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charco123
12-10-2020, 12:07 AM
So i had the covers off today just checking the fish over and as I was doing so it went dark???? Then see the outline on the pond surface of what looked like a flying dinosaur. Looked up it was a foooooking heron!!! So glad I already have the covers on! The house that backs on to me has a large pond and the heron landed in his garden [emoji31] thing is I can’t work out what house he is when I’m on he’s street so I couldn’t tell him! Fingers crossed he’s fish was ok ! It’s that time of year ! Don’t help i live near 10 odd lakes and streams


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Steve's koi
12-10-2020, 10:45 AM
Unfortunately coming into winter most fish rest up or go into torpor which makes finding food harder for the Heron, so a nice clear pond full of colourful fish is an easy meal for the bird.
Early morning just as it gets light there is quite often a Heron on my neighbours pond full of gold fish, but as far as I know it has never landed on my pond, or I just haven't seen it. But my pond has always been covered with a net in winter just incase. and i'm thinking about fitting an electric fence on my new pond build I'm doing atm.
Hope your pond don't get a Heron attack, as when a Heron finds a good food source It won't stop until that food source is depleted unless you can deter the bird.
Just keep your eye open now specially early morning as most Heron attacks happen at this time, and they have been and gone before most people wake.
Good luck with your pond mate.
Atb, Steve.

john1
12-10-2020, 10:46 AM
Must be the year of the Heron :rolleyes:

I had two smallish koi disappear from the pond then two days later I saw a heron on the ground waiting to hop onto the wall.

Watched it for a while then chased it when it was on the wall.
My pond has a roof on it so I put some fishing line round the edge two layers high then sat and waited. :D

He came back and surveyed the wall then flew off not to be seen since.
I have three large koi with wounds on them and one small one but looks like they are healing ok as I am treating them every other day.

Covers will be on soon.

charco123
13-10-2020, 12:13 AM
Unfortunately coming into winter most fish rest up or go into torpor which makes finding food harder for the Heron, so a nice clear pond full of colourful fish is an easy meal for the bird.
Early morning just as it gets light there is quite often a Heron on my neighbours pond full of gold fish, but as far as I know it has never landed on my pond, or I just haven't seen it. But my pond has always been covered with a net in winter just incase. and i'm thinking about fitting an electric fence on my new pond build I'm doing atm.
Hope your pond don't get a Heron attack, as when a Heron finds a good food source It won't stop until that food source is depleted unless you can deter the bird.
Just keep your eye open now specially early morning as most Heron attacks happen at this time, and they have been and gone before most people wake.
Good luck with your pond mate.
Atb, Steve.

Cheers Steve mate I should be fine as mines covered now with poly sheets. I was chatting to the guy with the pond over the fence when he see me build mine and I asked about herons and he’s said never seen one mate not in the hole time of owning my pond he said lol. Poor git [emoji23] he may of not seen the heron but the heron has defiantly seen his pond! I love nature but they are barstards. I didn’t even know at first that they speared the fish first. Vicious devils ! If I see him again il send him over Essex way [emoji6][emoji23]


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charco123
13-10-2020, 12:17 AM
Must be the year of the Heron :rolleyes:

I had two smallish koi disappear from the pond then two days later I saw a heron on the ground waiting to hop onto the wall.

Watched it for a while then chased it when it was on the wall.
My pond has a roof on it so I put some fishing line round the edge two layers high then sat and waited. :D

He came back and surveyed the wall then flew off not to be seen since.
I have three large koi with wounds on them and one small one but looks like they are healing ok as I am treating them every other day.

Covers will be on soon.

Did you really that’s interesting as I have seen that fishing line trick on a few videos YouTube and the heron literally just stand on it. It must put some off but some others just more confident .... or hungry. Even those electric fences if seen fail a few times. I think once it shocks in has a delay period and it resets, I see a heron touch it with its foot to get shocked to then just walk over it. Like it’s testing it out. They are definatly more clever that most pond keepers think.


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Spongebob
13-10-2020, 12:18 AM
One of those protected bird species that are now abundant in ridiculous numbers, they need a natural predator, like a 22 air rifle. Vultures.

Steve's koi
13-10-2020, 10:59 AM
Cheers Steve mate I should be fine as mines covered now with poly sheets. I was chatting to the guy with the pond over the fence when he see me build mine and I asked about herons and he’s said never seen one mate not in the hole time of owning my pond he said lol. Poor git [emoji23] he may of not seen the heron but the heron has defiantly seen his pond! I love nature but they are barstards. I didn’t even know at first that they speared the fish first. Vicious devils ! If I see him again il send him over Essex way [emoji6][emoji23]


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No that's OK Charco you can keep them your end mate, we have plenty here plus little egrets, but I've never seen one of them on the pond next door, but have seen them fishing in the salt marsh near me. Famous last words an all that lol.

Steve's koi
13-10-2020, 11:18 AM
The thing is with electric fences is the wires have to touch the skin of the bird to shock it, if the wires only touch the feathers the bird won't get shocked, so some clever birds work this out, hence the "it does/don't work" argument, because some people don't know the feathers act as an insulator against the shock.

charco123
13-10-2020, 12:19 PM
The thing is with electric fences is the wires have to touch the skin of the bird to shock it, if the wires only touch the feathers the bird won't get shocked, so some clever birds work this out, hence the "it does/don't work" argument, because some people don't know the feathers act as an insulator against the shock.

Lol you have done your research! [emoji23] who would of thought pond keeping could make you like a army man all this talk of electric fences and rifles [emoji23]


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Steve's koi
13-10-2020, 02:10 PM
I love all nature charco, even if the Heron took all my fish I still wouldn't hurt it, It's only doing what nature intended it to do, take and eat fish. There is another species that does the same with sea fish and they are devastating it, there called Homosapien, the biggest killer of everything. And we moan about a Heron lol. It's a funny old would.