It is so sweet to see ducks in the pond! In the early spring, a pair of ducks may choose your backyard pond to visit every day. This means there is a nest nearby and for a while, dropping by your pond may be a daily routine. The ducks are usually very skittish and will fly away if you get near or make any noise. They won’t stay all year—just until the babies come and they don’t have time to stop by anymore.
Some people LOVE to have ducks in the pond and look forward to it every year. If that is your situation, keep loving those ducks!
And if you are lucky enough to actually have a nest in your yard, you may get to see the ducklings!
Ducks are cute—but be aware!
Ducks travel from pond to pond, therefore they can carry parasites and unwanted weeds like duckweed to your pond. If you have fish they will usually eat duckweed. Even the ducks will eat duckweed!
Ducks will not hesitate to eat fish four inches long or smaller. If your fish are larger this may not be a problem.
They don’t care that the expensive water lily you bought last year is just putting up its first leaves. They will eat them (they ate ours and they will eat other floating plants).
Ducks poop—A LOT. The pond may not be able to handle this load, and it could cause water clarity issues.
They don’t pay much attention to loose rocks and may knock them into the pond.
If you love the ducks and haven’t had any issues with them then, by all means, enjoy the ducks!
Pro Tips:
If you don’t want ducks, put a net over the pond for the first few weeks of spring to deter them.
Put up a fishing line around the edges of the pond. Ducks generally land and walk up to a pond before they get in. Put the line around three times, at slightly different heights; and run it across the middle of the pond in at least three places for the occasional duck that lands right in the middle of the pond.
A dog is the best deterrent for all critters not welcome at your backyard pond.
Did you know that Sunday, March 20th was the first day of spring in 2022? It was! Spring brings new growth and fresh colors, and it also awakens wildlife that has been hunkered down for the winter.
While we love all animals, we want to make sure our fish are protected. Whether your fish are expensive, older and majestic, or small goldfish, we know that you love them! Here we are going to cover what has worked for us, what has worked for our friends and colleagues, and what doesn’t seem to help much at all when protecting our outdoor fish ponds from predators.
What Has Worked For Us:
The Blue Man
This silly-looking solution has been the thing that truly works. He is not at all the look that we are going for, but hear us out on the functionality and simplicity of this solution.
How-to Blue Man:
We bought a Smart Plug and plugged it in an outlet near our backyard pond.
We synced it with a Smartphone (this is key).
The Blue Man was plugged into the Smart Plug.
When the pond is unattended, The Blue Man is activated with the Smartphone. This is SO easy once it is set up!
When it’s time to enjoy the pond, we simply turn off The Blue Man, via the phone, before heading outside.
The reason this works is that the movement is random. Herons or other predators are wise to stationary decoys. The randomness of The Blue Man actually deters them from coming near the pond. It really works!
Drawbacks to this solution:
It doesn’t look great (that’s why we turn it off when in the backyard).
It will also scare other birds away that you may want at your pond.
If you want to know where to purchase a Blue Man for yourself, a search of “inflatable tube man” will produce lots of options. And of course, he doesn’t have to be blue! However, if The Blue Man just isn’t for you, here are some other options.
Plant Cover
Did you know the pond should have 40% to 60% plant coverage for maximum filtration? Well, it should! The other benefit of plants is that if birds (or raccoons) can’t see the fish, they can’t eat the fish.
Net Over The Pond
This does keep herons out, however, smaller birds may get stuck in it. Additionally, the look isn’t always the best. You may not always want a net over your backyard pond.
Fish Cave
A fish cave for your fish to hide in is a must! This will not prevent all fish loss as a heron stays very still and the fish don’t realize they should be hiding in the cave—but it does help.
Fishing Line
Drawing a fishing line taut around the edges of the pond can actually work pretty well. When a heron runs into it, it startles them, and they may give up the hunt.
Mats
Putting mats along the edges of the pond when going away for a while, in addition to plant coverage, works well. We even put these on each night to deter raccoons. It makes it harder to see the fish, and if they were to step out onto the mat they would fall in the water suddenly and we know they won’t like that! It also keeps herons from seeing into the water along the edges. ***Keep in mind we only do this overnight or when we are away because it is not the most beautiful sight!
What Has Worked For Our Friends & Colleagues
Powerful Aerator
This is great to turn on at night or use when you’re not at home. It makes the water ripple so the birds can’t see the fish! You can always turn it off while you’re out barbecuing by your backyard pond, but if the predators can’t see the fish, they can’t eat them!
Dog
Another great thing about dogs! If the dog is loose in the yard, the predators will stay away. This is a great tactic, but you can’t leave your dog outside all the time.
Reflective Holographic Scarecrow Tape
This shiny ribbon blows in the wind and should scare off birds. We haven’t used this before so we’re not sure if it works, but it’s worth a try.
Bird B Gone Pond Defender
These are floating plastic pond grates that shouldn’t look too bad in the water. They are about 12 in. x 10 in. and you really only need enough to cover the edges of the pond. You can order them online and they would work well in conjunction with floating lettuce or hyacinth. Click HERE to check them out on Amazon.
What HASN’T Worked Well
Fake Heron At The Pond
Real herons are extremely smart and figure this one out pretty quickly. In fact, in the early spring, it may bring them in. In theory, herons hunt alone, thus one heron by the pond should deter others. However, in the spring they have other things on their mind! We tried a decoy heron and within two days looked out to see a real heron trying to put the moves on our decoy!
Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler
These work better for raccoons, but both raccoons and herons can eventually figure these out if they are determined and don’t mind getting a little wet. It is usually people that bear the brunt of this clever surprise.
Please consider taking steps to protect your fish before our neighboring animals SPRING to life!
Pro Tips:
Herons often arrive early in the morning or right before dusk. Keep an eye out for them. Let the dog out at or after dinnertime to scare them off.
If you see a heron, even before it lands, scream, yell, and wave your arms like a crazy person. It will deter them from coming back. They don’t want to deal with that kind of crazy. Wouldn’t you like to see the video of us doing THAT!?
If it is warm enough, eat dinner near your pond. It will help you deter them and it will bring down your stress levels.
We love our jobs and are excited to help you with your backyard water feature. We’ve got plenty of expertise on ponds, including outdoor fish ponds and pondless waterfalls, at the ready. Contact us today for help tending to your pond or installing a new one!
Herons are beautiful, but they can be a pest at your pond! They can eat fish, frogs, and even squirrels! If you find a fish missing with no trace whatsoever, you may have a heron.
Here are some tips for keeping herons out of your pond.
What to do?
Scarecrow – You might try a “scarecrow”, a motion-activated sprinkler that should blast the heron with water when it walks up. However, they can be persistent and once they figure out that it won’t hurt them, they don’t mind it.
Decoy – Another option is a heron decoy. They do figure out that they are not a real bird though.
Fishing line – Sometimes fishing line tied tautly around the edges of the pond help. They can’t see it and it startles them when their leg hits it.
Hiding Places – One of the best ways to help your fish avoid the long and pointy beak of the heron is to provide them with coverage. Lilies, floating plants and a fish cave all provide places for the fish to hide and make it harder for a heron to see the fish.
Talk radio – Heron also won’t come around when there are people nearby. Leaving a radio on a talk station nearby can help deter them.
Dogs – Dogs are an excellent deterrent for herons! If it works to leave Fluffy out in the yard, he will keep that heron away!
Netting – Putting a netting tautly over the pond will keep birds out. You won’t have to leave it on forever, but it may take a while for herons to get the message!
Trees – Plant some trees and put some bushes on the side of the pond that faces open space. Heron need a minimum of about 6 feet to land in. An open space without trees makes a great landing strip which allows them to walk up carefully to the pond for a snack. Ponds with trees around them have less trouble with herons.
A combination of some of these will help keep your fish safe!
Raccoons can become a pest if they realize you have fish! These pond predators are brave and clever, and deterring them can be difficult.
Try these things to get rid of a raccoon at your pond:
♦ Put in a fish cave for your fish to hide in
♦ Provide plants like lilies and floating lettuce to help hide the fish
♦ Leave your dog in the backyard – raccoons don’t want to deal with dogs
♦ Use mountain lion urine. Yep. Mountain lion urine can be obtained from many garden centers or online. Don’t worry, they obtain it humanely and give each mountain lion a good pet and love for sharing their urine! Follow the instructions on the container. It should deter those pesky raccoons!