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A pesky heron would not leave our fish alone - we needed a better heron deterrent. We tried a net but the determined grey heron used it like a trampoline and succeeded in harpooning the odd passing fish. Everyday he was back - thankfully our latest attempt at deterring the heron seems to be working well.
Our persistent heron visitor was obsessed with our sixty plus plump goldfish and returned every day to try to catch a tasty meal. A plastic net was effective to a point but the heron learnt to stand on it so that it touched the surface of the water. From there, with dagger-like beak, he managed to skewer the occasional fish.
Although shy and easily shooed away the temptation to return seemed irresistible. We needed an effective heron deterrent - and we have now had excellent results with taut wires stretched across the pond at different levels.
Wires attached to pre-drilled angle iron posts
We drove a few angle-iron posts into the ground around the pond. The posts come pre-drilled and can be sourced economically from a local country store. They are normally used for setting up wires to support soft fruit bushes. Conveniently, they come with a pointed end and holes at various points up the metal stake. This makes it easy to set up wires at various heights - a factor which may be key in confusing the approaching heron to deter it from landing and also to prevent it walking across the net.
Self locking fittings to attach wires easily
To complete the installation we sourced a 50m reel of galvanised wire from this Sign-Holders website, plus some clever little fittings called Urban Trapeze to fasten the wires to the posts and create a multi-level heron deterrent grid, at a cost of around £35.00. The self locking fittings are so easy to use and can be released or adjusted by depressing the button where the cable threads through. I have used previously used them to set up training wires in my fruit cage and to date the wires and fittings have survived five years outdoors.
This heron deterrent seems to be working. For the past three weeks we haven't spotted the grey heron near our garden pond at all. No doubt he has come by as he did every day for the previous month - but importantly he has not stopped, so far as we can tell. The fish are no longer in permanent hiding and are swimming freely.
Please use the Comments section to share any similar experience and we will also keep this post updated.
(By the way, our garden pond is less than half a mile from a well stocked Hampshire chalk stream so I doubt that our heron is going hungry!)
