Thank you all for the helpful advice. I think I'll plump for Sacha's advice -
that of the string round the edge. This is the second time we've had a
devastating clearout, and I now remember that there is a heronry at Englefield,
just a couple of miles away. Bother. Not that I don't like herons - they're
beautiful birds.

Gill

On 05 May 2004 18:31:42 GMT, ojunk (Gill Hall) wrote:

Thank you all for the helpful advice. I think I'll plump for Sacha's advice -
that of the string round the edge. This is the second time we've had a
devastating clearout, and I now remember that there is a heronry at Englefield,
just a couple of miles away. Bother. Not that I don't like herons - they're
beautiful birds.

How about replacing the fish with plastic fish. Who would the
difference? :-)

The way I prevented herons getting the fish was to have the pond at least
three feet deep at the margins and with a wall around the pond about six
inches higher that the water level. This works for me. I am a keen angler
and have spent may hours watching herons and it occoured to me that they
never fish anywhere where they have to put their head below the level of
their feet. They mostly stand in the water to fish.

Bob

"Bob" wrote in message
...
The way I prevented herons getting the fish was to have the pond at least
three feet deep at the margins and with a wall around the pond about six
inches higher that the water level. This works for me. I am a keen
angler
and have spent may hours watching herons and it occoured to me that they
never fish anywhere where they have to put their head below the level of
their feet. They mostly stand in the water to fish.


Mostly, perhaps, but I have seen herons fishing from timber landing stages
into water too deep for them to stand up in.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 08:35:22 +0100, "BAC"
wrote:


"Bob" wrote in message
...
The way I prevented herons getting the fish was to have the pond at least
three feet deep at the margins and with a wall around the pond about six
inches higher that the water level. This works for me. I am a keen
angler
and have spent may hours watching herons and it occoured to me that they
never fish anywhere where they have to put their head below the level of
their feet. They mostly stand in the water to fish.


Mostly, perhaps, but I have seen herons fishing from timber landing stages
into water too deep for them to stand up in.

and catch things whilst gliding just above the surface.

On Fri, 7 May 2004 08:35:22 +0100, "BAC"
wrote:

Mostly, perhaps, but I have seen herons fishing from timber landing stages
into water too deep for them to stand up in.

Having followed this thread for a couple of days, I tried the 'fishing
wire round the edge of the pond' routine yesterday. Today, when
looking out of the bathroom window first thing, I saw the heron
standing on the fountain in the middle of the pond! And yes, the
fountain was working! Admittedly it only throws the water into a
shape about 2'6" high and similar diameter and is more of a sprinkler
really (the fountain, not the heron). I didn't think herons could land
that accurately? (the water round the fountain's about 2' deep, and
I've only ever seen the heron in the margin of the pond before.

Do I need a more powerful pump/fountain?

Tim

On Fri, 07 May 2004 13:36:49 +0100, Tim Nicholson
wrote:

On Fri, 7 May 2004 08:35:22 +0100, "BAC"
wrote:

Mostly, perhaps, but I have seen herons fishing from timber landing stages
into water too deep for them to stand up in.

Having followed this thread for a couple of days, I tried the 'fishing
wire round the edge of the pond' routine yesterday. Today, when
looking out of the bathroom window first thing, I saw the heron
standing on the fountain in the middle of the pond! And yes, the
fountain was working! Admittedly it only throws the water into a
shape about 2'6" high and similar diameter and is more of a sprinkler
really (the fountain, not the heron). I didn't think herons could land
that accurately? (the water round the fountain's about 2' deep, and
I've only ever seen the heron in the margin of the pond before.

Do I need a more powerful pump/fountain?

or 20,000 volts?

There's a coot nesting on top of an active fountain in a canal in
Leiden, the nest is built around the bit that the water comes out of.
In the photo in the local paper, the bird on the nest is half obscured
by the spray falling all around it.

"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 7 May 2004 08:35:22 +0100, "BAC"
wrote:

Mostly, perhaps, but I have seen herons fishing from timber landing
stages
into water too deep for them to stand up in.

Having followed this thread for a couple of days, I tried the 'fishing
wire round the edge of the pond' routine yesterday. Today, when
looking out of the bathroom window first thing, I saw the heron
standing on the fountain in the middle of the pond! And yes, the
fountain was working! Admittedly it only throws the water into a
shape about 2'6" high and similar diameter and is more of a sprinkler
really (the fountain, not the heron). I didn't think herons could land
that accurately? (the water round the fountain's about 2' deep, and
I've only ever seen the heron in the margin of the pond before.

Do I need a more powerful pump/fountain?


No, you need more easily fooled herons :-)