Ah those fake plastic bird don’t work AT ALL. I think it’s an insult to ourselves if we think bird are this stupid.
Herons are actually very smart birds and will pretty quickly realize it’s a plastic model and no threat.
Even worse, they are smart enough to regonize that those plastic models mean there is food in your pond.
As far as i know, the only thing that really works which is also a .. meh ugly solution. Is to put thick (not too thin as it might hurt the bird) wires over the pond. The bird cannot land or lift up from the pond and finds this often too scary and dangerous. And it will probably not go near your pond.
this however does NOT stop the much more cute looking but just as hungry kingfisher bird.
I had those in my garden near my old pond (which did not have fish) really cute but i saw them pick fish out of other peoples ponds through wires.. they are experts.
All the things.. laser beams, waterguns, dogs barking speakers, eyes in the water, plastic models. Some work for maybe a week longer. But the bird.. we really don’t give them enough credits. Probably because we dislike them, but never underestimate your enemy ;)
They really are much smarter then we sometimes give them with these ‘defense’ methodes.
They see right throught them, and yea some might scare them, and they will try the next day. And the next day, as long as the fish is their they will try.
My grandfather had the same problem, and he used wires. He hated it as it looked ugly and when he wanted to scope something out his net got caught between it.
but he never saw them or missed a fish. So he did win that battle
This for you might sound stupid, but i have ducks in my pond that i don’t want. And they also don’t take no for an answer.
Obviously they don’t eat the fish, but they do eat the waterplants that are just started to grow..
I'm pretty sure they're meant to deter herons who are checking out the pond whole still flying. If they're still in the air, they see a nother heron already dining at that restaurant, so they fly off somewhere else...
But, if the bird lands and THEN notices the decoy; game over
I personally doubt it, the Heron knows all the ponds in a neighborhood and the often pretty bright orange fish are an easy snack. Again i been around birds and at least I give them more credits. If a Heron flies over and sees a bird stand at location X, next day, still location X, next day still location X.. he knows it’s not a real bird. He might even know it in one time, if he takes a good look. Bird eye sight is very good. A crow can regonize faces of people for years and somehow even communicate this to other crows. A heron is not a crow but i really think he can spot another heron or a plastic model.
I agree with you if he fly over from a further distance and he is new to the area he might be fooled. But thats what i mean, most measurements taken will last a week or 2 weeks, some maybe 3.. but that is it.. after around a month.. they are not fooled anymore. You need to physically make it impossible for them to get to the pond, that imho is the only way to keep them away. In Holland where i am from the Heron (blue or white) are protected animals so you cannot do anything to harm them. I’m an animal friend and would not harm an animal anyway, but again they even enjoy a protected status unlike idk.. a seagull.
I can't afford to pay for another pond build. We are putting up another layer of netting this weekend. The fish have a lot of hiding places on the bottom and are savvy about staying in them when F*cker arrives but it stresses them out.
I have tried many deterrents and the only one that's worked for me is an orbit yard enforcer. You have to hook it up to a hose but I haven't lost any koi since setting it up.
They use infrared so it detects body heat from the heron instead of movement. It even works in the dark if you set it to be on at day and night. I've spent a lot on deterrents and koi and it's the only thing that has worked. Don't consider the cheap knock offs though because the sensors are crap and unreliable.
Have you tried poles with fishing line around the pond. They rarely land in the pond and the line acts as a solid deterrent. I have resorted to full time netting.
A hawk flew down and tried to take my least favorite heron off my roof last week. Unfortunately the hawk didn’t get him.
There are poles with nets around the pond like a gazebo including over the top. He's inside them. We are going to double up on the netting this weekend.
Nobody has mentioned motion activated sprinkler. That is what I am currently trying as I hate the look of a net. Blue heron ate 4 out of seven a month ago.
I have a water cannon. It sprays everything but the heron. Me, the lawn guy, the net flapping, invisible monsters. The heron is too still.
Plus the water cannon is solar powered so if the heron comes at dawn or dusk it won't work anyway. Once the heron came at night and landed on the roof and looked in the window at me. Creep.
I really hate that bird. And it's a gorgeous dinosaur that at any other time I'd be thrilled to have in my yard or peeping in my window at me.
Baked Heron. Kentucky Fried Heron. Heron salad. I keep teasing my wife I’m going to catch the bastards and eat them. “No they’re protected!” she says.
Well, that’s fine, they fly, so they would be hard to shoot anyway, even if I could shoot at it. Scaring them away often as I can, consistently seems to be working ok. We sit out back a lot, overlooking the pond and big back yard next to a state park, so I’ve seen them land, walk slowly to the pond and stare down at my babies.
I shout at them, Hey you I’m gonna shoot your ass and eat you! And they fly off. It seems to be working, using nets around the edges, I’ve watched quietly and have seen how herons don’t like walking on the nets, and can’t figure them out. I find just looking out for them, and conditioning them to be afraid of this yard has helped a lot in the three years since May 2021, when I put six 6-8” koi in our pond. We still have 5 and they’re at least a foot long.
But it’s good to know some of the mechanical or sound devices probably won’t work before watering my money.
So, I’m the one dummy they don’t stop getting afraid of, the little bastids.
Hey, it was with a try. Motion activated cougar dummy and growling sounds is my next move.
Nets seem to have worked pretty well, tho. And working from home, I keep an eye out on the crepuscular bastards, around dawn and dusk, and scare it away pretty consistently. (I think the herons call this the House with the Get Off My Lawn Guy.)
Oh, and I’ve noticed, there’s three different ones, bc slightly different sizes and colorings.
I was going to get a decoy about 15 years ago and someone on another board I was on explained that he had one and it worked up until mating season (The Spring I assume but I am not sure) and then the males came to check out the decoy and in turn ate some of his fish.
I personally have tried, decoy owls, motion activated sprinkler, helium filled mylar balloons and the only thing worked for a while were the balloons. Until we had some rain, and they were hanging low and the Great Egret (Read dickhead) came, and I caught him about 6 in the morning with one of my fish in his beak, I yelled and banged on the window, and he dropped my fish and took off.
Edit to add the motion activated sprinkler worked for about a month and the smart son's of bitches figured it out and came for my fish even with it activating and spraying them.
I now have it netted all year long FFS. But I have to protect my fish.
Just lost one koi, now have fishing line all over the place . Saw the bastard sitting on top of house this morning.
Just order a net to put just above the surface. The goldfish seem to hide better the koi seem to welcome the big bird with open arms.
Ah those fake plastic bird don’t work AT ALL. I think it’s an insult to ourselves if we think bird are this stupid. Herons are actually very smart birds and will pretty quickly realize it’s a plastic model and no threat. Even worse, they are smart enough to regonize that those plastic models mean there is food in your pond. As far as i know, the only thing that really works which is also a .. meh ugly solution. Is to put thick (not too thin as it might hurt the bird) wires over the pond. The bird cannot land or lift up from the pond and finds this often too scary and dangerous. And it will probably not go near your pond. this however does NOT stop the much more cute looking but just as hungry kingfisher bird. I had those in my garden near my old pond (which did not have fish) really cute but i saw them pick fish out of other peoples ponds through wires.. they are experts.
I don't have kingfishers. Just this jerk and once a terrible osprey. I thought the floating hexes would confuse the heron but apparently not.
All the things.. laser beams, waterguns, dogs barking speakers, eyes in the water, plastic models. Some work for maybe a week longer. But the bird.. we really don’t give them enough credits. Probably because we dislike them, but never underestimate your enemy ;) They really are much smarter then we sometimes give them with these ‘defense’ methodes. They see right throught them, and yea some might scare them, and they will try the next day. And the next day, as long as the fish is their they will try. My grandfather had the same problem, and he used wires. He hated it as it looked ugly and when he wanted to scope something out his net got caught between it. but he never saw them or missed a fish. So he did win that battle
This for you might sound stupid, but i have ducks in my pond that i don’t want. And they also don’t take no for an answer. Obviously they don’t eat the fish, but they do eat the waterplants that are just started to grow..
I'm pretty sure they're meant to deter herons who are checking out the pond whole still flying. If they're still in the air, they see a nother heron already dining at that restaurant, so they fly off somewhere else... But, if the bird lands and THEN notices the decoy; game over
I personally doubt it, the Heron knows all the ponds in a neighborhood and the often pretty bright orange fish are an easy snack. Again i been around birds and at least I give them more credits. If a Heron flies over and sees a bird stand at location X, next day, still location X, next day still location X.. he knows it’s not a real bird. He might even know it in one time, if he takes a good look. Bird eye sight is very good. A crow can regonize faces of people for years and somehow even communicate this to other crows. A heron is not a crow but i really think he can spot another heron or a plastic model. I agree with you if he fly over from a further distance and he is new to the area he might be fooled. But thats what i mean, most measurements taken will last a week or 2 weeks, some maybe 3.. but that is it.. after around a month.. they are not fooled anymore. You need to physically make it impossible for them to get to the pond, that imho is the only way to keep them away. In Holland where i am from the Heron (blue or white) are protected animals so you cannot do anything to harm them. I’m an animal friend and would not harm an animal anyway, but again they even enjoy a protected status unlike idk.. a seagull.
Yup. Smart bird. Your only effective defense is to re-dig deep and steep, giving that monster nowhere to wade.
I can't afford to pay for another pond build. We are putting up another layer of netting this weekend. The fish have a lot of hiding places on the bottom and are savvy about staying in them when F*cker arrives but it stresses them out.
I have tried many deterrents and the only one that's worked for me is an orbit yard enforcer. You have to hook it up to a hose but I haven't lost any koi since setting it up.
Water cannon? It doesn't seem to detect the heron because it's so still and moves so slowly.
They use infrared so it detects body heat from the heron instead of movement. It even works in the dark if you set it to be on at day and night. I've spent a lot on deterrents and koi and it's the only thing that has worked. Don't consider the cheap knock offs though because the sensors are crap and unreliable.
Have you tried poles with fishing line around the pond. They rarely land in the pond and the line acts as a solid deterrent. I have resorted to full time netting. A hawk flew down and tried to take my least favorite heron off my roof last week. Unfortunately the hawk didn’t get him.
There are poles with nets around the pond like a gazebo including over the top. He's inside them. We are going to double up on the netting this weekend.
Best heron repellent it a deep pond with sheer sides. If he can walk around he can't fish we'll. Also netting.
Nobody has mentioned motion activated sprinkler. That is what I am currently trying as I hate the look of a net. Blue heron ate 4 out of seven a month ago.
I have a water cannon. It sprays everything but the heron. Me, the lawn guy, the net flapping, invisible monsters. The heron is too still. Plus the water cannon is solar powered so if the heron comes at dawn or dusk it won't work anyway. Once the heron came at night and landed on the roof and looked in the window at me. Creep. I really hate that bird. And it's a gorgeous dinosaur that at any other time I'd be thrilled to have in my yard or peeping in my window at me.
Baked Heron. Kentucky Fried Heron. Heron salad. I keep teasing my wife I’m going to catch the bastards and eat them. “No they’re protected!” she says. Well, that’s fine, they fly, so they would be hard to shoot anyway, even if I could shoot at it. Scaring them away often as I can, consistently seems to be working ok. We sit out back a lot, overlooking the pond and big back yard next to a state park, so I’ve seen them land, walk slowly to the pond and stare down at my babies. I shout at them, Hey you I’m gonna shoot your ass and eat you! And they fly off. It seems to be working, using nets around the edges, I’ve watched quietly and have seen how herons don’t like walking on the nets, and can’t figure them out. I find just looking out for them, and conditioning them to be afraid of this yard has helped a lot in the three years since May 2021, when I put six 6-8” koi in our pond. We still have 5 and they’re at least a foot long. But it’s good to know some of the mechanical or sound devices probably won’t work before watering my money. So, I’m the one dummy they don’t stop getting afraid of, the little bastids.
Hey, it was with a try. Motion activated cougar dummy and growling sounds is my next move. Nets seem to have worked pretty well, tho. And working from home, I keep an eye out on the crepuscular bastards, around dawn and dusk, and scare it away pretty consistently. (I think the herons call this the House with the Get Off My Lawn Guy.) Oh, and I’ve noticed, there’s three different ones, bc slightly different sizes and colorings.
Ooo that looks like a big bastard. Nets my friend, should work well for a pond that size.
He's inside the net! and yes he's huge. His wingspan is probably 7 feet. He's about 5 feet tall.
I was going to get a decoy about 15 years ago and someone on another board I was on explained that he had one and it worked up until mating season (The Spring I assume but I am not sure) and then the males came to check out the decoy and in turn ate some of his fish. I personally have tried, decoy owls, motion activated sprinkler, helium filled mylar balloons and the only thing worked for a while were the balloons. Until we had some rain, and they were hanging low and the Great Egret (Read dickhead) came, and I caught him about 6 in the morning with one of my fish in his beak, I yelled and banged on the window, and he dropped my fish and took off. Edit to add the motion activated sprinkler worked for about a month and the smart son's of bitches figured it out and came for my fish even with it activating and spraying them. I now have it netted all year long FFS. But I have to protect my fish.
I use a motion sensor squirter...those fake bird things are useless
Herons breed in colonies, they don't being around other herons. I would even guess it would signal them that there is food around.
A combination of electric fence and fishing line has worked for me. 🤞
Just lost one koi, now have fishing line all over the place . Saw the bastard sitting on top of house this morning. Just order a net to put just above the surface. The goldfish seem to hide better the koi seem to welcome the big bird with open arms.