Pond is one year old. LMB, CHBG, FHM(I'm not sure any FHM are left). I been hassling one Comorant for weeks. I go to work before light and get home after dark so I can only see whats going on on the weekends my wife doesn't have plans for me. This weekend there were 5. My question is. What size fish do they eat? My CHBG spawned no less than 5 times last year and have been feeding all winter, I have been turning up the feeder once a week and cannot seem to afford to feed them enough food to last more than 5 minuets. Are they going too really decimate my fish or are they keeping my biomass in check? If they are eating my 10" or better fish then the war is on. Ps I used to be concerned with the GBH and Egrets that make a living at my pond but not so much anymore.
A flock chowed down on my old refurbished one acre pond for a few days (before I realized their numbers) and appeared to decimate the BG population. I say appeared because I have no way of knowing for sure other than the feeding response before and after and I have much diminished BG response.
They are a bad deal. A flock will hunt pack style.
They eat easily a 12" fish. Usually more than 2 pounds of fish/day/bird. Some years ago 5 cormorants in 3 months eat more than half of my 1"-12" fish and killed almost all the biggers. I found many of them dead with lateral wounds due to cormorants pecks. They attack every fish. If it's too big to be swallowed, they leave it dead or seriously injured. I've tried many legal way to keep them away from my pond, but they have been unsuccessful, more or less. The only thing I've found successful (first year) is a sort of web made with some thick fishing line. Not a single cormorant in my pond since fall. They fly over my pond everyday but no one comes down.
I got a catalog today from "The Pond Guy" and they are selling a blue heron decoy. It got me to thinking. I've always had a few herons here and there, but since the diving water-turkey arrived the last several weeks no herons walking the shoreline. Ummm is there a connection of divng water turkey being there and not seeing any heron?
Weekend before last I started putting up the reflective tape and then a lot more reflective tape yesterday morning.
The reflective tape appears to be about 85% effective against the diving water turkey thus far....who knows how long that will last.
Since the reflective tape ran off the water turkey I saw a heron or two were back walking the shore yesterday.
Is there a connection?
Do herons and water turkey not get along and dont like sharing the same pond?
I would much rather have the heron pacing the shore picking off a few minnows, frogs, snakes, and small fish vs the diving water turkey having their way under water of the entire pond.
"Herons are very territorial birds; when the decoy is placed near a pond, other herons will avoid conflict and find a different feeding spot! The Pond Guy® Blue Heron Decoy deters problematic herons from visiting your pond and doubles as a realistic blue heron pond decoration. The Blue Heron Decoy should be moved regularly for best fish pond protection results. It is constructed of durable injection molded plastic and includes detachable legs and a mounting stake".
Some years ago, a buddy and I were bass fishing on Watts Bar Lake in east Tennessee. We were out in front of a dock, about 75 feet or so, hitting some submerged brush out in front of the dock. A GBH was parked on the dock rail keeping an eye on us when it suddenly did a pelican type dive over one if the piles and came up with a crappie about 10" long, flew back to the dock and commenced to swallow it head first.
The point of the story....they don't just eat LITTLE fish!!
My GBH, Boris, mostly eats little stuff but sometimes spears a big bluegill. I think they will eat anything they can catch including snakes, mice, etc.
Boris and I have made peace. I look for him every morning and actually like watching him (or her) fish.
Cormorants are never welcome. I believe the trick is to scare away the scouts otherwise the whole clan moves in.
I find it odd that they are protected since they are listed as "least concern", the opposite of endangered. Apparently they are protected because all birds that migrate are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
I find it odd that they are protected since they are listed as "least concern", the opposite of endangered. Apparently they are protected because all birds that migrate are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
I guess I need to get proactive. The subsonic scare tactic has not been very effective(I'm not home much, they are very spooky and I can't seem to get closer than 50 yards). I don't think my wife will go for the scare tape(looks like there is trash in the trees). Has anyone tried the "scare rods"?
Never tried the scare rods, but I've had good results with scare eye balloons. You only needs to hang them around the pond and move them weekly alternating colors so that cormorants do not get used.
I just got my first great egret a couple of days ago. Nice addition. Much better at catching fish than the GBH. Mostly little fish. Catches something every minute or so.
Yesterday we got our first bald eagle. Crows chased it off.
This morning the eagle was in a tree surrounded by crows. They chased him off again. I don't think they like his conservative politics.
Yesterday I put up 2 of the rotating reflectors and several strips of the reflective tape around my pond. I'm concerned how long the tape will last with the sun and wind working on it, will it deteriorate quickly? We'll see! Hope this helps keep the cormorants away.
Zep - if you decide to try the spinning reflector, take a look at Home Depot. Mine were only $20 each with free shipping, other places were a lot more. Some sites ship them with suction cup feet, mine did not have them.
I am seeing 2 to 6 cormorants on the pond daily and we visit the pond several times a day to detour them. but, yesterday afternoon I fish a little looking for the right sized cnbg to eat. Not the big ones and not the smaller sized ones. Just looking for that 7 to 8" size. So, when fishing I caught about a dozen and 3 of them had fresh cuts on them from the cormorants. My point is if your seeing cormorants at your pond the cormorants are most likely doing a lot of damage to your fish in your ponds.
I'm not seeing any comorants any more. I do have good activity at my feeder (although I have expected more). I see lots and lots of them sitting on power lines on my way to and from work. In South Texas we have been having flooding rains since last July which has turned my pond black with oak tannin. Have they thinned my fish enough that its not worth there time? Or has the black water made the visibility poor so they cannot hunt? If the latter is true would dying the water when and if my water clears up help keep them away?
The battle continues everyday right now. Ordered some cnbg from Overton's and I want a Gatlin gun, you know the type that is on our military helicopters. Add it to my side by side and turn the music up loud as I approach the pond!
I've got two ponds dyed and one not. They land on all three if I am not around to detour them.
They are being a real problem this year here. Last year they really thinned the fish population out in my old pond that is farthest from my house and difficult to see from the house.
Walking around the pond this morning and an unseen cormorant took off and landed in a tree. My dog is doing laps in the pond which should present an unwelcome vibe to the winged critter.
