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Resist Urge to Kill Endangered Species...

RamPuppy

Moderator
Moderator
ok... so...

I woke up sunday morning, looked out my window, to see a what i believe to be a blue heron, standing in my half whisky barrel pond w/ a goldfish tail sticking out of it's beak.

This little bugger has obviously acclimated to hunting near houses and ornamental ponds for easy prey. I say this, because, we have a 400,000 gallon stock tank loaded w/ bluegill and white bass on our property. the whiskey barrel was on a porch, and completely overgrown w/ tropical water lillies.

so, out of 4 show quality goldfish (an initial investment value of about 120$, each fish was now worth about that much all on their own).

That bird is lucky he has wings and better never show himself on our ranch again... or there will be heron on the table for dinner.

grrrr.
 
Since when are GBH endangered?? The blasted things are ubiquitous here
 
Sorry man. That's like shooting fish in a half-barrel.


wa wa waaaaaa. Seriously, sorry he ignored the bluegill and got your 120 dollar goldfish instead. That must hurt.
 
they are endangered in ohio, texas and a couple other states I think Pyro...

:( of course i know birds like I know trig... so it may not have been one at all.
 
of course i know birds like I know trig... so it may not have been one at all.

heh. At least you know goldfish. That's all the matters in my opinion.

xvart.
 
I have used a few bird decoys to stop herons from feeding at my ornamental pond. The birds are territorial and it seemd to do the trick. I also give the pond fish a shelter (submerged cinderblocks) so they can hide from predators.
 
Great blue herons are not an endangered species. Protected, yes, but the species is abundant. What you describe, however, is correct for the little blue heron and/or, especially, the reddish egret. All could fit the description of “blue heron”.

The only sure-fire way to stop them is to net the pond. anything will do. Wire, screen, mesh, if its feasable. Black and dark ones are inconspicuous



birds are territorial

the birds are colonial...
 
i really like them...away from my house!

we used to have a pond full of koi and some other ornamentals, but thanks to them, we now have mosquito fish!

sorry to hear about your...uhh...$500 loss!

that sucks!

Next time just shoot it and say it was in self defense! :D
 
Shooting it is not a good preventative solution. Even if you shoot it, another may find your barrel again. Not today, not tomorrow, not for years, but if you keep fish it will happen again, and you only discover the results after the crime has been committed, usually. And, considering the price of the fish in question, that is not a financially smart option. Be proactive, not reactive, in solutions. And that does not mean shooting ever fish eating bird you see, because you will miss some, you might get caught, and you almost never see the ones that only come out at night. Who among us has ever seen a night-heron? I have been birdwatching all my life, and I would know one when I saw it.

The only way to be 100% positive that your barrel wont be depleted by predators is to net it. Decoys do not always work. Its not pretty, but it can be unobtrusive if done right, though. Other methods can be effective, but they are not fool-proof. If you can afford a bit of leeway and loss, go for it. You should decide what you value more: the half barrel as an ornamental fixture, or the fish you keep in it.
 
  • #10
You could try stocking another barrel with feeder goldfish or something. Maybe they'd pay less attention to the show fish if there were easier hunting nearby. Sorry to hear of your loss - best luck!
~Joe
 
  • #11
I am not familiar with heron behavior, but its common for many birds, once finding food, to search around the area for more, because food often is found in clusters. Like a good fishing spot where fish are trapped, or a berry bush, or a insect population on a plant, or a small group of grasses seeding. If (IF) herons did the same, i fear that just more fish for the taking.
 
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