Beautiful pond. Bench is a good place to sit with a 22. Of course if you have close neighbors thats not an option.
Our neighbors are used to the sound of a gun as a young fella next door has a target set up in rear of his 5 acres.
My old pump action 22 is very quiet. Just have to be careful which way you are aiming. We have a heron now and then in our canal but thats 350 feet back from our house. So far he has only been near pond once and he's lucky he left fast. It probably makes a difference that we are home most of the time. I don't know if they are protected here or not but wouldn't make any difference to me. He'd be permanently gone.
A friend up north 3 hrs. from me got a beautiful pond built and then screen enclosure and a gator came right over her aluminum on the bottom to get to her fish. She didn't look the type but she took care of him immediately. Of course we have gators in our canal but in 43 years have never had one near the house. They are protected also and they would need protection if they ever came near my home. I have a lab, kittens and 2 ponds of fish. Our cows go in the canal every day but have never been taken down by one YET. My friend with the ranch has lost cows to gators several times. On 900 acres its hard to keep track of all the cows.
Happy ponding all. Bonnie
Shutting down soon
Unfortunately, the nosy neighbor is worse than the heron. Can't do anything around here without him calling the cops - and that is without doing anything against the law. Another reason we want to move as soon as I retire. I am just going to want to take my pond and fish with me.
My customer's nigh on 80, there are neighbors (and livestock) close enough to be hit by a miss - which worries both of us. I've suggested a pellet gun, enough to bother the bird but not kill anyone if she misses.
The pond has a sloping bottom. The Guy who dug it with a backhoe took her money and ran, I added the plant ledge and built the waterfall into the wall / hill but couldn't afford to re-dig for free. What he'd bought for a liner had to be replaced and that is a 35 ft by 40 ft 45 mil epdm liner..
Center bottom is 4 ft. It's a slippery slide down in there, I wouldn't think the heron would like it all that much. I can get in and out, but pump is set up to not need service often, at the bottom center, in a plastic hardware cloth guard. 2 pumps. Pondmaster 4800 runs dual filter basins (and one side actually runs out to a 55 gal drum filter now, with UV in line but off mostly). And a big torpedo pump runs the 10 ft waterfall.
She is in the middle of the prairie.. I built the pond in 2009, rather hoped she would never have a heron. Just goes with the territory. Diamond back water snakes but at least no alligators, LOL.
This message was edited Jan 15, 2013 10:40 PM
So it must be the slopey bottom - don't you think? I was wondering if perhaps it was the shallow side - but it isn't.
Gypsi - are you going to suggest to her about the sensor sprayer - I would like to know how she does if she puts on up.
Gypsi,
They aren't cheap but deer netting would keep birds out I think. May have to get 2 sewn tog. to cover that size pond.
Bird netting may also be a consideration and they do come quite large and are very inexpensive.
Just a thought.
Bonnie
Since I heard from her this morning when she was trying to call her HVAC guy because her heater is out, I think I'll have to worry about it suggesting the sensor sprayer later. Pretty cold here right now. But she's got a fireplace and a space heater.
Fish can get tangled in bird netting, and with that kind of distance I don't think a pilate ball is going to keep the net up high enough, pvc would sag. If her fish got tangled she would be just as upset.
Once I rebuilt my inside walls to drop straight down, instead of sloped graduating ramps to water, the heron problme eliminated itself.
That is not an option on her pond. It's too big. The liner would cost too much. I can't afford to do it for free and pay my crews.
My normal ponds drop straight down but that doesn't eliminate the heron problem unless the depth is sufficient, and 30 inches MIGHT be enough. 15 inches straight down got cleaned out by a heron last winter.