Koi Care: Heron Theft Prevention

By myarn • June 7, 2009

Herons are beautiful and majestic birds, yet they have one flaw: they're opportunistic predators that would love to feast on your pet Koi. That's why as you take care of your Koi, you must be always on guard, never leaving your pond unattended.

These are deceptive birds: they might seem harmless when you first notice them lurking around your Koi garden. Standing at a height of 2 to 3 feet, they have very large wingspan, with a graceful appearance. But don't get fooled by those looks, for they are predators on the prowl, ready to snatch up your fish!

When you notice that your pond is lacking some Koi, big chance is that the heron is the culprit. When you see large gaping holes at the sides of your Koi, this is an indicator that a heron have attempted to catch your fish, but just didn't have the necessary grip to get it successfully. Other cases include a fish lying on the lawn located a few feet away from the pond, and this is a result of the heron dropping the fish after it has scooped it out of the pond.

So, given these facts, there are some necessary precautions/measures that you can do to avoid these unwanted incidents. These "detours", however, will only work for a small amount of time.

1) Plastic herons - You can place a fake, plastic heron in your garden. The purpose of this is to detour another heron from landing on the spot. This will work for some parts of the season, but may prove ineffective when the mating season begins, as they may land near the plastic heron when they're looking for their mate.

2) Making noise - If you catch a heron about to go for your fish, make as much noise as you can and physically frighten it the best you can. You can shout, throw things at it, or whatever it is that can scare it. Keep in mind that the more frightened it is, ther lesser would it return any time soon in your pond.

3) Change your routine - You can change your routine always. These birds are smart enough to know that you are around. Make frequent visits to your pond so that you will be able to increase your chances of catching herons in the act. If you are not able to do so, you can always enlist somebody to visit your pond. Another thing that you can do is to give permission to older and trustworthy children to visit your pond, as this can add presence to your Koi pond.

4) Create a hiding spot for your Koi - You can create a hiding spot for your Koi in the pond. You may observe that after a heron attack, it may seem that the bird has gotten all its prey, but you'll see that your fish will start to appear from strange hiding places once the scare stops.

By providing a hiding place for your fish to protect them from attacks, you'll reduce significantly the amount of fish that the heron will catch (and don't worry if your fish is hiding from you, as they'll know and trust you that you will not do them any kind of harm!).

5)Do not restock your pond right away - In taking care of your pond, never restock your pond right away in an event of a heron attack. The bird will be forced to search for another feeding ground instead if you would take a little bit of time before you restock your pond.