HERONS
Copyright (c) 1996 Encarta Encyclopedia
Herons are a class of birds known for their long beaks, long necks, and tall stature.  They are great fishers and can be very hazardous to your koi pond.  One killed all of my koi in about 3 hours.  I am going to put netting around my entire pond, and dig my pond very deep so these or any other birds do not kill my fish again.  Below I have posted suggestions from e-mails I have recieved.  I hope they help prevent more koi deaths.

If you would like to help others please send in your stories about herons, picture of herons and your suggestions to richkoi@yahoo.com.  Thanks!

Stories & Suggestions

Name Story/Suggestion
"Mike" I have heard that if a pond is already occupied by one haron "at work"
fishing,  other heron flying past will not stop because the pond is
taken.  I have a decoy haron made out of pvc pipe (sorry, no photos).
My pond is under a frequently used flight path of haron, and in the
three years that the decoy has been near the pond I haven't lost a
fish.  I also have an electric fence to keep racoons out.  Hope this helps.
"Thomas" A blue heron had eaten half of my fish before I discovered what was going
on.  I got rid of it by floating an inflatable snake in my pond.  I did this approximately two months ago, and the heron hasn't been back.  My fish were so terrorized by the heron that they would hardly come out of hiding to eat.  Since I got the snake, everything is back to normal.  You can find inflatable snakes (mine is 5-6' long) at any gardening supply store at a very low cost ($4-5).
Hope this tip helps someone!
"Joe" I thread thin fishing line across my pond.  Space it 4 inches apart from each line.  Works great.