Retrouvez ici les indispensables et meilleures ventes pour nos propriétaires de bassin.
Retrouvez ici les indispensables et meilleures ventes pour nos propriétaires de bassin.
This question quickly becomes legitimate when you consider that these voracious birds have an annoying tendency: to make ponds and bodies of water their favorite hunting ground.
As well maintained as they are, these installations therefore instinctively attract herons. So how do you chase them away and keep them from coming back? Depending on the seriousness of the situation and the types of installations, there will be a choice of various solutions. Some are more radical than others, but they all keep herons away from your body of water.
Recently, and on several occasions, you have noticed the presence of an intruder near the water point in your garden. Herons are very voracious and capable of swallowing your fish stock within days. And for good reason, these birds with their long beaks fitted with long necks are great lovers of fish and other frogs.
Each individual can notably consume more than 500g of fish per day. Once they have spotted your pond or your ornamental basin, the herons will not fail to confuse it with a self-service buffet... And they will not hesitate to pick from it, until their its new source of food: your pretty fish.
Fortunately, several solutions exist to keep herons away from a basin or pond. You are therefore not doomed to feed your feathered squatters indefinitely, but you will still have to consider some alternatives. This article will guide you through the various solutions available to scare these birds away from a fish pond.
Floating grids to assemble that cover your pond. The floating pond protection system is easy to install and quick to install, and it can indeed protect your pond from cats/herons and other natural enemies (the attached clip is easy to install and use).
During its daily fishing session, the heron generally positions itself at the edge of the body of water before seizing its prey. The first solution is to deploy a fence around your pond or fish pond. We can therefore start by installing a fence made of stakes and fishing line. This already makes it possible to disturb the heron which is about to taste one of your fish.
In practice, the idea is to distribute the stakes around the pool, and to place the fishing line there at a height of 20 cm / 30 cm. The wire will be used to hinder the heron in its tracks to grab a fish. Not only will this keep him away, but sometimes it's enough to deter him from fishing in your pond.
More radical, the electrified fence is based on the same principle as the "classic" fence, but with an additional electrification system. In addition to getting confused in the fence, the heron will take a small electric shock, and will generally clear off immediately. Now, the idea is also not to hurt or kill the heron (or other animals like passing cats and dogs).
Indeed, the voltage delivered by these devices is above all dissuasive and does not represent any danger for the animals. This maneuver is often sufficient to drive the heron out of the fish pond, and to prevent it from considering the pond as its appointed pantry.
Another solution, more artisanal this time, consists in covering the pool with a protective net. For those who are concerned about the aesthetics of their body of water, there are even models of transparent nets. These are very discreet and generally fit well with ornamental ponds.
With this more passive system, the heron will still be able to see its prey swimming in the basin. However, he will have a hard time grasping it: not only will his momentum be stopped dead, but he will also get his legs caught in the net. What to annoy him for sure and push him to sulk his food tank...
More original solutions also exist to protect your pond against these feathered predators. These will keep herons at bay while bringing an aesthetic touch to your pond.
As its name suggests, this simple device consists of a decoy with the image of a heron. Installed near the fish pond, the false heron acts as a scarecrow to deter male herons from venturing there.
In this case, male herons tend to respect the hunting territory of their colleagues. That said, the false heron will therefore not have the same effect on female herons, who are less respectful of the notions of territories.
This solution still uses the lure system, but this time with a kite. The latter is usually shaped like a crow, and is very effective in tricking and chasing herons from a specific area.
Fierce and fearful, herons will not take the risk of being attacked. They will rather prefer to set their sights on another source of food.
Reflecting balls are also very effective in keeping herons away from a waterhole. This solution consists of a chrome sphere in which the herons will see their own reflection. Frightened, they will flee and explore other places to find their food.
Small derivative trick: you can have several floating balls in the pond or basin, in order to multiply the reflective effects. Guaranteed fright for the herons.
Other effective trompe-l'oeil devices, the "raptor's eye" suspensions, are to be placed near the basin concerned by the looting. The reflection of light like the representation of the eye of a bird of prey are formidable to frighten herons, and even other pests.
Made of holographic materials, these suspensions are used in particular by NASA to avoid impacts with birds during rocket launches. This process is also largely inspired by discs suspended from fruit trees to scare away too reckless birds.
More modern solutions require the use of a slightly more sophisticated device: the motion detector. Designed on the basis of motion detectors intended to turn on a light when we arrive, anti-heron systems are very effective solutions for deterring pests from coming to waste your pool.
These are typically used with other deterrent devices, which are triggered when an intruder is detected. Depending on taste and context, you will have the choice between systems using flashes, water jets or sounds.
This system has the merit of being practical and aesthetic at the same time. Upon motion detection, the device is programmed to trigger a jet of water to ward off the predator.
Similar to burglar alarms, this type of installation emits bell sounds when the intruder crosses a set line. The result is very effective, as it immediately repels herons and is a practically invisible device.
The other side of the coin? This system has the defect of emitting a sound perceptible to humans, which may be unpleasant in the long term.
One of the most formidable techniques, and the most effective, is undoubtedly the motion detector causing ultrasound and visual flashes.
Effective against all prowling animals, ultrasound is completely inaudible to the human ear and very unpleasant for herons. The latter will take flight at the slightest perception of ultrasound.
To sum up, it is quite possible to scare herons away from your fish pond. If the different solutions proposed in this article are all effective in their own way, we will still take care to consider the different contexts and parameters.
Finally, keep in mind that there is no point trying to consistently chase these large birds, even when you see them stalking your fish. Herons have excellent eyesight, and will take advantage of your absence to pounce on fish at the slightest opportunity.
You might be interested:
Comments
Leave a comment