Ot - It's Baaaaaack

[fazgood]

It's been 3 years since I have seen it... feared it... ran from it.... watched it eat 10's of pounds of my family and today it returned ! ! ! (Cue the scarry music)

RCCUB23 - I don't think he got any of your family members that your wife gave me.

Yup... Thats a Great Blue Heron heading for the pond. B@$^@RD

The sheets of coroplast seems to have saved the family this time, that and the scarecrow

Scarecrow

Faz

Anybody got a bow and arrow?

 

[Canarygirl]

I love great blue herons! What's the problem? Is it aggressive towards your family?

 

[fazgood]

I used to love them... But about 8 years ago this one ate about 75 - 1/2 pound goldfish (family) that we had for years. And yes, when I came home from work and saw it the first time I was so happy to see shch "beautiful plumage", until I looked at the pond and there was just fish oil and scales. A few days later it was back and I went to chase it off and it defended it's bowl of fish, grain fed mind you. For about a month it kept coming back looking for food and if the kids were out, it would challenge them and they are mean arse things. That bill is like a sword.

So I made a Heron Harasser, a motion detector connected to X-10 connected to an old washing machine water valve connected to a water blaster and we didnt see it until the next year. It came back like 4 years in a row but since it has been a few years since it visited, we thought for sure i was dead but this week... voila.

Now they make these scare crows that make is a lot safer, the old washing machine valve worked on 120VAC and mixing electricity and water are always not recommended. So now I use a 4X8 sheet of black plastic cardboard and the Scarecrow to try to keep my family where they belong.

Faz

 

[michealprater]

Are they a protected species. I could loan you my shotgun.

 

[DARKSILENTTYPE]

Go to the store and get some cheap fish and see if it will catch and swallow them if you throw them to it . If it does then do that for a couple days . On the third day throw it a alka seltzer and go inside . Clean mess as needed . Or call the bird santuary and see if they will come and remove it for you .

John

 

[rams]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12586578#post12586578 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DARKSILENTTYPE
On the third day throw it a alka seltzer and go inside . Clean mess as needed .

John

man that reminds me of the mythbusters episode with the pig intestine. not going to be pretty...

I will only give you one warning from experience, but what the hell maybe you need it... don't corner one of those things, the wing fricken hurts when you get hit and they stink too

 

[rccub23]

i cast a vote for the alka seltzer. those things are a pain in the a**. had one come around the pond in our old house. ate everything in sight. he doesnt come around anymore.

 

[fazgood]

They are protected unless they become a nuisance or safety issue, then, according to the state, you can “take them” and then give Mo Wildlife a call and they will come out and assess if and how much it will cost you. I believe it is up to $5000.

My fear is that I would just wing it and it would run around the yard screaming and trying to kill everyone until the cops came and took me away for cruelty to animals. The thing has great eyes. It can see movement from a long way off. I have tried to hide and tag it with paintballs but before I can get any where near it bolts. It has eaten so many fish in the past that it had a hard time clearing the fence.

Faz

 

[StupidsReef]

My brother-in-law was having the same issue's last year. Funny you bring up the paint ball thing, he did the same thing. Although he must be a better aim, cause he painted the bird on three occassions. However the bird would come back later anyway. He bought a C02 powered pellit rifle and more Koi fish. When it landed at his pond he aimed for the birds lower neck and found his target, this happened two diffrent times. The last time he aimed at the bird he found his target, but this time it wasn't a pellit gun or paint ball gun..................................Needless to say the bird doesn't eat his fish anymore. I think the Scarecrow will do the job for ya, his issue was he couldn't guard his pond all day or his little girl while out in there yard.

It's kind of a sad thing really, their just hungry, we just keep taking more of there land up and moving or taking over the lakes & ponds they've had for ever. Then we kill them for starving. We call THEM the problem, when truely we are. But then again we are the Human's and we rule the plante, it's our's, and we will survive over all other creatures in the end. One day there will be nothing to "annoy" us Humans, the only creatures left will be Cattle,Pigs,chickens and sheep ( cause some red-necks won't let the sheep die off) and the fish that we'll raise in tanks. It's good to be a Human.

 

[saltyshoe_nano]

be carefull with the co2 bb guns.....you can get a heafty fine for them....

 

[fazgood]

A fine is nothing compared to if I were to miss. The only shot, in theory, is from the upstairs window and a miss is a hole in the liner.

A few years back I got up before sun up and waited quietly in the upstairs window. The first time it saw me through the tree within seconds. The next day I tried camoflage but still when the barrell moved, it bolted. If the scare crow fails me, I may do what they do in Sea World, they have these motorized rotating wind chime thingies... Its a shame it is so hard to get a laser that is powerful enough to slice them up.

Faz

 

[scubabill]

I had this happen to me and i just covered the pond with netting for about a week and it found some where else to feed.

 

[sirreal63]

Bill...it went to Faz's place...good job. LOL

Faz...I like the scarecrow idea...I just hope it doesn't like taking showers...it may never leave.

 

[Scarecrow]

<--------------This Scarecrow would not be caught dead near this thing. I do not have too many fears but BIRDS are #1. I would be pertrified and stay indoors all the time. Unless I could get Rich out there and take care of the evil thing. Best of luck to you, I got the heebie jeebies just reading this thread.

 

[redvicki]

any advice to keep woodpeckers from eating your house? plastic owls do not work....