Should
you be thinking about some type of revenge, think again.
Herons are a protected species, so you can’t do anything
that will harm them. The
same thing that attracts you to the Koi, their brilliant colors,
also attracts the heron. Our
shallow ponds make it even easier for them to eat until they
get their fill. They can stand motionless beside the pond and
wait for dinner to swim by or slowly walk through the water
with their long legs, scattering the fish and threatening their
hiding places.
Herons
aren’t the only predators that will eat the fish in your pond.
Considering that you live in Carefree, your pond is susceptible
to even more predators, such as raccoons and bobcats.
However,
I can sympathize with you. I have a blue heron that frequents my backyard
pond and an egret that snacks from the various ponds at the
nursery. Some of the
fish in my home pond have names, so it’s easy to understand
how upsetting it can be when one of them becomes a heron’s breakfast
special.
To
protect my pond at home, I’ve got one of my dogs, Bandit, on
guard duty. It’s not
the most reliable method, but if Bandit sees the heron, he will
chase it away. The problem is that Bandit also likes to sleep
under the shade of a mesquite tree at the side of the house
or watch people passing by out front.
Both places are out of view of the pond.
There
are a few methods that can deter the heron and make things a
bit safer for your fish. You
can be sure that your fish have plenty of hiding places. Pond plants, especially lilies, hornwort and
jungle val can keep them out of sight from marauders. One of
the ponds at the nursery has a bridge over it and the fish know
that they are safe under it.
Another Koi survived a heron feeding frenzy by hiding
in an empty bucket that laid on its side at the bottom of the
pond. You can create
a hiding spot for your Koi using something similar, a sturdy
plastic bucket on its side or cement blocks, and make it look
more natural in your pond by covering it with rocks.
Another
deterrent is a net. Stretched
across a pond, it will protect your fish, but it does take away
from the aesthetics of the pond.
I’ve been told by several sources that a heron statue
will keep the real ones away.
I’m not sure about the accuracy of this method, but it
may be worth a try. There is also a device you can purchase called
a “scarecrow.” It attaches
to your garden hose and runs on a 9‑volt battery. It has a motion detector that shoots a blast
of water at any thing that moves in front of it. But herons
are smart, so if you’re using a statue or a scarecrow, relocate
it periodically to throw the heron off guard.
The
choice of protection is up to you. If you don’t mind the look, a net is very effective.
I would choose a combination of methods–plenty of pond
plants, a man‑made underwater hiding place and a scarecrow–to
keep your prized fish safe.
Craig
Allison is a registered landscape architect with more than 30
years of landscaping and nursery experience. He previously held positions as a Faculty Associate
at Arizona State University’s School of Landscape Architecture
and taught design at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. Craig has over 50 published articles and has
made appearances on ABC 15’s“Sonoran Living Live” and “Your
Life A to Z” on KTVK Ch 3. He
currently owns and manages Carefree Gardens, a retail nursery
located at the corner of Carefree Highway and Central Avenue
in Desert Hills, and designs for New Garden Design and Landscape,
Inc.
Listen
to Craig and call in Sunday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. starting
May 21 on KFNX 1100 AM talk radio.
If
you have landscape or garden questions you would like answered,
e‑mail your questions to
AskCraig@carefreegardens.net
or fax your questions to Carefree Gardens “Ask Craig” at (623)
742‑7216. Past
articles can be found at www.thecarefreegardener.tv.
