Shubunkin killer caught

Earlier I wrote:

Message 1 in threadFrom: steve )
Subject: Do small hawks or kestrels ever hunt goldfish??? *
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 2004-04-23 23:51:51 PST

All my fish are hunkered down at the very bottom of my pond which is
3+ feet deep. One of my shubunkins is missing and I noticed their
terrified behaviour in mid day. I don't believe it is racoons because
my pond walls are very steep and they can't get the fish because they
sleep on the bottom at night (they have ripped up plants in shallow
areas though). I have never seen a herron in my neighborhood or at my
house and cats don't hang around the pond but there is a kestrel that
kills small birds in the area and it roosts occasionly in a large tree
near my pond. People tell me that kestrels don't go after fish but is
this true?? Eagles pull out large fish on nature shows and eagles are
not water birds so could'nt a kestrel/small hawk do the same to a
small fish?. Has anybody had experience with a fish killing kestrel or
small hawk? I believe that the attacks took place on my fish during
the day and I have never seen a racoon around here during the day.

It was not a kestrel like you all said. I knew it was not a racoon
because the fish were terrified during mid day and the pond was not
vandalized. It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747. I was at my neighbors house
a block a way and he said a big blue Herron just flew by and I know
where he is going. I ran home and he was standing next to my pond and
at least 3 feet tall.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.

Steve wrote How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.

Probably has his own personal
AWAKS plane out there ;-)


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A

I live near the water also. My solution?
If they can't see it from the air they will not come!

I built a terrace over the pond which not only gives my fish cover but
also protects them from the long summers where I live.

I have never lost a fish to herons or large brown pelicans that live
around here.

(matrix j) wrote in message ...
I live near the water also. My solution?
If they can't see it from the air they will not come!

I built a terrace over the pond which not only gives my fish cover but
also protects them from the long summers where I live.

I have never lost a fish to herons or large brown pelicans that live
around here.

I can't do that because I have lilies.

He flies at
bird's eye view! Can see and hear everything!

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

"steve" wrote in message
om...
Earlier I wrote:

Message 1 in threadFrom: steve )
Subject: Do small hawks or kestrels ever hunt goldfish???
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 2004-04-23 23:51:51 PST

All my fish are hunkered down at the very bottom of my pond which is
3+ feet deep. One of my shubunkins is missing and I noticed their
terrified behaviour in mid day. I don't believe it is racoons because
my pond walls are very steep and they can't get the fish because they
sleep on the bottom at night (they have ripped up plants in shallow
areas though). I have never seen a herron in my neighborhood or at my
house and cats don't hang around the pond but there is a kestrel that
kills small birds in the area and it roosts occasionly in a large tree
near my pond. People tell me that kestrels don't go after fish but is
this true?? Eagles pull out large fish on nature shows and eagles are
not water birds so could'nt a kestrel/small hawk do the same to a
small fish?. Has anybody had experience with a fish killing kestrel or
small hawk? I believe that the attacks took place on my fish during
the day and I have never seen a racoon around here during the day.

It was not a kestrel like you all said. I knew it was not a racoon
because the fish were terrified during mid day and the pond was not
vandalized. It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747. I was at my neighbors house
a block a way and he said a big blue Herron just flew by and I know
where he is going. I ran home and he was standing next to my pond and
at least 3 feet tall.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.

close up that little spot for birds to poop in your pond and give them their own bird
bath!!!
how did they find it? evolution for millions of years. Ingrid

(steve) wrote:
It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747. I was at my neighbors house
a block a way and he said a big blue Herron just flew by and I know
where he is going. I ran home and he was standing next to my pond and
at least 3 feet tall.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.

I had a similar experience recently. 15 years with no net and no losses, and no
large bodies of water nearby, then a dozen new koi missing (and those had been
tank raised for a year to put on size). One time I was on the deck 20 feet from
the pond and the heron flew over the house behind me, about 5 feet over my
head; and then aborted his landing when he saw me. The rush of air on his wings
was amazing! Scared us both!

I wasn't happy about the net but sure enough I don't 'see' it anymore, after a
few weeks.

I have birdbaths so am not worried about birds but I wish the bats could still
drink from the pond...

Andrew Burgess wrote in message ...
It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747. I was at my neighbors house
a block a way and he said a big blue Herron just flew by and I know
where he is going. I ran home and he was standing next to my pond and
at least 3 feet tall.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.

I had a similar experience recently. 15 years with no net and no losses, and no
large bodies of water nearby, then a dozen new koi missing (and those had been
tank raised for a year to put on size). One time I was on the deck 20 feet from
the pond and the heron flew over the house behind me, about 5 feet over my
head; and then aborted his landing when he saw me. The rush of air on his wings
was amazing! Scared us both!


Yeah it is an awesome bird, and it flies and cruises pretty low to the
ground. I guess if it spends half its days flying a straight line over
back yards he is gonna find most of the ponds. How deep were your
koi? besides not deep enough?


I wasn't happy about the net but sure enough I don't 'see' it anymore, after a
few weeks.

I have birdbaths so am not worried about birds but I wish the bats could still
drink from the pond...

Yeah it is an awesome bird, and it flies and cruises pretty low to the
ground. I guess if it spends half its days flying a straight line over
back yards he is gonna find most of the ponds. How deep were your
koi? besides not deep enough?

3 feet. Did you view the recent movie referenced here? The heron took
a fish from the surface.

I have the same problem but with snowy egrets. I put a section of 5" PVC
pipe in the bottom of the pond so the fish can hide in it.

--
Don
"steve" wrote in message
om...
Earlier I wrote:

Message 1 in threadFrom: steve )
Subject: Do small hawks or kestrels ever hunt goldfish???
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.ponds
Date: 2004-04-23 23:51:51 PST

All my fish are hunkered down at the very bottom of my pond which is
3+ feet deep. One of my shubunkins is missing and I noticed their
terrified behaviour in mid day. I don't believe it is racoons because
my pond walls are very steep and they can't get the fish because they
sleep on the bottom at night (they have ripped up plants in shallow
areas though). I have never seen a herron in my neighborhood or at my
house and cats don't hang around the pond but there is a kestrel that
kills small birds in the area and it roosts occasionly in a large tree
near my pond. People tell me that kestrels don't go after fish but is
this true?? Eagles pull out large fish on nature shows and eagles are
not water birds so could'nt a kestrel/small hawk do the same to a
small fish?. Has anybody had experience with a fish killing kestrel or
small hawk? I believe that the attacks took place on my fish during
the day and I have never seen a racoon around here during the day.

It was not a kestrel like you all said. I knew it was not a racoon
because the fish were terrified during mid day and the pond was not
vandalized. It was a Blue Heron (more like a grubby brown/grey
herron) The ******* was HUGE like a 747. I was at my neighbors house
a block a way and he said a big blue Herron just flew by and I know
where he is going. I ran home and he was standing next to my pond and
at least 3 feet tall.
So much for my theory that it can't be a Heron! Well I put up some
netting and left a little spot open in the shallow end so small birds
can get a drink, hopefully that will work. Damn the bird was huge. He
did eat a lot of my mosqito fish which is o.k, after the initial
attack the goldfish got real smart, real quick. How he manage to find
my little pond is beyond me.