Any advice anyone.
Now that I am passed the first, and indeed the second, flush of youth I find I have more time to occupy/fill doing the things for which there never seem’d the time.
I had always wanted a fish pond and two years ago, after much planning and discussion, I constructed one and was much pleased with the result. Once the water had matured I added goldfish for further interest plus lillies, marginals and various other pond plants…….It began to look a bit special.
Imagine my dismay when my goldfish began to disappear and I discovered it was a Heron that was ‘disappearing’ them. All attempts to outwit the Heron proved futile and my last resort was to cover the pond with unsightly wire mesh. The fish have stopped disappearing but the whole aspect of my pond is ruined.
Has anyone any suggestions?
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This happened to some friends of mine and they ended up filling it in. I know nothing about gardening of fish (except eating them in a pie etc). Do you hae to have fish in the pond? Could you not turn it in to a fabulous water feature.
I love listening to babbling water while sitting in the garden. Get some frog spawn, or do herons eat them to. You can watch babies grow each year and leave.
Or get a bloody big gun and blast the heron.
Oops here they come with the medication. xxx
Hahahaha Blinks! The pond sounds lovely Louis. Wouldn’t mind one myself when I retire. Sorry, I have no suggestion for the fish, except this….we have placed “owl” decoys on the roof od my office to deter seagulls from nesting on our green roof – with good but not absolute success. Perhaps finding the predator of a heron and including a decoy at the side of the pond? Good luck, hope you don’t give up on your pond. Helen
louis all i remember of my filled in fishpond is, that the damned frogs were still hopping around the garden a year later………frightened me to death they did……..hate the things….
As others have stated Louis, all i can suggest is either another decoy Heron, or a bird of prey perhaps ?, but if it were my problem, i’d go for the decoy Heron mate, in my experience, where one is, another won’t land nearby. Good luck.
Thank you all.(helen sophie) Forgot to mention that I had bought a huge eagle owl from the garden centre (I’m embarrassed to mention the cost). This could possible work but haven’t the nerve to gamble my fishes lives on it’s success. So wire netting still rules, or should I say spoils.
I do already have a waterfall that cascades over large rocks (Blinker1) and of course Herons are protected so cannot be given the treatment they deserve.
Though I would never harm them I too have a phobia re’ frogs (starlette) It’s a long story that began when as a child I lived near a road that frogs had to cross to reach their spawning grounds……I’m shuddering now as I recall the memory.
Sorry Postman, missed you on first scan. Would you believe other pond fanatics have suggested decoy Herons but one or two said real herons have arrived and tried to mate with the dummy. “Not so strange” said his friend for he had been trying to mate with a ‘Dummy’ for years.
Lol lol Louis…….hope it wasn’t a shop dummy…
Bring your fish inside Louis, in a tank…i now have 6, it gives you an extra ‘regular’ job to do….and u also get to know them individually. It is the only thing you can do to stop the Heron, that is nature!!!! meanwhile loads of lovely water lillies in your pond
So sorry about your pond, getting a cat or dog may help. Probably a dog would be needed. Good luck. Consult the local Wild life agency for help.
I read that as herons are wading birds, if you dig your pond more than 3 feet they wont get the fish, not sure if this is any help at all lol…good luck