Fearful Symmetry

[otterdance]

A magnificent heron touched down in my yard yesterday and stole my butterfly koi. Today, while I was away for the morning and the dogs were crated inside, he returned and cleaned out the pond except for one poor traumatized fish, the orange and black one I bought cheap when it was just a minnow. All the babies born last spring and this summer-gone

Comments

[ellid]

What a shame! I'm so sorry.

[j_cheney]

Ugh. Hopefully you'll find an attractive way tp protect the fish (other than, say, chicken wire over the pond!)

[jya_bd_cp_ttgb]

Never underestimate the power of hunger, or the brains of predators, so if you go to a store and get a heron decoy, make sure to move it around at night, or he'll/she'll realize it's fake and come back. http://shop.tjb-inc.com/predator-controls---heron-alligators--much-more-c82.aspx?gclid=CNPWpOPkwKsCFYne4Aod_k6Xrg

It's much more humane than a pond net. Nothing to get tangled in, or choke on pieces of.

Sorry about your fish:<

[_profiterole_]

That's sad. I'm not sure you can do much about it, though. Maybe some kind of net over the pond if it's not too big.

[extrajoker]

Yes, they do sell nets for that purpose.

A few years back, the owner of a local (Massachusetts) fishery -- who was too cheap to buy a net -- was tried for shooting hundreds of birds (mostly heron, and a few others, including a bald eagle). People were ready to lynch the guy.

Sorry about your koi, Lynn. I hope you find a net or other protective device for your pond.

[caligogreywings]

My aunt had a big mesh net thing over her koi pond, and I barely even noticed it. You might want to check on how to do it properly, but I know it helped her.