protecting pond from predatory birds

[[email protected]]

we have an existing pond that will be enlarged this year. we've
witnessed herons and falcons plucking goldfish from our pond (one brave
falcon actually ate a goldfish on our deck leaving the skeletal remains
for us to clean!)

what's the preferred way to keep our (soon to be) koi fish safe from
predatory birds.. new pond will vary in depth from 1 to 4 ft.

thanks!

[Reel McKoi]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> we have an existing pond that will be enlarged this year. we've
> witnessed herons and falcons plucking goldfish from our pond (one brave
> falcon actually ate a goldfish on our deck leaving the skeletal remains
> for us to clean!)
>
> what's the preferred way to keep our (soon to be) koi fish safe from
> predatory birds.. new pond will vary in depth from 1 to 4 ft.
========================
Bird netting works for us. It also keeps out all the other predators we
have here.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
Zone 6 TN
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Gabrielle]

I've had problems with hawks and ravens, mostly with my turtles. The
hawk is the only one interested in the fish. I'm hoping my new dog (a
semi-feral who had a pelvic fracture and is now adjusting to life as a
yard dog) will chase off the big birds.
Gabrielle

wrote:

> we have an existing pond that will be enlarged this year. we've
> witnessed herons and falcons plucking goldfish from our pond (one brave
> falcon actually ate a goldfish on our deck leaving the skeletal remains
> for us to clean!)
>
> what's the preferred way to keep our (soon to be) koi fish safe from
> predatory birds.. new pond will vary in depth from 1 to 4 ft.
>
> thanks!
>

[kathy]

The problem with the two birds feasting in
your pond, being that they are both protected,
so you have to be careful with how you
deal with them.
My concern is that netting will work for herons
but I wonder if a falcon would 'see' the netting
and end up getting tangled in it and drowning.
Or you would get injured trying to get the falcon
out (know of someone who suffered grevious
injuries with a bird of prey).

Over the years I don't remember much posted
on rec.ponds of ponders discouraging hawks and
the like. We've had reports of problems but no
solutions.

If I were you I'd contact my local Fish and Game
Dept., they are probably listed in state agencies
in your phone book or you can go to Google, enter
your 'state' and 'fish and wildlife dept.'
I'd talk to them and ask, specifically, about the falcon.

Rec.ponders report netting, electric shock fence and
motion activated sprinklers helping with herons.
Decoys (alligators, other herons) have worked for
some. I've had good luck with my two dogs. Also think
the heavy tree cover in my yard keeps the pond from
being spotted in the spring and summer.(Does make
a perfect perch for kingfishers, who've I've conceded the
battle to).

Another option, if you are remodeling, is building somekind
of overhanging structure, gazebo, shade structure. Really take your
predators into your planning.

And lastly, and this takes a certain mindset, you could
always see that pond as a wildlife pond, stocked with feeder fish, to
enjoy nature and build another specifically designed predator proof
pond for fish (I'm assuming you have an unlimited budget here... ;-)

Keep in touch and let us know how it goes!

kathy :-)

[kathy]

Went to another board to ask and one person said her most effective
deterrent agains such accomplished birds, such as eagles and osprey,
was depth. Four feet.

Maybe you could block part of your pond to keep the fish in the deeper
part and use the shallower end for plants only?

kathy

[Captain Blood]

They make a nice unit that you can attach to a underground water supply
that is a proximity sensor. When something gets within the range of
this device it basically shoots out a stream of water like a powerful
golf course sprinkler. Of course you need to remember to shut the water
supply off before you approach the pond!

[[email protected]]

has anyone tried stringing fishing line across the surface of their
pond?

[Reel McKoi]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> has anyone tried stringing fishing line across the surface of their
> pond?
===================
Yes. It did nothing for herons, King Fishers, mud turtles, bullfrogs and
snakes. I found *myself* tripping over it. :-( Coons don't come near our
house because of the dogs.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"The Universe is a figment of it's own imagination."
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[kathy]

I've heard of one person having good luck with fishing line
but their situation was unique in that their pond lay between
two green houses. The fishing line made it impossible for
the birds to land anywhere close and I think those particular
birds weren't comfortable walking too great a distance landing
elsewhere and 'hiking in'.

kathy :-)

[Reel McKoi]

"kathy" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> I've heard of one person having good luck with fishing line
> but their situation was unique in that their pond lay between
> two green houses. The fishing line made it impossible for
> the birds to land anywhere close and I think those particular
> birds weren't comfortable walking too great a distance landing
> elsewhere and 'hiking in'.
>
> kathy :-)
=====================
We would see the herons arrive and land in the trees nearby. They'd come
one at a time. I never knew exactly how many there were. They'd then swoop
down on the lawn maybe 10' from the pond - and slowly walk towards it. I'm
sure they were wary of the large 5 to 6' water snakes that would hide in the
rock necklace and plantings around the ponds. They'd hop up on the rocks
and fish from there - standing dead still. And as my husband can tell
you,... it was almost always the prettiest, the flashiest and most colorful,
the friendliest fish to go first. :*(

I've never been able to replace the beautiful translucent yellow butterfly
koi we lost right before we bought the nets. She was the last straw.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"Death is hereditary."
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[~Roy~]

Herons also do a lot of their fishing at night. I often set outside in
the gazeebo, out of sight for the most part, and its not uncommon to
see a heron land way out at the other end of the field, and slowly
walk up through the field to the pond well over 300 to 400 feet.

On 19 Mar 2005 14:43:58 -0800, "kathy" > wrote:

>===<>I've heard of one person having good luck with fishing line
>===<>but their situation was unique in that their pond lay between
>===<>two green houses. The fishing line made it impossible for
>===<>the birds to land anywhere close and I think those particular
>===<>birds weren't comfortable walking too great a distance landing
>===<>elsewhere and 'hiking in'.
>===<>
>===<>kathy :-)


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

[~Roy~]

Yet another view and take by folks that can not afford to loose fish
to predator birds:

Fish-eating birds can devastate your fish pond. To give you an idea of
how much damage birds can do, a few years ago the hatchery manager at
the Fish and Wildlife Service's , John Allen Fish Hatchery in Tupelo,
Mississippi stocked a pond with 5,000 paddlefish (spoonbill catfish).
When they harvested the pond a few months later, he recovered 124
fish. He was puzzled because, as a Federal agent, he could shoot
predacious birds and did so constantly. What he didn't count on was
that Great Blue Herons fish at night. Upon learning this, he shot one,
cut it open, and counted 104 paddlefish in the bird.

Wading & Diving Birds

These birds are divided in two basic types, wading and diving. Wading
birds are the most common and include snowy egrets (a medium-sized
white bird with yellow feet and a black bill), great egrets (a large
white bird with black feet and a yellow bill), green herons (a small,
dark green bird), and great blue herons (a large, blue- grey bird).
The other type, diving birds, include ospreys, bald eagles,
kingfishers, pelicans, and cormorants. Some of the larger birds eat
one to two pounds of fish each per day. To make matters worse,
pelicans and cormorants travel in large flocks and have been known to
actually herd fish into a cove or corner, then clean up. On top of
that, birds are the intermediate hosts of several fish parasites.
Finally, these birds are protected by Federal Law. Some, like
cormorants, are classed as migratory waterfowl and protected by
international treaty.

What Can I Do?

So you don't want birds in your pond, and you sure don't want to be
caught shooting (or even harassing) them. There are several things you
can do to minimize the damage. If you are really serious about keeping
wading birds out, you can put up a chicken-wire fence 18 inches tall
at the waterline. Egrets and herons alight on land and wade into the
water. You only need a fence too tall for them to step over to keep
them out. By increasing the slope around the edge of the pond, you not
only reduce the area birds are able to fish, but you also will reduce
weed growth. On the other hand, allowing weeds to grow or putting
riprap at the edge will give small fish a place to hide and restrict
wading bird movements.

More Solutions....

Some pond owners have a great blue heron decoy at the edge of their
pond. This works on a bird's sense of territory, keeping others away.
These are sold as "confidence" decoys for duck hunters. Flambeau, Inc.
makes one that sells for about $35. You can also take advantage of
this behavior by catering to purple martins or barn swallows. Purple
martin nest boxes are easily constructed or can be purchased from
numerous stores or catalogs. Barn swallows will nest on any covered
shelf or horizontal surface. Their mud nests are distinctive. Colonies
of martins and swallows are most active early and late in the day, and
their activity is distracting to wading birds. As an added attraction,
both of these birds will eat a large number of insects such as
mosquitoes.

In Conclusion

The above measures will reduce or eliminate most wading bird problems.
The presence of these birds does not necessarily guarantee a negative
impact on your fish population or a parasite problem. However, the
greater the bird population and the longer they are allowed to inhabit
your pond, the greater the risk.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++

DIVING BIRDS



American white pelicans and cormorants are large birds that can eat up
to 3 pounds of fish per bird, per day! They travel in large flocks
consisting of up to 100 (or sometimes more) birds and will return to a
pond until it is cleaned out. They usually send out scouts that will
bring all their friends when they find a good spot.

In lakes, it has been found that they primarily target schools of
shad, but will eat game fish and forage fish if given an opportunity.
These birds migrate, so they are a winter problem in the South and a
summer problem in the North.



Because they migrate, pelicans and cormorants are two of the 836
species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 between the
United States and Canada, Mexico, Russia, and Japan. However,
double-crested cormorants are such a problem that the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service issued a depredation order on March 4, 1998 for them
in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, and Texas. This allows commercial aquaculture facilities
and State-operated hatcheries to take double- crested cormorants on
their premises without a Federal permit. You must have a certified
non-lethal harassment program in place. You must keep for three years,
a log of the number of birds killed each day and make it available for
inspection by Federal or State wildlife enforcement officers. If you
use a shotgun on cormorants, you are required to use non-toxic shot;
after all, they are waterfowl. If not specifically extended, this
order expires on April 30, 2005. In addition to Federal laws, you must
be aware of any State or local laws that apply. Even the Federal
depredation order has a provision deferring to State laws or
regulations. Penalties for misdemeanor violations are up to 6 months
in jail and a $15,000 fine.

In order to get a Federal permit for a recreational fishing pond, you
would have to be able to document the extent of the damage birds are
doing to your fish populations, along with estimated values of fish
lost. This makes permits difficult to obtain.

Non-Lethal Scare Tactics

Non-lethal scare tactics include anchoring helium- filled, Mylar
balloons with large eyes and bright colors around the pond. You can
also string reflective, shiny ribbon or cables across your pond to
scare birds or inhibit their landings. There are also a number of
different noise makers on the market, including propane cannons.
However, birds will often grow accustomed to the sounds associated
with these devices.

Probably the cheapest and most effective deterrent is to stake out a
grid of floating polyethylene rope and foam floats across the pond
using 50 foot spacing. This will interfere with the birds taking off
and landing. Be sure to place the rope crosswise to the prevailing
winds, as the birds usually take off and land into the wind. A
floating rope system should run about $50 per acre in materials and is
fairly easy to install.

From High-Tech to Old School

Louisiana State University is experimenting with solar powered
mechanical alligators that randomly cruise a pond. Some models will
even sense and then squirt birds with a stream of water. This is a
great idea, but it will probably cost too much for most pond owners,
at least when it first comes on the market.

There is not much you can do about ospreys and bald eagles. In the old
days, fish farmers would fashion decoys with a vertical spike through
the center, place it in shallow water, and let the birds impale
themselves when they dove on the "fish". If you come across one of
these, they are worth a lot of money to collectors, but don't get
caught using it. Kingfishers usually only eat a few small fish. They
make their nests in the banks of creeks, so if your pond is near a
small stream, they can become a problem. Kingfishers especially like
dead trees or power lines to fish from. Cutting down trees by the pond
will eliminate their natural habitat.


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!