Protect my pond from the Heron

[Dustydog]

Last autumn I did away with the mesh covers and installed a ring of thin wire around the entire pond circumference hopefully to protect our fish from the greedy Herons that live nearby.

Will it work? I don't know but hope so.

Anyone out there got any good solutions?

Covering it up spoils the looks.

Chers

Alan

 

[mealsonwheels]

Hi Alan,

Herons walk into garden ponds, so putting a ring of something around the edge of the pond is probably the best way to keep them out.

By the way, putting a plastic heron near the pond doesn't work either!

 

[ThePlotter]

Shot gun?

 

[mealsonwheels]

I just knew that someone would say that!

 

[Pat_374304630]

That's not just someone.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

We have a large pond and the ducks seem to keep Herons away!

Scarecrow water guns are available, they work when the electronics are triggered by the birds presence. But I would guess the bird has snatched a fish by then.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

ps.

At our last house the Herons just dived from mid flight into our neighbours pond and were gone in flash, fish in beak.

I nicked myself shaving more then once due to the loud splash from the pond in the early morning.

 

[davedee]

Getting a dog did the trick for us.

Dave

 

[Dustydog]

Dave

I've got two dogs but they spend more time relaxing indoors than patrolling the garden!

It's when we are away that concerns me . There seems to be a greater number of Herons at the Heronery over the field from us. Ah well belts and braces, on with the mesh cover and reinforce the perimeter wire.

Thanks for all your tips.

Cheers

Alan

 

[davedee]

Alan. When I said that the dog did the trick for us, I didn't mean he scared the heron off, NO!

We said sod the pond and played with the dog instead! Heh,heh...

Dave

 

[ThePlotter]

The shot gun was a joke,but we have herons come to the river at the end of our garden however they are usually scared away by the crows that chase them,so all you need now is to know how to attract crows!

 

[Robert_374242026]

My Son had same problems with Herons and after trying several methods ended up with one of those sensor things that eject a reasonable jet of water which also kept the cats away as well.

 

[Bigfoot]

Sell the Goldfish...get Piranhas!!!

 

[Dustydog]

Thankyou all for the advice. I never knew Herons could dive straight into a pond! Ah well back to the mesh cover I guess.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Rodone]

I kept koi for twenty three years in a pond, and never in all that time lost one to a heron, though our neighbours lost plenty to them. I did what you have done, and put a ring of thin wire so that it was about 4inches high, in the shallows. As someone rightly says, Mr Heron fishes by stealth, on foot, and cannot seem to cope with a sudden brush with wire. I too have never heard or seen a Heron dive for a fish - sounds to me like a gull or similiar?

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

A first for me also to hear of herons diving. I've only seen them walk into the shallows then remain motionless until a fish swims by then it stabs at it. That is unless like on the Broads, they become tame and sit alongside anglers waiting for a boot lace eel.

I've lost fish to gulls before now but they swoop, hover then stab at the fish with only their head getting wet.

 

[mick3]

Shotgun no good,to noisy might upset the neighbours, my mate used a air rifle,worked fine. No complaints from neighbours.

Cheers Mick.