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I saw a hawk land by my goldfish pond yesterday!
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Placing the decoy around the banks of the pond where a heron usually lands, or around pond plants (lilies), will create a more natural illusion of a hunting gator. Combining an alligator decoy with a pond net and automatic sprinkler/sound system will likely deter even the bravest of herons.
A large mirror opposite a small pond will give great coverage, with the heron being able to see its image from a wide range of directions. For a larger pond, you would need a very wide mirror, or know exactly where the heron lands for correct placement. You would also need to keep the mirror cleaned and in good shape to ensure the image is clear, which can be difficult to do in a garden environment.
We have a small spring fed pond that drains into a larger pond downhill at our vacation mountain house. The pond was in disrepair when we bought the property three years ago, and although we saw one goldfish at that time, we never saw it again and assumed that it died.
There are, of course, several possible culprits when it comes to eating koi right out of your pond. Raccoons, egrets, herons, cats, snakes, dogs, and even hawks or owls, have been known to catch koi and eat them. Here are a few helpful hints to figure out who your hunter is, so you keep your fish safe.
Seeing a hawk perched high over your pond may or may not be cause for alarm. In fact, it may be beneficial to have a hawk watching over your pond. Take some time to learn about the hawk you see near your pond to determine what, if anything, needs to be done to protect your pond animals.
Hawks near your pond may provide your pond residents protection. Other animals that are more likely to pray on your fish and turtles, such as snakes, rats, raccoons, foxes and egrets will be leery of the hawk and may make these nuisance animals leave your pond alone. The hawk may eat snakes and rats that would prey on your fish and turtles. Many pond owners even put up plastic or wood raptors to protect their pond from predators.
Take some time to identify the hawk watching over your pond and watch its behavior before deciding if the hawk is a threat to your pond. The Sibley bird field guides can help you identify the species of hawk. If you can, sit quietly to watch the hawk hunt. They usually hunt in the cooler morning or evening hours. If the hawk is chasing mammals or birds, it is probably not a threat to your pond animals and may even provide protection. If you do see the hawk diving or swooping in over your pond, then you will need to take steps to protect the pond. Netting over the pond, motion activated sprinklers, plastic hawks placed in trees, and reflective streamers tied to plants around the pond may make the hawk move on to another area.
After the heron had eaten all the koi and goldfish, I still had some tiny baby fish. At first, I thought they were from my now deceased koi but apparently the intruder heron had had fish eggs on its feet from a nearby natural pond and left them behind. So for a time, I had unidentified native fish in the pond. They were extremely shy, however, and I only got a brief look at them when they surfaced early in the morning; as soon as I came near, they dove down under the water plants (no good photos).
4. Fishing Line: String out 100lb fishing line across your pond in a crisscross pattern. As herons land, they will get tripped up in the fishing line giving your fish time to hide. Keep in mind this might be harmful to other birds as well.
If I have a 20metre diameter pond 600-700mm deep would a 1m high vertical chicken wire fence built right on the edge of the near vertical sides stop the heron or will it still fly over and land in the water. To try and stretch netting across the pond will I am sure sink with the weight of a heron or snow.
We have a big pond, about 10m in diameter and about 1m or so deep, we have lots of plain carp as well as Koi and shubinkins, everything we have tried to keep the heron away has failed. We currently have a metal fence around the edge which is about 1 1/2 ft high and attached to that we have a net which covers the pond apart from a couple of very small gaps at the edge but the heron keeps coming back and landing on the netting, what can I do to stop him? I think our fish must be extra tasty or something. We have had a scarecrow, fake herons/birds and other animals but he is like some kind of super heron and just wont give in.
Wherever you live, there are probably more pond predators about than you may think. If you live in a suburban neighborhood, you might be surprised to discover that your storm drain system may be a superhighway for woodland wildlife like foxes and raccoons. And due to changes in climate and the availability of habitat, more animals are showing up in backyards more often than before. The range of coyotes, bobcats, and other large wild cats is increasing, with many being sighted even in urban areas.
There are Flying Predators- Herons; Birds that Prey: Eagles, Hawks (N. Harrier) & Osprey, King Fishers; Ducks & Geese that may fly into or hoover over your pond. Herons land in your yard or roof, then walk into the pond.
Then there are the Terrestrial& Aquatic Predators- Raccoons,Opossums, Otter, Mink/muskrat, Frogs (Bull & Snapping), Turtles &Snakes, Cats & Dogs. These predators come from the land and walk intothe pond, or in some cases can be born and live in your pond like frogs, snakesand turtles.
The Great Blue Heron is probably the mostpopular but there are also other herons and egrets that could possibly visityour pond during the day and even at night. They fly into your yard landing onyour roof or lawn and walk up to your pond. These birds have excellent visionand able to stand motionless for long periods of time until they strike usingquick reflexes to dine on your precious Koi and Goldfish. If you have beenvisited by one of these birds you usually find no evidence. They are efficientand relentless- coming back time and time again until your fish are gone, orthey are deterred enough to stop trying.Best Methods of Control:
Unless you live in Florida, alligators should not be a problem but there are other reptiles and amphibians they may hunt and even live in your pond. If you suspect any of these predators, you will need to monitor them well in order to sneak a peek at them. Pond and Snapping Turtles could make your pond their home and eat smaller fish, eggs and fish fry (baby fish). Bullfrogs may also love to live in your pond and eat many of your fish as well as songbirds, snails and fish eggs. Snakes may be a bit harder to get rid and some are even poisonous so always use caution or hire a professional to remove them! These predators prefer smaller fish so they may actually help your pond balance by keeping your goldfish population in check. But if you do have any of these and you want to get rid of them, then you need to physically remove them and make appropriate environmental changes. You may keep snakes at bay with applications of Repellant or repeated applications of Clove or Cinnamon essential oils (out of the Pond, on land)Best Methods of Control:
No fish; pondfish gone 3/28/18Hi,I wonder if you can help me. I have a small pond at the bottom of my garden it is enclosed by trees and hedge. I have had goldfish that have reproduced so there are quite a few now. Everything has been fine they come up to the surface when I feed them and I put the pond filter with uv lamp on regularly. They survived cold weather but this last week there are no fish! I can't see them at the bottom and they do not surface for food that is laying on the top not eaten. No dead fish and no half eaten or carcasses on the ground what do you think has happened could you shed some light on this for me.Regards,Ken Jackson
Bird Bathers in My Pond 4/28/14Would birds bathing in my pond stress my comet goldfish enough to prevent them from eating?Would bathing birds harm my pond?How do I keep birds out of my pond?Thank you.
Pond predator... not bird, snake or turtle... Mammal12/21/11Help!,I have an outdoor pond in South Florida (about 3,000 gallons) andrecently I have been discovering dead fish laying outside of the pondwith the head only eaten away.This was no big deal because I had given up having "pricy"fish years ago because of the large bird population here; now onlyel-cheapo goldfish. But now my 8 year old gold fish "Tank"that was the lone survivor of hurricane Wilma was found this morningdead with his head missing. The thing of it is that Tank must haveweighed in around 2+ pounds. I just can't get my headaround a raccoon being able to swim into the pond, tackle a 2 poundfish, drag it about 10 yards away then dispose of it. Is thispossibleor is there another predator that could be lurking in my yard?I have seen large possums, but I pose the same question here. THIS ISWAR!I'm getting ready to completely re-construct my pond with all newequipment, so maybe this is the time to install some type of devicethat will keep the mystery predator out.Thanks for your help.Jane LeGette
Pond fish injured by a bird 3/11/10Hi, I have a pond outside that is about 200gallons, I have one 2 yearold goldfish and 4 others. The two year old is almost 8 inches long andhas found a way to stay clear of great white heron attacks while othershave perished.Today I went outside to feed then and saw the great white in the backyard. There were a number of scales scattered around and I saw the bigfish still alive hiding under a rock inside the pond, I put my hand inthe water and he moved around, clearly scared and injured. There arescales missing on both sides of his body as if the bird grabbed him andhe got away. I was wondering if there was anything that I can put intothe pond to help him heal and not get sicker.The other fish, although hiding, seem to be fine and come out when Iopen the screen door to bring them food.This happened to one of the other fish abut 6 months ago, but not tothis severity, and he is fine now. Do I do anything or just hope forthe best and let nature run the course? 2ff7e9595c
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