Put another Blue Heron around..they'll not land...sooo cut one out and painted it..no problems now..at least until mating time..might just take a yen for mine..lol
***GRRRRRR***** Heron *****RANT
OMGosh, that's perfect! You could sell those :)
Lana
Nice job! A lot of talent there. This morning I had a Great Blue Heron. You know, the one with a six foot wing span and a beak as long as your arm. Perched on the neighbor's roof top overlooking my koi pond. I read in the Sibleys' Guide that they were nocturnal. Someone forgot to tell this one not to be active during the day. It didin't stay long thankfully. Just long enough for me to run to get the camera but not long enough to let me compose a shot. That's OK. That thing was HUGE. One night's activity and you could lose a lot of fish to something that large.
Someone should have told Silbey to come to my neighborhood. They fish all day long in the ponds and marshes here.
Betty... I love your painted heron, but the idea that they are put off by other herons has proven untrue here... we had a pair hunting together, then we had one variety that went away one day, and a different variety showed up two days later. I can't believe how many different types of heron exist (and apparently thrive) here in the desert. Had another one at 8:00 pm last night, now it (or they) are trying to land on the larger pond plants. Busted off a bunch of my rushes... but I don't think they got any fish. Tony's put big nails pointy end up in the pot of rushes. They don't like the fishing line around the edges so they're trying other methods now.. like trying to land on the bigger plants, I guess... (also knocked over my pretty large bamboo trying to get on it, we think). Insert your own "descriptive term" for the blasted herons here....
Brenda
I think the one I had was hunting during the nesting season when they go further astray than usual. I thought I was safe to take the net off now, but I saw one flying over the house a few days ago. so the net stays on. We have many lakes around here, some fairly close to the house. They can go there. I'm sure there are many fish that would be better for them than my koi.
I found something that the HERON doesn't like.................... I was at the local garden center and floating in the large koi pond was a blow-up snake. So I ask the salesman why was it in the pond, He said"it scares the herons...............
Needless to way I bought one, blew it up, tied a string to it and the string to a small rock and tossed it into my pond. That was in early May, and I'm really happy to say, NO Heron. He flys over but doesn't stop.
Wow, I've got to get me one of those for next spring :) Do you have a pic of your snake?
Thanks,
Lana
Great info about the snake. I've never seen them offered in any of the garden centers around here so I did some internet searching and found a site that was reasonably priced, much less expensive than Amazon.
http://www.plantfactorygardencenter.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Dalen-NE-SR-470112
I've never ordered aything from this company before so your on your own as to service etc.
Still going with the fishing line strung like a spider web around the edges... so far, so good!
I'm missing a fish. I just noticed today but suspect it happened a few days ago when the fish were spooked and hardly came near me whilst I fed them (and they were starting to get within 10-12 inches of me). As most of you know I had a sick pond in June (lost 11 fish) and had three survivors I was nursing back to health. One was eaten by a heron and it broke my heart. The other two went MIA for about 2 weeks and I suspected they were eaten too. I brought home my new fish and the other two that were MIA came out from hiding. One of those two MIA guys is missing-my Hi Utsuri. I'm trying not to get emotional or too attached to any of the new fish but I'm really upset. I seem to be missing a lot of "color" in the pond without this guy. I see no evidence of a heron(no greasy substance on the water) and I have the fishing line up and a sprayer. Not a raccoon unless they took the fish and ran with it and ate it somewhere else as there is no evidence of fish on my property. A few nights ago we had a skunk in the yard (I smelt it and my dog was going after it). Do skunks eat fish?????
Oh mothermole...not again!!! :(
Let's hope it is also just hiding, and will venture out again in a week or so. I know skunks use to eat my brothers baby turkeys, but I'm not sure about fish(?)
I wish you lived closer, I have a few fish I'd share with you, but don't have the capabilities to ship them.
I have my fingers crossed for you...
Mothermole, they can hide really well for days when they are spooked... I hope he is just hiding and comes out tomorrow!