Fish Ponds, Herons And Protecting Your Pond From Cats Rats and Elephants
The warmer weather is at last starting to show its face in my home town of Wigan, near Manchester in England. It’s been a long, really cold winter, by British standards and has seemed to last forever.
Anyway enough of the British preoccupation with the weather…
I recently received an email from Verne, a subscriber who lives in Canada and is the owner of Moad Mountain Enterprise Koi and Pond Supplies.
Verne doesn’t agree with everything I have written in my newsletters, and to be honest I appreciate this because I believe that everyday should be a school day. If I learn something new everyday then that is a good thing.
Anyway, here is Verne’s email to myself, dated 26 February 2011.
“Hi Sean,
Enjoy reading your news letters however some times I tend to disagree with you or feel some info is outdated.
This last article on pumps was very good and very informative.
Protecting Pond From Cats Rats and Elephants need a little refreshing...
Cats will not normally bother ponds at all however to feel safe the water should be 6-8 inches below ground level or upper rock ledge level.
Raccoons can not swim they can only wade into the pond and grab your fish therefore do not have a shallow area in pond.
Now Herons are a different situation. If your pond is deep with deep sides the heron cannot stand in water to grab the fish.
However that being said if the heron can stand on a rock at ponds edge and water is close to service he can still grab the fish.
Again keep water down about 6-8 inches this will usually offer some deterrence. Shallow ponds are deadly for heron attacks.
Having a heron statue does not really work, if you do not move the statue on a daily basis they will realize it is a statue and not a fellow heron. Also during mating season this will attract the heron.
The water scarecrows with the sensor spray only work for a while until the heron gets use to where the spray goes.
We have tried sensor activated radios which help for a while but still they get use to it.
One of my clients uses decorative windmills in the shape of birds and fish or whatever. Her pond looks like a carnival, works for a while, but the herons get use to that as well.
She is totally unprotected out in the open, and her only solution is netting her pond the year around. It looks like H..... however the fish are protected.
She keeps the net raised off the water by about 30 inches as the herons will land on the net and tear through it is close to the water.
For the first time this year we had a client who had two herons in his yard at the same time, just as he received our heron watch call they were landing in his pond.
Yes, HERON WATCH as soon as any one (with a pond) in town sees a heron over head we call each other and so on and so on.
Now, I know a customer doesn't want to hear this if you are just starting to set up a contract for a beautiful pond that he knows dam well he is going to lose his $$$$$$$ costing koi at any time to predators.
Now we have pond owners here in Canada who handle the problem permanently however not acceptable by Heron Lovers.
Have a good Pond Day
Verne
Moad Mountain Enterprise
Koi and Pond Supplies"
ps The article that Verne is referring to is How To Stop herons Eating Your Fish...
My Opinion On Things...
Now I do agree with much of what Verne says and he certainly seems to know quite a bit about pest repellents and pond pests.
However I don't agree with everything he says. For example you don't need to place the pond netting 30 inches (2 1/2 feet) above the pond, as stated by Verne. Placing the net about 12" (30cm) above the surface of the pond is adequate.
The pond net does however need to be stretched tightly. If you don't do this the heron will attempt to spear fish through the holes.
Ok it doesn't add to the beauty of your pond, but it will keep your fish from becoming a tasty snack.
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Happy Pond Keeping
Sean