Blue Herons can weight up to 8 pounds, stand inches tall and have a six-foot wingspan. They usually breed in colonies ranging in size from nests. Blue Herons can pose a costly threat to aquaculture production areas, consuming many types of fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and other small vertebrates. They have also been known to eat expensive fish found in private ponds. Heron droppings can create ongoing cleanup problems. The semi-liquid, mostly white droppings can contaminate man-made ponds.
Concentrated heron droppings can destroy lawns, plants and sometimes kill the trees. There are thought to be around 10, herons in the UK and they are the number one raider of pond fish, although cats, otters, mink, seagulls and even crows and magpies will steal fish too. But you can deter, scare and shock them using a variety of methods listed below, and if all else fails, a net is the only sure way to prevent them.
For years, decoy herons have been the go-to garden heron deterrent. Lifesize, these plastic herons are placed next to the pond in the hope that it will deter another, live heron from landing at the same pond and consuming fish. The theory behind the decoy is that Herons are solitary hunters and territorial when it comes to fishing spots, so place a plastic heron at your pond and if another flies past, it will know not to fish there.
But when it comes to nesting, Herons are communal birds, with heronries having upwards of ten nests in a single tree. When herons fledge there will be an increase of young, hungry birds around waterways, and CCTV footage confirms that a decoy is not always effective as live birds have been caught dining on goldfish next to artificial ones.
Other artificial bird species like decoy owls can also be used to scare off would-be feathered predators and a well-placed owl can even make humans jump, first time around. There are simple ways to thwart Herons and keep them far away from your garden, not just your fish, and we are going to share them.
So, without further ado, here is our countdown of the top ten Heron deterrents. There is no doubt that dogs, especially bird hunting breeds, would chase off and also deter Herons from hunting at your pond.
Gazebos and sails are great to use. They also make a landing by the pond awkward for these large birds meaning that they will definitely deter them. A water startler is a motion-activated sprayer that will detect any movement up to forty feet away from your pond.
When motion is detected it sprays out jets of water which should serve to startle and scare any invading heron away. They can also act to distort the water. This will make your fish harder for the Heron to see and ultimately protect them from attack. Should a Heron manage to make it into your pond, providing your fish with a variety of places to hide could be the answer to keeping them safe. Tall shrubs and emergent plants placed around the perimeter of your pond are always an excellent Heron deterrent.
This is due to them creating an enclosed environment which Herons will not like as it stops them from being able to view any potential danger around. Herons generally land somewhere around the perimeter of a pond and wade into the water to hunt. They do not, however, like to climb over anything to achieve this. By placing clear fishing line around the edge of the pond you can put them off trying to enter it.
As previously mentioned Herons are territorial and will avoid any places where others are found. By placing a Heron decoy at the edge of the pond you can fool them into thinking another Heron has already nabbed this spot and keep them away.
Be aware, however, that you will need to move the decoy regularly. Otherwise, the Heron will catch on that it is not real. Also, do not use a decoy through April or May. If you live in warmer portions of the United States, however, you may see herons all year 'round, provided there's enough open water and food to keep them happy. As you can see there are many tactics you can use to your advantage in protecting your fish from herons.
We recommend using a variety of methods to discourage them from landing on your property because eventually, they will figure out they won't be harmed.
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