covering pond

[fishgirl53]

Hi we have a blue heron hanging around and feel it is time to cover our pond we also have kingfishers and shags pond is 9mtrs by 3 and a half netting I am guessing will be the best way to go pond has rocks around it which would be the best netting and does anyone know how to go about placing this over the pond 

[Adrienne]

I think most use the black netting from a garden centre - this sort of thing which you can generally get cut off a roll and is black  http://www.bunnings.co.nz/our-range/garden/landscaping/plant-protection/bird-netting  rather than buy in little packs.  The birds don't see it until they hit it.  I think it is just placed over the surface and rocks hold it in place although I guess a determined bird would land on it.  

Hopefully Caryl will see this thread as I think she had a shag hanging around her place last season.

[Caryl]

Netting only works well on small ponds as it stretches so easily. We put netting over our pond (a similar size to yours), which needed support in the centre as it sagged into the water. It did not work as the heron just walked across it! Once the hebes grew large enough it stopped the heron coming by.

Kingfishers dive straight down so make sure there are no jutting branches overhanging the pond from which they can dive.

Herons wade in to grab the fish and I don't think they like to get their feathers wet so plant heavily around the pond so there is nowhere they can stand and jab fish from the edges.

Making sure edging wobbles stops predators like cats from getting too close too as they dislike unstable footing.

I would suggest a wee wire fence, about 30cm high around the edge of the pond, might help more than netting.

Another possibility is to cover the pond with one of those freestanding gazebo or portable carports you can buy these days.

[fishgirl53]

Thank you for these ideas would chicken wire work over the pond 

[Caryl]

Possibly. I would run a solid metal pipe, or wooden,post down the centre as chicken wire would sag, not as much as the netting but enough for the heron to land on. With finer chicken wire it would be unable to stick its beak through the holes to stab the fish.

Hopefully the centre brace would discourage the bird from trying to land on it as it would see more easily that it would be unable to get through the wire.

[fishgirl53]

ok thank you another idea fishing gut around the edge a few inches high I have a deep area of water around 3ft and a small shallow area what is the length of a herons legs? now kingfishers we have no tree branches hanging over the water powerlines a few meters away and a fence on one side of the pond what is the chance of them getting the fish

[Caryl]

White faced herons (which I suspect is actually the bird we are talking about) are 60 - 70cm high so at least half of that would be legs.

I just remembered being told they are territorial during breeding season in spring so putting a fake heron near the pond stops the real one from going near.

The fishing gut a few inches high works like I meant when I said a wee wire fence but a heron could stretch its neck over anything a few inches high. It would need to be more than one strand and higher than that.

I can't be more specific about the kingfishers. I remember my dad having trouble with one until he cut the tree branch off where the bird sat. It did not then go and perch on a different branch - go figure. Fish only form a small part of their diet apparently and, after having ponds for over 40 years, that 1 kingfisher was the only one we have had a problem with. This may vary though depending where you live.

[fishgirl53]

yes the white face heron he has just been again we frightened him off we have 2 small dogs papillons they have scared him before when they are not having a siesta LOL we do have an ornamental heron but he does not seemed to be bothered by it so how deep would you say the water would need to be before he would go in it I am hoping I will only need to put the gut around the shallow end thank you