It appears to be an "American Bittern." Anyone have this visitor at your ponds? I scared him off with a gunshot today. I believe he was here at the break of dawn yesterday too, but I scared him off when I walked up on him.

Here's the bird:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_Bittern_dtl.html

Cecil, I've seen them in our area but not at the pond, they like to stay out of sight and are not seen very often.

Just my luck. I shell out $100.00 for a Great Blue Heron permit and they stop coming. Then another fish eating bird that rarely shows up at ponds shows up. But I don't have a permit for that species!

Last year when I didn't have a permit I had Herons coming out of my ears!

*&^%%$$!

We bumped into a new stranger at the pond this past weekend. I am not absolutely positive on the I.D., but both Dski and I commented on the bright yellow-orange legs. I'm pretty sure we have it correctly identified.
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A green heron. He would work the shoreline, then fly up and into the trees to roost when we got too close.

Wow that is a beautiful bird!

We get LGHs here some years. There was one at the pond last week. I think they are much more attractive than GBHs - like a more colorful crow instead of some kind of malicious stork.

We have a green heron that likes to hide out in the cattails every year.

We have one also and a GBH and a kingfisher. With a good crop of RES I have not encountered any grubs yet. Those 3 birds/specie get a pass.

Nice pic B'ski.

We had a Great White Egret migrating through this last weekend, he stopped for a few hours along the dam.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Egret_dtl.html#map

We typically have 2-3 Belted Kingfishers that call the pond home every year during the summer.

thanks...but...it's borrowed

I have one or 2 resident green heron's. They don't seem too awfully bad for the fish. They catch frogs, snakes, and fish a little. They're unwelcome, but I don't have a lot of anxiety about them.

We have 3 eagles that soar over the pond. I wonder how many fish they can catch in a day? They are magnificent.

I will confess a secret love of the fright noise LGH's produce when startled.

GARP!

Cecil, how would you feel about 60-70 these birds showing up on one of your ponds? Every so often they will stop for a short time on our place while they are migrating back to their summer range in the Canadian Rockies. I have never actually seen them eat a fish but I did have one try and snatch a LMB that I was reeling in once. The two pictured here are both males (only the males have the barnacle looking thing on the top of thier beak).

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/American_White_Pelican.html

We had a couple of those Pelicans on the lake this weekend, as well as half a doz. water turkeys. GRRRRRRR!

Shorty,

If had that many birds show up at the ponds I'd be running them off! One cool thing about the pier that goes all the way across the pond in the center of the biggest pond is the Geese don't have a chance. They used to just swim away from me around and around but no more!

I did have some rare wading birds show up once called Hudsonian Gotwitdes (sp?) that were apparently migrating on their way to Hudson Bay. They didn't stick around long and didn't seem to be fish eaters.

Clarification: When I said the geese don't have a chance I didn't mean I shoot them or anything. It's just that now with the pier they can't just keep swimming away from me. So they end up flying off in frustration.

When I was a kid, we had lots of them around the lakes in Northern Wisconsin. I don't know how many times I got with a few feet of a bittern before it would decide to wildly bob its head and take off from the tall reeds where I'd be fly fishing for bass or bluegill. "Startled" hardly describes the sensation.

They make neat sounds. Kind of like someone taking a big "glug" out of a moonshine jug.

Wow another species today. Two green herons like in shorty's picture. I fired a volley their way and they got the message. Hopefully they are just passing through as I've never seen that species before.

Folks if these were strictly recreational ponds I'd welcome all the birds. Problem is they are part of my livelyhood. And as I've said before I use all the persuasive measures I can before the final solution.

I understand completely, Cecil. I would feel very different if a heron could cost me $100-$200 with each swipe of his beak.

I wonder if LGHs are on the increase - I never heard of them when I was a kid, although GBH were very common at a nearby lake we fished. I think a number of bird species, like Crows and Redtailed Hawks, are much more numerous now than they were 40 years ago here. But I was a dumb city boy then, and may not have noticed them much.

Back when I was growing up I fished a lake in New England a lot as it was a little juant through the woods. Never ever saw a GBH. Last time I was there just a few years ago and there was a resident GBH. And there were a lot more frogs. Now hardly any frogs. I'm thinking the heavy DDT use back them may have eliminated them or reduced their numbers (GBH's) and the frogs didn't have a major predator.

Seems trite, but we spotted our first mallard in the pond. OK, the CG can stay for the photo...but no poopin'!
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Beautiful picture! I've got a pair of mallards that show up at least a couple times a day but I run off the CG's.

Here is a green heron on our pond yesterday.

I have seen gbh eat 12 inch lmb.

[quote=Brettski]Seems trite, but we spotted our first mallard in the pond. OK, the CG can stay for the photo...but no poopin'!

Might as well ask them to stop breathin'

...Amen

Spotted a big GBH at the trout pond a little while ago. I ran him off.

A couple weeks ago, I saw pelicans for the first time on our pond

but I saw the canadian gander chasing them, then they took flight

So they landed on the neighbor's pond and spent the night there instead

The End

ahhhh....I feel sleepy now.
Where you been, Lance?

A GBH got really lucky today. He nailed one of my big brook trout but it was too big to eat. Drilled it twice. When I put the bead on him the shell failed to fire. I wasn't sure if their was something wrong with the shotgun or the shell was bad. So I got the .22. I missed! I don't get it. I can hit a coffee filter at 60 yds. dead center every time but I miss the bird at 30 yards!

Dude you are living on borrowed time. Now I'm mad.

Now I have found three dead brook trout in the last three days. However up until now I thought they were egg bound females.

Note: I have a federal permit from the feds to take out up to two if I need to as an aquaculturist. If you do not have a permit don't try and kill one. They are federally protected. I am not advocating shooting herons.

GBH are eating your fish, you have a permit, blah, blah, I get that part of the equation and don't blame you there.

It really angers me though that you are killing innocent coffee filters.

...and what are the grounds?

Venting more or less. And he doesn't eat them. Just likes to poke them and leave them. To big to swallow.

Ya know a used coffee filter might be more of a challenge and better practice. Harder to see.

Brettski sounds like he is trying to brew trouble....

Cecil...

GBH, Bald Eagles, California Condors, etc. were all put on the endangered species list in the late 70's/early 80's due to DDT causing the thicknesses of their shells to decrease. When the birds would sit on their nests, the shells would break. Just thought I would answer your question.

Theo:

You referring to that marvelous "AAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWKKKKKk....thpthtththth...splat".

There's a reason I taught my daughters the local name for them...

@#*& a quart

Haven't seen too many, but the LBH's are around alla time, along with 2-3 kingfishers. They're welcome to me, as they don't eat much and they're kinda cool.

(c'mon Theo...your turn)

"I'm Brett McKenski, and this is my brother Jeff, eh?"

Take off, Hoser!

Yep I knew that. Thanks!

Got up at the crack of dawn this morning and watched for a while to see if my buddy showed up. No show. Then when I went out to feed my trout I found one dead 16 inch brook trout on the bank with a hole just behind the head on each side.

I watched on a off all day yesterday and before dark except to the point where there was not enough light to see anymore. This morning there's the trout laying there dead. I can only surmise he's showing up when it's almost dark or at night. I do have a lot of illumination in the area (people overdo it on the security lights because the power company pushes it.) And I have a highschool near me that is lit up like the fourth of July every night.) I can't imagine what the school's electric bill is except I'm paying for it through my taxes.

Now I really need to get this bird. Four dead and wasted fish in four days. I'll camp out on the back deck motionless if I have to. I respect this bird's cunningness and learned behavior but he has to go! I've run him off a few times and he keeps coming back!

^%$##@#!

Sorry guys I had to vent again.

Cecil, can you borrow a ground blind from someone?

I've got it covered. I'm adapting too!

Believe it or not my permit says I'm not allowed to use a blind! Can you believe it?

Wow! Any other restrictions? They really don't want to let you shoot one.

I could loan you my ghillie suit but I'd need it back before the next Pond Boss magazine is in the mail.

Steel shot only!

Okay, I finally downloaded the my digicam and have the picture of the goose nesting on top of the backstop at my rifle range. For your amazement, I present "Branta canadensis with a death wish."


I am struck by the similarity of nest sites to the goose that nested on (DIED's) outhouse.

Is that house in the background in your line of fire?

If so, they might be Residentia Americanus with an imposed death wish.

Line of fire is to the right. That house actually belongs to our favorite subdivision neighbors.

Theo I don't know. A ricochet off that Branta canadensis' hard head might take out the neighbors face . - -

Theo probably has some duct tape involved somewhere, so we know it's safe.

I had a Small heron recently, who was a plague, several times a day he visited and ate his way around the pond.
I have an air gun, but had failed to sight it in. I have an Aimpoint sight with the red dot. One day I saw the bird, grabbed the gun and cranked off a pellet, direct hit. The problem was the co2 was almost gone so the effect was to scare him off for a week, but no permanent damage. Upon his return I adjusted the sight with each shot slowly closing in on my prey, he would taunt me by fishing at the edge of the pond nearest me and would ignore my near misses.

Until today, ha, ha.

He was working the far end and hiding behnd the plants near the water, he would only show himself of a short period of time, milliseconds, then dash for cover. I followed his every movement, keeping the red dot on his head until he was clear then a slow squeeze of the trigger and clearly through the scope I could see the pellet strike the water 6" short of where he was standing. Worse was he didn't even flinch. I reloaded took careful aim and the shot hit an inch to the left of him at 70 yards. Concerned with my accuracy he flew to a tree 30 yards further out. I spotted him then turned to reload another pellet and lost sight of him. Oh, well I will pop a round through the tree and scare him out, I fired and couldn't see any leaves move, then took my eye from the scope and watched him fall from the tree.
Now, I don't know whether to feel bad or good.

Good story, Rad. As they say, better to be lucky than good. Feel good. You still have your best shot in you.

Feel bad for a while, say a quick good-bye to the fallen adversary, and place a notch on the rifle. Then re-load and PRACTICE ! More are coming !!!

Yep just like nuisance weeds in your pond if you build it they will come!

We had two of these guys passing through this weekend.

Shorty, what is that bird? Not a Great Blue Heron...is it a crane or egret?

They are both Great White Egrets, they are quite a bit larger than either a cattle egret or a snowy egret.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Egret_dtl.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Snowy_Egret.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cattle_Egret.html

I have a terrible problem with thhe GBH's. After a while, these birds get smart,very smart.

I believe, don't remember the actual facts as I heard this at a local, early morning coffee drinking establishment: a Sako 75 in 7mm/08 with Nosler ballistic tips was good medicine for wary blues.

Guy claimed to be shooting them at 200+ yards from his bathroom window-down to his pond. I took all of this with a grain of sugar. Think he also said something about a 3.5/10 Zeiss scope sighted in at +2" @100 and was getting 1/2 groups with factory loads.

But you know how all these fellers pumped up on caffeine like to stretch the truth!

Now that's funny!

I had another green heron fly over this morning but he or she decided not to land after it saw me. (I was feeding the fish). There were two green herons. Not sure what happened to one of them.