Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management This heron knows how to fish...

and uses bait!!! Amazing!!

FISHING EGRET

That is incredible....geez, I hope the herons around here don't pick up on this behaviour.

I've read green herons are know for this.

Another example on how some out there do not give animals enough credit. I remember being told in college psych that animals can't think ahead and only operate on instinct. The same prof said that animals can't feel pain because you have to be able to verbalize to feel pain. I asked him if I stomped on my dog's foot and she yelped was he saying that wasn't pain? He maintained it wasn't. I was not convinced.

Saw this headline today and was unable to find time to view it. There are actually quite a few videos out there of egrets using this technique. It's very cool.

Wow....next we'll see them casting spinnerbaits!

That's great.

If I dangle a fish out there can I catch a green heron ?

I've dangled flies in front of bullfrogs and caught them. Does that count?

I appreciate those birds in a theoretical sense, and when I see them on the Nature channel or in the local swamp (or in all fairness, anywehere EXCEPT my ponds) I think they are a wonder of nature and a joy to behold.

However...

When I see the thieving little bird-brains taking a 10" bluegill out of MY pond, I have thoughts of Heron Pie.

LOL Yeah it's different when it's your pond isn't it?

I dont' worry about them anymore. Easy to keep them out 24/7. Fun to watch them on the bank with a puzzled look.

If your pond water level bounced around line mine, you wouldn't be saying that!

What makes matters worse is that I have to go weed whack all the shoreline of my pond that is above the "full pool" line. I have a VERY good crop of beggarticks ringing my pond and if I don't get them whacked before the seeds set I'll be in trouble.

I'd use the riding mower, but I have some Blue Flag Iris in the same littoral area of the pond that I want to save.

The geese and herons will have it even easier to walk down to the water after I do that.

Cecil, it goes to show that a heron can be pretty smart, and a college prof can be pretty damned dumb.

I always hated getting a low-end professor to make me angry about the money I was spending. Of course some hated me right back since I would argue tooth and nail with them, and not just take what they taught as gospel. I would even stay after class and argue more.

I cannot imagine a heron or two doing any real damage to a fishery. Had two greens in my pond yesterday getting miffed at the lack of anything substantial. Nothing but FHM right now.

I feel for you Scott and it's understandable. But I was referring to my pond.

I'm not sure what you mean by a college prof being dumb. I must have missed something in the thread. I can assure I am not the brightest bulb in the room so I'm not going there LOL. In fact, I have one of those two year junior college degrees the four year and beyond like to make fun of.

That said, you are aware what i was talking about using to keep them out of the pond? The staked lines?

By college prof being dumb are the ones that stick with what was read/taught to them pass it on to students, and ask no questions if it is right or wrong. Like talking about animal intelligence or ability to feel pain had some sort of relationship with verbalization?

In my case it was teachers who had not been in the workplace in years making claims of what was done in the workplace. Since I was in the workplace and they were not... I argued/educated.

No flat-out stupid prof though, not even close, just an occasional dummy that I would question the reason they were there if they couldn't continue learning themselves. Then again I didn't go to any Ivy League schools either, where I am sure there is a high percentage of extremely smart people that would welcome an argument/discussion.

Liquidsquid,

O.k. got it. Thanks for jogging my memory. I told you I wasn't the brightest bulb in the room. LOL

One thing that amazes me about SOME educators is how narrowed minded SOME of them are when they should be just the opposite. My wife that is an educator tells me about it all the time.

liquidsquid, Glad you came back and explained your views. PB people learn something on this site everyday.

Anyway, a "heron or two" might not do much damage to an above average fishery but they will kill fish that they cannot possibly eat. Somebody once told me that they're killing off competition. I've lost some really nice bass,amurs,blue gills and channel cats to those beak holes the blue herons give the fish right between the eyes.

One more thing, herons can eat thousands of dollars of kois in a hour. Blue herons vs greens are a big difference.

I agree that a heron can be pretty smart but your college prof remark is pretty dumb too.


But I'll give you a little ammo: Do you know what the call a guy that graduated last in his medical class?....Doctor!

Never made a claim I wasn't dumb, I am an expert at dumb. I have done more dumb things that at least 50% of the world's population, and least of which is digging a big, honking hole in my front field and spending a gob of money on it. Just ask the financial experts what I should have done with that money, and they would call me dumb.

I would have thought that the Blue heron spears first, and asks questions later when the fish does not fit down its throat.

If you raise expensive Koi, you have to expect heartache sooner or later when you stick your pond out in nature. Just like my never-ending battle with fruit trees. I have yet to get a crop of apples from trees I have planted 7 years ago. Frost, snowstorms, drought, animals, wind storms, etc. Nature is a lesson in humility.

Like liquidsquid says I wouldn't give them that much credit. I've seen them unsuccessfully try to swallow a fish that is too big to swallow. My opinion is they strike at anything that moves out of instinct. Or perhaps just like us their eyes can be bigger than their stomach if they are hungry?

Cecil, This heron can fish with bread. There is a relative of theirs in Africa I think that makes an umbrella with its wings then eats fish coming in to get shade. They (blue herons) may or may not be trying to kill of competion but they're sure trying to scare predators away. Their eyes may be bigger than their stomach but I've never seen a dead heron with a large fish stuck in its throat.

Now bass are a different story. Have a good day guys. .

I had one of the birds that has a neck and head of a herion and the body of a duck. He must have liked my decoys I had out for the geese that I was going to lead poison ooops I mean steel poison. LOL

I have seen a heron try and get a large bluegill down it's throat and finally give up.

Just be careful you don't accidentally hit this little fellar while you're goose hunting. He's either on the endangered or threatened status list in Indiana.

Black Crowned Heron

Or a cormorant or a loon.