), a heron took 9
adult 6" goldfish and approximately 100 2" black immature goldfish.

It's left a single black immature fish that I've been able to see.

Kinda solves my "I've got too many fish, what am I gonna do with
them?" problem.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

"Simon Avery" wrote in message
...
Hello All

Y'gotta admire the Heron really.

I have a large pond, approx 12' x 50', 24-36" deep. Steep shelving
apart from one sloping edge. Heavily planted and with about 60% of the
free water covered with oxygenators.

In one hour (from dawn to when I let the dogs out), a heron took 9
adult 6" goldfish and approximately 100 2" black immature goldfish.

It's left a single black immature fish that I've been able to see.

Kinda solves my "I've got too many fish, what am I gonna do with
them?" problem.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

Herons being generally solitary won't fish close to where other herons are
whic is why life size model herons are available.
Mind you I'd love to know why one was stood in the middle of a dry road on
Sunday morning about half a mile from the nearest water!

The Q

"The Q" wrote in message
...

Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

Herons being generally solitary won't fish close to where other herons are
whic is why life size model herons are available.
Mind you I'd love to know why one was stood in the middle of a dry road on
Sunday morning about half a mile from the nearest water!

The Q


Before we resorted to the electric fencing, we did try the life-size plastic
heron system.
It did not work.
The birds seem happy to hunt in packs round here although I agree that a
sighting of a single one is more common.
Jeanne and Peter Stockdale, Cheshire
www.thecanalshop.com

On Tue, 7 Oct 2003 10:33:14 +0000 (UTC), " Jeanne Stockdale"
wrote:


"The Q" wrote in message
...

Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

Herons being generally solitary won't fish close to where other herons are
whic is why life size model herons are available.
Mind you I'd love to know why one was stood in the middle of a dry road on
Sunday morning about half a mile from the nearest water!

The Q


Before we resorted to the electric fencing, we did try the life-size plastic
heron system.
It did not work.
The birds seem happy to hunt in packs round here although I agree that a
sighting of a single one is more common.
Jeanne and Peter Stockdale, Cheshire
www.thecanalshop.com


I am not sure that herons really are solitary. I saw two every day
feeding on the rocks along with a dozen oyster catchers near the
beach in Runswick Bay N Yorks, when I was on holiday in September.
A few miles away from where I live there are two eel smokeries, there
is a colony with more than 50 herons that live on scraps. It's quite
common to see rows of herons along canals here.
--
Martin

" Jeanne Stockdale" wrote:

Hello Jeanne

JS We finally put an electric fence round the pond (4 strands
JS of wire) and this has certainly done the trick. Might seem a
JS bit OTT but we really were getting desperate. The wire won't

I'm not that fussed tbh. The fish had bred so much they had taken over
what was intended to be a mostly wildlife pond and although I didn't
really want them all gone I'm just not prepared to take the anti-heron
measures that seem to be neccessary. A wildlife pond with any wire
around it doesn't look right, and a plastic heron might be considered
"twee", and that's an image I'm trying to avoid!

So it's not unexpected and I could have prevented it, but didn't want
to pay the costs. I was just admiring the speed and skill with which
he cleared me out, like a high class fishburgler.

I'd undoubtably be a lot more miffed if I they were in any way
valuable, or if I was breeding them deliberately though. I can
understand why Trago Mills' founder was prepared to go to jail for
shooting 'em even if I wouldn't do anything like that myself.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/