Heron Help!

[Squash Muppet]

Hi all - Happy Thursday everyone

Have just gone outside to find a heron flying off from my pond and a lot of fish missing. Help

How can I deter him from coming back for the others? Also do they eat toads and frogs? Neville the toad has been living in the pond for a couple of weeks and if he's been pinched by the heron am gonna be so mad. Nev was lovely - he would answer back if you called to him.

Cheers
SM

[Nicos]

I'm afraid they do eat frogs:-

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12...onFoodWeb.html

Fingers crossed!

[TPeers]

Yes a Heron will take a frog - not sure about toads, they arn't supposed to taste nice.

Try fencing in the pond, placing several large vertical sticks around it (with less space between them than the heron can step through) or net with anti-heron net.

Alternatively let the fish go and have a fish free pond, which will support more wildlife. You'll get a lot more froglings and toadlets if you don't have fish. The dragonflies will have a more secure area to lay and more nymphs will survive, and if it has a shallow side that local wildlife can access you may well see the occasional hedgehog, badger etc.... Assuming that you have these animals in your area.

Sorry not to be too positive on the fish front - I gave up years ago!

[Waffler]

We had a heron problem last year, but haven't seen him for months (touch wood, and all that!)
We didn't want to put a net over it because we didn't think it would look great and I was worried about my cats and wildlife falling in to the pond and getting tangled up in it, rather than swimming freely to the edge (and in the case of the cats, coming in a little green and smelly!!!)
What we did in the end was put a border of pots around the edge was shallow enough for him to stand in, so he couldn't actually access the pond. It's a big pond, and that's one small area, so didn't look offensive in any way. Depending on the size and depth of your pond, you could do something similar. You could always put a perimeter of fencing/pots around the pond, as they're not like ducks and the likes; they can't fly and land in the pond (at least, I'm pretty sure they can't).

[shirlthegirl43]

You could purchase a plastic heron and 'plant' it very close to the pond. Apparently, a heron won't come to fish where another is already busy. Move the plastic one occasionally just in case the real one's are smart enough to work it out!

[Waffler]

Yeah, we considered that, until I found a photo of one whilst I loooked for one on ebay - it had a real heron about a metre away! Not a great advertising feature! Also, wasn't that keen on them.

[shirlthegirl43]

Gosh, surprised by that!! The plastic heron kept the feathered one away from our Koi pond for years!! I agree they are not pretty but better than finding your prize Koi flopping on the grass with a big gash on it!

[Tyto Alba]

Get a crocodile for the pond.

[SueA]

We have herons around here & lots of neighbours with ponds & have occasionally found large dead goldfish in the garden with a nasty hole through them! One neighbour put an ad. in the local shop window when she found a koi carp flopping about on the lawn & put it in her washing up bowl.She held identity parades as the pond owners came to see if it was one of theirs! I have seen a heron sit on the fence & swoop a fish up from next door years ago but it hasn't happened since he put a small plastic 12" tall net-type fence up around the edge of his pond & threaded a few wires across the top of the pond. The neighbour on the other side has a rigid plastic trellis type net across the top of his pond which stops anything falling in or getting at the fish but doesn't look so pretty.

[Squash Muppet]

Thanks for the ideas all. Like the croc idea Tyto Alba LOL

We share the pond with our neighbours (we live in part of a row of mews cottages) and have decided to try and net it and put pots around the edge to deter Mr Heron so cheers for those ideas!

I guess he must have been doing the rounds because I noticed the village duck pond had acquired a plastic heron today!

Thanks

Squash Muppet

Ps heard Nev croaking away earlier at least he's safe