Forgive me if I forget but was there a reason you can't put up staked lines to keep the GBH out? Was your pond too big? If so have you considered staking out areas where is he is most likely to get in?
I.e., last year I just staked out an area of shoreline my bluegills bed off of.
You're smarter than the bird.
You don't have to take this!
I appreciate the thought Cecil, and I understand why you do it, but fishing line strung along the shore line just does not go with the decor we wish to see out our kitchen and bedroom window. Also two grandsons and I put in one aeration diffuser and went swimming and boating today (burrrrr, 68 degrees, they swam more than I did) and I'm afraid mono line strung around the pond just takes something away from it for us.
Before attempting to become a pondmeister (with a small "p" not a capital "P") a GBH sighting on our old farm pond was considered a treat. We enjoyed them. Only now that we have spent boo-koo money on fish and fish food have they become the enemy.
I guess it gets back to goals. For some, the fish are the ultimate goal. For my wife and I, we would like some nice fish for employees, family and ourselves to catch, but being a grand bass master or whatever they are called will never be on my list of attempted accomplishments. So the fish, while important, were really only a passion I gained after deciding to build the pond. They were not the primary reason for it.
So we will put up with the different birds visiting, even enjoying some of them. But for me they are like relatives. Ok for a visit, but no permanent residents please. Time to move on.
Thanks for the suggestion though. It is a novel solution I would have never thought of on my own.
