Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management OSPREY !!!!!!!

Stupid bird is taking nice big fish, some it can barley fly with...and its a very large bird. Any ideas to deter it from dive bombing the pond. I was thinking running 100lb monofilimant fishing line from tree top to tree top
(or there abouts) the interrupt its flight path, with its long wingspan I though several crossings of the pond maybe cross cross would work. Any other ideas...

Whatever you do, keep your mouth shut about it.

At first you can try to frighten this nasty osprey by shooting some blank rounds on it's direction. If it doesn't help then you have to choose between fish and bird. Seems like that shooting might be the only solution then.

Don't forget to think about all possible risks before starting any action. If you got curious neighbours or maybe a sherrif in a neighbourhood then think twice before start shooting.

And don't forget Dave Davidsons advice

Those Latvians always want to shoot everything. Not like us peace loving American boys. Insert guffaws here.

Florida probably has some pretty tight laws on birds and the osprey is perhaps a federally protected bird as well. Good luck.

Grundulis: Relax, have a glass of wine.

I know a fish farm that used the lines to cross ponds. He said the bird saw them last minute tried to avoid in flight and crashed into the water once or twice and never bothered trying again. I am hoping I can get enough cross sections to interfer with is flight path....I think the most humane idea...Plus If the bird is removed another one will show up. I see osprey ever place I look here in NE FLORDA...
I guess living near allot of water has its down side. My Fiance has one that catches tilipia out of a little fountain pond in between two buildings in her office park. It just hangs above it and drops in like a sky diver.

Sniper,

Well, we have got problems with cormorants, herons and otters here too. Our laws are really outdated, every thinking human here can confirm it. 15-20 years ago seeing otter, cormorant or heron was a real luck but now they can be found everywhere.
Imagine a fishkeeper going to his pond and seeing lots of different creatures eating his fish. Would you be happy? I don't think so. And all of these wild predators are protected by law and theoretically can't be eliminated. WTF?
I understand that only endangered animals/birds/insects should be protected by law but if they can can be seen everywhere - does it seems normal for you? Not for me.

What do most of fishkeepers do? They shoot herons and cormorants and don't talk much about that. And they hope that once laws will be updated allowing some regulation. The first step maybe would be allowing eliminating all these creatures in private ponds. They aren't natural lakes/rivers and they shouldn't be considered as home for all of creatures mentioned before.

If I were in USA then probably I would think in a different way



Well, I'm drinking the 3rd beer right now

In florida fish farms can get a permit to kill up to ten cormorants a year.

But that does not help me with my ospry problem, any one tried running lines to interupt the flight path of the bird over the pond before?

This works only if the cormorant killer is honest. Who can say that ONLY 10 cormorants have been killed? Maybe 12 or maybe even 25?
Anyway it's better than in Latvia. Here they ALL are under protection.


You didn't mention the size of your pond but you mentioned large fish. Probably your pond isn't a tiny one.
I think that putting net or a fishing line over a pond might work only with a very small ones. For example a small garden pond with a few koi carps.

In Missouri, we use SSS to deal with problem animals, whatever they are. (Shoot, Shovel and Shutup.)

I'd go with the mono. Cecil has used it to deter Great Blue Herons from his ponds.

It's something that can be in place 24/7, and you aren't at the pond every hour of daylight. Like you said, take away one and another will show up.

A friend down in Texas has a permit to shoot cormorants on his ponds. I remember a few years ago I shot the last one of the year, and it was #200. They have to be retrieved and buried. 17HMR from 150 or so Yds works just fine. He has to keep a log book with the date, name of shooter, time, and what pond.

I believe Scotty in Australia had to use a lot of lines to protect his fish from some kind of birds.

I wouldn't want any one to know that I had harmed an osprey or even could be considered harassing one. You could get in a lot of trouble.

I had one come thru a couple of years ago, but apparently he was "dropping in" for one cold one and then was gone. Whew.

I am currently putting up a fence like Cecil suggested. I don't have it all up yet but I got about 40 feet of it up. It won't really help you from above though. If the bird is dive bombing your pond a fence like Cecil has is for the Heron that walks into your pond. Trying to string mono from the tree tops sounds interesting to say the least! Please take video and post I want to see this action!!

Good Luck!!

I'm with Esshup. Shooting is not only a temporary solution, it would be a crime to shoot such a regal beautiful bird figuratively and literally that is only doing what it evolved to do.

Shooting one of these federally protected birds would be akin to shooting a bald eagle which carries a fine of at least 5 grand and possibly some jail or prison time.

Not sure if lines from tree to tree is necessary. How about just a few stakes in the ground and from stake to stake?

Come on people we are smarter than these animals; our brains are much bigger. We can come up with nonlethal solutions that are better than a quick fix temporary solution that kills the animal and can put us in some serious hot water.

I'm disappointed that people on this public forum would give advice such as SSS. It's doesn't make us look very good as wise stewards of our natural resources. It makes us look downright selfish.

Cecil, I have never found that I am as smart as any wildlife. They know a lot more about their world than I can ever guess.

Osprey eat few fish. I had the pleasure of watching an Osprey stalk and dive for a 2-3 pound Golden Trout on the Herman Family's Lake Norris. It was a serene, surreal, experience...I would stock to feed the bird if I had one. It was truly an awe inspiring sight to watch!

I have the electric fence cause it works 24-7, not because I'm afraid of hurting those cute, lovable, cuddly, endangered Otters.

I don't think Osprey would pose much of a danger to a pond provided there wasn't a flock of them, or is that a gaggle.

Dave I was hoping you didn't take they personally because it wasn't meant that way. I do KNOW you are smarter though. We know what they do and why they do it don't we? It's not that esoteric is it? That's enough to beat them at their game isn't it?

Are they are an endangered list anywhere? I know they were scare and were reintroduced, but even here in Indiana where they were reintroduced recently they have become quite common, and even a recreational pond owner can get a permit to remove them lethally or non-lethally.

Just Kidding.

anyone have experience using one of these to scare off birds?

Gator Guard, Floating Gator Head

This life-size replica of an alligator head is what
every pond owner needs to keep geese, ducks and
fish-eating birds away. The rubber gator head
is wrapped around a floating frame that stays completely
on top of the water. Its mirror-backed eyes flash in the sun.
Can be free-floating or tethered. 25" long.

Gator Guard, Floating Gator Head

Heck no, nothing at all taken personally Cecil. But, really I've hunted and fished an awful lot of different landscapes that were loaded with game and/or fish with no positive results.

When I step into another creatures environment, I have to figure that they know a lot more about my whereabouts than I do of theirs. Mama Nature has equipped them with senses that my ancestors haven't had for an awful lot of years. If it weren't that way, it would be catching and shooting instead of fishing and hunting.

Just think about how many big fish see my lure on any given fishing trip. And I don't think it is usually the wrong lure. It's just that the fish are conditioned to my foot steps on the side of the pond or see the boat or line or... But sometimes they make a mistake.

Passenger pigeons evidently didn't get the message. Or maybe it wasn't me hunting them.

I'm skeptical it would work well even if it works at first. I've seen birds get used to things similar to this.

I guess my point is I'm not sure we should be advocating shooting federally protected birds on a public forum especially by a moderator.

And to be honest with you there was a time when I thought shooting was the most effective response, and even bought federal permits to do so for my small scale farm. However I firmly believe there are nonlethal ways to take care of problem animals that work 24/7 even when you are not around.

Back when I shot herons I found out they were soon replaced by other birds and some just came in nocturnally, so shooting was not as effective as I thought. And I can think of better things to do with $100.00 for the permit fee than handing it over to the government. I've flushed more than one heron from my ponds on a moonlit night.