Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Our favorite bird knows where the food is.

This is a pic from Jeff of Ashburnham, Massachusetts. He's given me permission to post it here. Here's the background o the pic.

"Hi my name is Jeff Gaffney from Ashburnham, your welcome to use the picture, I was by myself ice fishing Qaubog Pond after a snow storm, after checking my tilts, turned to walk back to sled and chair, and there Blue was, he scared me more than I scared him, I stood still for a minute, then I could tell I wasn't bothering him by moving around, took a few cell phone shots, sat in my chair and he persisted to inspect my gear, tapping with his beak on everything, walking all around, and on the sled, while I'm sitting 2' away, Blue looked at me a couple times, and I thought once or twice he would have sat in my lap, he hung out with me a good few hours, pretty cool visitor for the day."

That is cool in a way. It intimidates me when something wild is not intimidated, though. He knew his next meal was close at hand and would have pecked out an eye to get it.

I hope you tossed him a bluegill or two!

I know its Not a good idea to feed wild animals, but I would have tossed him a bite anyway.

Yeah I informed Jeff they can be dangerous up close. I know of a trapper that is blind in one eye because he tried to remove one from one of his traps. The bills are sharp and very fast. I've been told they will go for your eyes if they feel they need to strike.

I really enjoy watching those birds.

One day a few years back, my friend and I were fishing on my pond from a boat, and we were able to get within about 15 feet of a blue heron who was on shore. We threw it some dead shiners from my bait bucket, and it ate them.

BTW, I caught my first bass ever that had a wound like some of you have posted that was an obvious heron poke. This is after having owned that pond for 10+ years now.

I don't think I'm going to renew my federal permit to take them out if I need to. The heavy mono staked around the ponds works quite well as long as I'm not too lazy to put it up. It's a pain to put it up and take it down when seining, but after my dog died I just can't kill anything anymore. I feel like a hypocrite whining about the death of my dog when I kill animals that are just doing what comes natural. Call me a softy but that's the way it going to be. It's save me $100.00 too.

They are fascinating birds. Very adaptable and intelligent.

Cecil, that's a sure sign of aging. Not in the sense of "getting old", but learning life's lessons.

GBH's concern me, water turkeys make me want to kill, but I'm pretty laid back about the white egrets at my pond. They wade around the edges, walking 20-30 feet between strikes. Whatever they are eating is too small for me to make out, so I'm sure it's small BG, minnows, and crawfish. I don't think they are eating machines like the above. So we have an uneasy truce at the moment. I let them eat a few small fish, they let me admire their beauty and grace.

nicely put bobad, thats been the theme here as well.

very cool pics and story There is a time and place for all of gods creatures. Another example is a river otter. While hunting last year near a swamp I watched a pair swim, catch fish, laydown underneath my tree and groom each other. Very cool. However if in my pond I use for raising trout I would kill them in a heart beat. Make sense? I see where you are coming from Cecil. If on a sportfish pond I would not do anything with GBH if in aquaculture ponds diff story.

My brother lives on a beautiful 3 ac pond up near Hancock MI., set back into the woods. He stocks a hundred (or so) trout now and then. I asked him if he fishes it. He said "yeah, every once in awhile I fish a couple out, but my biggest return is when an Osprey hits the water and pops back out with a trout".

An otter I would have to kill simply because there wouldn't be an effective way to keep them out. But as far as the herons if I prevent them from wading in there's no need to kill them.

I once had a GBH fly in front of my motorcycle when I was crossing a creek bottom here in IL. Dang thing crapped about a gallon of bird poo all the way across the road!! Thank God it was about 10 feet in front of me and I wasn't up to speed or I would have had to head back home and change!