Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Food chain high end

My pond was stocked 3 to 4 months ago with fingerlings. Bass, catfish, and many bluegills. Water birds (cranes?)seem to be having their way. Anything that can be done to discourage them?

Click Click.......kaboooooommmmmm!! 4 shot works great if you live somewhere you can unload.

I have a 100 pound dog that loves to raise hell when the big birds come. All I have to say is "big Bird" if I see them first and all hell breaks loose. When a heron tries to land on the pond or has just landed, the dog and I go out on the deck and I slap two pieces of 2 x4 together. Sounds just like a gun shot and they fly off. I haven't seen them for several weeks as they eventually get discouraged.

There is a kennel somewhere that advertises they trains border collies to chain off pond birds. I can find it if you want.

Cecil

The idea of shooting the birds is very appealing..... but that may be difficult to do if you have any neighbors. Many people wouldn't like to see a crane slaughter. Just an idea, but why not try firecrackers. It worked for me with geese.

Bill

You can always use your shotgun to scare the heck out of the birds (come close to them but not hit them).

A little Texas target pratice will keep your skills honed for hunting season and make you feel better that you are doing something about the birds.

Don

If your pest bird is a heron a heron decoy works very well to keep them away because herons a such teritorial creatures.

That heron decoy trick doesn't always work. When they are breeding, it is not unusual for me to find 15 great blue herons feasting together on my trout ponds. Even after the breeding season, 3 or 4 herons stick it out together for the fresh fish.

I have a bird banger that AES sells. It launches a shell 150 feet into the air, towards the birds and then explodes. It works well to scare them off, but every night at sundown, they come back. However, we have reduced their impact on the fish.

Heres a few notes collected from observations and other folks experience

1) predator nets, cheaper than losing fish like koi, downside, local animals can get trapped in it, snared. Not very pleasant explaining to your neighbour why their pedigree cat or dog lost its life or leg through strangulation

2) suspend strong fish line taut, 12" around the pond, herons hate trip wires. An elegantly simple way to baffle a dim fishbag on stilts, it often works, many folk have reported seeing herons 'baffled' this way....

3) step up cover within the pond... water lilies.... big bits of pipe, float large sheets of black polythene, hiding places... for fish. Surprisingly, many black plastic objects, when submersed become virtually invisible, in a natural setting, so the idea of this clutter in pond is not as bad as it sounds. I like this method, it creates a lot of hiding places, and makes it very difficult for the likes of persistent racoons when they raid.... useful in winter when foliage is bare, and fish want somewhere quiet, to hibernate, bare crystal clear ponds must be an easy target for predators....

4) when you make a pond, make 45° sides, herons have gangly legs, they like 'easy walking' conditions, they hate 'trippy' pond surroundings

5) I can't be so fiendish, I cant advise you put out snares... a simple loop of fish line can lock onto a predators leg. Nasty way to die, that

6) I can't recommend a .22 air rifle, a bit politically incorrect, even though a heron is easy to hit at 200' with a decent scope, unfair, too easy I guess. Anyone who has used a rifle properly could hit a quarter at 100 feet so for the squeemish, clipping some tail feathers is quite possible .....or hit a bucket placed beside the pond loud and close enough to frighten the bejasus out of the vile fish bag... that is a quite effective clean way

....Alas rifles in most peoples hands are quite counter productive, you will waste a lot of time waiting for the opportunity to use it, to learn how to be competent with a rifle, and the consequences of a bad tempered fool with a lethal tool is well, unpopular...

7) For the flash and the opulent, linking a motion detector and a sprinkler might provide some amusement to scare off the dratted bird. Or, a hose with a timer, that briefly blasts water every 15 minutes or so, enough to startle a pest

8) A heavily planted pond makes life very difficult for predators, even though the big bright dumber fish will always be taken first, shy nervous timid (smart) fish and the little 'uns ought to be able to find good hidey holes easy...

9) fish feeding routine: have a special food signal, like tap a stone three times at feed time. You don't want your fish to associate every visitor to your pond, with a free meal.... one day it will be a heron, looking for freebies...

10) Heron statue... what a novel idea, picturesque even. They always seem to be coming on the market, second hand. Never heard anyone had any success with them, other than folk who sell them, I guess....

11) There is a very promising new device coming onto the market.... sonic 'guns' that fire a narrow band of extreme noise in a confined direction. Link this to a motion detector and it really will do the job... herons are incredibly sensitive and nervous, a violent sound like that pointed at the pond area will really blow them away when they trigger the sonic gun. Because of the controlled direction of the sonics, its not likely to bother neighbours, much.... Very promising, that method.....

12) baseball bats. Herons by nature are incredibly careful hunters, you wan't get within 50 feet with a bat. Anyone thinking of trying such a method will quickly learn the bird is a lot smarter than them, and that will be just sooooo embarrasing....

the time when predatory birds go pond hopping is often determined by local factors, drought, floods or freezes have made difficult or clouded their usual hunting places, early morning and fog is often a factor to make them bold enough to go close to places where ponds are, compact sushi bars are preferred....

regards, andy