Saw a Cormorant in my pond yesterday for the first time. Up until now, GBH and Egrets are the only water birds I have seen with any regularity. Well, this thing was fishing in the middle of the pond standing on some small limbs from a sunken tree. His feeding spot was about 40 feet from my feeder. Up until yesterday the fish were devouring their normal 2 second afternoon TH feeder ration with great abandon, and in fact, I had been hand throwing them an additional 3 or 4 solo cups of mvp as well. Water temps are about 65 here now. Well, I happened to be standing there when the feeder went off (about 20 minutes after the cormorant left) and for the first time ever, not a single fish showed up to eat! I could not believe it. Eventually, about 5 minutes later a very small group started eating a pellet here or there, but 99% of the feed just sat there untouched. Obviously the cormorant must have spooked them and I guess they all headed for the bottom. Is this common behavior when cormorants come around? I just have never seen anything cause a total shutdown like that before. Even in 28 degree weather I would still have feeder activity. Learn something new everyday with this pond!
Oh, and this morning when I rode out to the pond, there were 4 cormorants feeding! From zero to 4 in one day! Not good.
They can and do dive up to 40 feet deep and will eat a lot of fish... I know this from watching them eat them ..... if you are not in the city make some noise (he he he ) they will leave but will come back..... I dislike them a lot
I have had GBH stand on the pier and wait on the fish to feed..... they aren’t a big a threat as cormorants and I don’t bother them....
I have had a change of heart....I used to hate the herons that walk along the shore....now they are way, way down the list of trouble....the herons walk along the shore and primarily eat frogs, snakes, minnows and small fish.
The diving water turkey are a much bigger problem. And a major problem this year at my pond....gator decoys worked before this year...but no more....sometimes 10-15 of the water turkey are fishing in my pond....they dive under.
Today I put the reflective tape out...I hope it may detour them some...of course the know-it-alls in DC protect Anhinga (water turkey)...but who protects the fish and the thousands of dollars we spend stocking the fish?
I hope they move on and migrate. Look what these A-holes (that Washington protects) did to my dock this week.
I am so thankful to be out of the range of Anhinga! At least the regulations are relaxed for dealing with the cormorants I get once in a while. Zep, I hope you find a remedy.
Pat, from what I have read, some state issue special permits for cormorants while others do not. I hate to see the possible loss of any species, but have trouble swallowing 60 or 80 year old decrees that protect destructive animals that currently have stable or increasing populations. My fish are not my lively hood, only my sanity. I have watched red tail hawks taking chickens from my own yard, herons and cormorants robbing my pond while geese befouled it. All with little that could be done. I can only imagine the frustration people who make a living with their ponds and fish must feel.
CMM This winter we have had a pair of Bald Eagles, an osprey, a few GBH, and a bunch of cormorants, all the other birds are welcome but when you get a mess of cormorants come calling they can put the hurt on fish populations. Shooting near them puts them in flight most of the time. I had an Osprey steal a fish from a cormorants mouth, now that was cool to see
I once, many years ago, came upon a dead cormorant with a 14 or 15 inch common carp lodged in its throat. Greedy bird took too big of a bite.
Carp are good for something!
I'd be interested in baiting a hook with an appropriate sized fish and placing the bait out there where the cormorants commonly fish. Or setting up something like a gill net right in the area the birds favor.
It would really be too bad if you weren't able to get out to check the net or baited line often enough, wouldn't it?
From my experience the Cormorant (Water Turkey) will send out scouts that look for food. Checking our ponds for an easy meal, and if they find one they like, there will be more show up in the next few days. If the scout is not discouraged and a good food supply is available they can and may return in higher numbers. A lot of us have all seen single's feeding, swimming and diving the pond. But, if not discouraged from returning they may show up with high numbers of them. In that case, they may work together driving fish to an area where the Cormorant can feast and really do damage to your pond fish. It can cost a lot of money to correct the damage they have done. I would suggest you take action to discourage any Water Turkey that shows up at your pond. It is illegal to take some and maybe all actions against the birds so I would not advertise what actions are taken to discourage the darn birds. Can you tell I am no fan of these birds?
Tracy, that's what I'm seeing here. Almost every day we're having single's show up, and they typically roost on a cedar stump in the middle of our pond. I hop on the Mule, and go shoot a dove load at the stump. They almost always just fly away, and not dive under the water. This has been going on for several weeks, and now some of the cormorants are taking off as soon as they hear the Mule running. They've probably already made a stop here, and know what's coming next. I do think they're scouts.
So what happened to my fish? lol Today was the third day in a row that the feeder went off and...nothing! How long will they stay cowering in fear on the bottom? I ran the "birds" off twice today so they were only there an hour or two today at most. Usually, an hour or two before the feeder goes off you can see hundreds of BG staging and waiting. That's why it is so hard for me to believe that every single one of them is in hiding, but I can think of no other explanation. Is this a " thing" when cormorants come around?
Since 2012 the government in addition to the moratorium, authorizes the slaughter of the cormorants to save the Yellow perch in the St-Pierre lake on St-Lawrence river.
Do you have these problems with the cormorants in U.S.A.
First what is the water temp, second have you seen any otter activity in or around pond? I don’t think that they get paranoid over a few being harassed that I can tell. I have a 5 ac pond and not feeding at the moment.
I've said this before. I would never recommend that anyone break the law. However, if I raised chickens and a chicken hawk was getting them, I doubt that I would apply for a permit to do anything about it.
I too can tell when a cormorant has been around. My fish get spooked just like you said. When I see this I make extra passes during the day to look for him. Sure enough, I always spot one.
got this net in today to see if I can rig it on my dock for during the week to keep the evil water turkey with the squirts off my dock when I'm not there.
will do Tbar....I wish I could net the entire pond during the time the water-turkey are mainly around these parts...but at 4 acres I just think it would be a stretch to make it work....plus the cost of that much netting...but gosh I'd like to stop these sob's
If their digestive tract is anything like a King Fisher's, they squirt immediately after they have gorged themselves on your fish. All that white is your fish they ate a little earlier in the day.
I have all sorts of fowl this year. Ducks, Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Heron, Water Turkeys and Pelicans. Its a wonder I have any fish left at all.
Tbar I've got an Overton's electro survey next month to see how bad the damage is...but it may be hard to determine otter vs bird damage.
If it's as bad as I think it might be...i may actually look into netting some or most of the 4 acre pond next year:
I have all sorts of fowl this year. Ducks, Canada Geese, Bald Eagles, Great Blue Heron, Water Turkeys and Pelicans. Its a wonder I have any fish left at all.
Tbar I've got an Overton's electro survey next month to see how bad the damage is...but it may be hard to determine otter vs bird damage.
If it's as bad as I think it might be...i may actually look into netting some or most of the 4 acre pond next year:
Maybe this could be useful for cormorant season, then could be taken down. Also, I wonder how easy this would be to set up & take down when you want to fish a netted area?
Maybe this could be useful for cormorant season, then could be taken down. Also, I wonder how easy this would be to set up & take down when you want to fish a netted area?
anthropic...if i do it..yes taken down after diving water-turkey season...I don't really care anymore about the herons that walk along the shore...they seem so much less damaging and tend to work alone.
I am not sure exactly what the season is for the diving under the water water-turkey. It seems like they appear here and there...but the big groups of them are just during a specific season..mating season? migration season? both?
As far as fishing I could live without fishing Jan/Feb or fish my smaller ponds which for some reason the water turkey appear to be ignoring.
Zep - Please let us know if you can see a reduction in cormorants from the reflective tape. I've been seeing a few scouts at my place in Fayette County, Tx also. My populations haven't exploded like I expected and believe the cormorants are impacting my pond negatively.
I just got some reflective tape in and will put it out in a couple weeks. My pond is about 3 acres, long and narrow and I don't know how much reflective tape I need to put out.
Al, like you, the cormorant will take to the opposite end of the pond when they hear or see my side by side. So to solve this problem I stop short of the pond. Up on the hill some 100 yds away from the pond where I take position. I just replaced my Remington 22 mag with a new Eagle 22mag simi automatic. Made @ Magnum Research Pillager MN. Bull barrel, Carbon coated. Mounted with a Nicon 3x12 scope. Purchased yesterday. I then went to our new indoor riffle range. Red River Riffle Range. All new facility and a really nice club. After shooting around 40 rounds the riffle is Bulls eyed @ 100 yds with a 40 grain bullet. Now going back to the pond, it may take a 300yd shot to discourage the birds. It's all about elevation and windage
ZEP, you may not remember my posting a few yr's ago where the cormorants drove hundreds of 4" TFS to a corner of the pond where I found the shad dead a floating, along with a couple of 14" hsb and one 8 to 9" cnbg. After all that I declared war! I remind you of this because of the damage they can and may do at your pond. You may want to re-read my last post here for discouraging the cormorants @ your place. OH! the 22 mag will also discourage River Otters and beavers.
Fayette, find the posts here from anthropic and his experience with the tape. I think he is in his second year of experience with the tape. Maybe he will join back in to tell of what he has seen at his place.
Mark, look at fiberglass garden hoops for your dock. Just drape netting over it while you're gone. The bottom of the hoops should fit in the gaps between the decking boards.
Tracy, I can reach out and touch aerial evildoers, but the problem is houses, cows, and horses. I'd be shooting a flat round at water, and a bounce could be a big problem. Using a shotgun makes me sleep better.
Zep - Please let us know if you can see a reduction in cormorants from the reflective tape.
Will do Fayette....I placed quite a bit of the reflective tape out last Sunday and was there at the property like 3-4 hours afterwards and it appeared to be working, but after I left to go back home...well I dont know? An additional roll of tape arrived yesterday and I will add more this weekend. Even if it's 50% effective that's a start.
The shooting them...which I know no one is advocating beause it's illegal....seems over-rated....especially if you dont live on site....ok lets pretend it's legal to shoot them....lets say you kill 1, 2, 3, 4, of them on a weekend....wont others the next day that were miles away and not aware of the shooting just land and start eating the fish again? If it were legal...shooting them may provide some satisfaction...but I doubt it would actually be very effective with so many birds in and out of the area.
Al, like you, the cormorant will take to the opposite end of the pond when they hear or see my side by side. So to solve this problem I stop short of the pond. Up on the hill some 100 yds away from the pond where I take position. I just replaced my Remington 22 mag with a new Eagle 22mag simi automatic. Made @ Magnum Research Pillager MN. Bull barrel, Carbon coated. Mounted with a Nicon 3x12 scope. Purchased yesterday. I then went to our new indoor riffle range. Red River Riffle Range. All new facility and a really nice club. After shooting around 40 rounds the riffle is Bulls eyed @ 100 yds with a 40 grain bullet. Now going back to the pond, it may take a 300yd shot to discourage the birds. It's all about elevation and windage
Tracy I use a .22 mag with Hornady 30 grain 2200 FPS and a lot flatter shooting. I have had good luck out to 150 yds...... not on cormorants of course......
Mark, that's what I was referring to. It shouldn't be rigid enough to do anything but support the bird netting. They're just flexible plastic or fiberglass rods that you bow into shape. Just a thought.
Maybe this could be useful for cormorant season, then could be taken down. Also, I wonder how easy this would be to set up & take down when you want to fish a netted area?
anthropic...if i do it..yes taken down after diving water-turkey season...I don't really care anymore about the herons that walk along the shore...they seem so much less damaging and tend to work alone.
I am not sure exactly what the season is for the diving under the water water-turkey. It seems like they appear here and there...but the big groups of them are just during a specific season..mating season? migration season? both?
As far as fishing I could live without fishing Jan/Feb or fish my smaller ponds which for some reason the water turkey appear to be ignoring.
One plus with netting is that you can put it over feeder areas. Fish can still get the feed, but geese will find it more difficult to steal. Also, cormorants don't get so many easy fish.
Ought to work on cormorants as well.
