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  • Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
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    Thread: Something is attacking my small koi!?

    1. #21
      deanzel is offline Member
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      Honestly, I'd probably say that it is 90% sure a heron as their beaks are just deadly. There are many different types of herons beyond just the Great Blue Heron, so maybe you've seen a different type near you (I've seen a couple different ones attack my pond). Anyway, I'd go with some type of netting at least temporarily for now. It's the only sure fire way to prevent heron/predator attacks for the most part. You may be able to remove the netting later on if you think that it damages the aesthetics of the pond/s, but at least while you're currently having a predator issue, it would be a good idea to put some kind of netting up. The predators learn and memorize where they can get their "free meals", so they'll just keep coming back if you don't do anything.

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    2. #22
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      Quote Originally Posted by deanzel View Post
      Honestly, I'd probably say that it is 90% sure a heron as their beaks are just deadly. There are many different types of herons beyond just the Great Blue Heron, so maybe you've seen a different type near you (I've seen a couple different ones attack my pond). Anyway, I'd go with some type of netting at least temporarily for now. It's the only sure fire way to prevent heron/predator attacks for the most part. You may be able to remove the netting later on if you think that it damages the aesthetics of the pond/s, but at least while you're currently having a predator issue, it would be a good idea to put some kind of netting up. The predators learn and memorize where they can get their "free meals", so they'll just keep coming back if you don't do anything.
      I cannot say that it is not heron, but only small koi disappeared or were attacked, not any of the koi over 30 cm. I guess that heron can take 30-cm fish without problem?

    3. #23
      deanzel is offline Member
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      I'm pretty sure herons prefer the smaller fish. Easier for them to swallow down. But they can also attack and try to eat the larger fish as well.

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    4. #24
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      New observations made.

      Recently small koi of 5-15 cm keep disappearing again, and I find that it is a magpie that has got used to visit my fry tank periodically to get some fish as free lunch. It seems to be good at catching fish, and I never thought that magpie is so smart and adaptive.

      I wonder if magpie can catch fish of 20-25 cm, the size of the disappeared koi mentioned in the original post.

    5. #25
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      Quote Originally Posted by SimonW View Post
      New observations made.

      Recently small koi of 5-15 cm keep disappearing again, and I find that it is a magpie that has got used to visit my fry tank periodically to get some fish as free lunch. It seems to be good at catching fish, and I never thought that magpie is so smart and adaptive.

      I wonder if magpie can catch fish of 20-25 cm, the size of the disappeared koi mentioned in the original post.

      Magpie
      Birds
      Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one of the few non-mammal species able to recognize itself in a mirror test. Wikipedia

    6. #26
      fly4koi is offline Senior Member
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      Either birds or racoon, net up and get a trail cam, deeper pond allows the fish to be able to hide better.

    7. #27
      stevek is offline Supporting Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Here near Seattle we have a lot of Seagulls but they're more scavengers than diving birds. They'll steal a fish from another bird
      or might be able to catch one if he was floating on the pond and the fish came right up to him... but unless you saw the seagull
      on the pond surface, I don't they're the culprits.
      I think the bird in the first video is a gannet, not a seagull. Gannets are known to dive into the water and can swim underwater to capture fish. Seagulls, on the other hand, are more like scavengers and will hover and dip down in the water to pick up scraps of fish typically caused by gamefish chasing schools of baitfish. Here on the Easy Coast, fisherman know to " chase " the flocks of seagulls over the water because there is usually gamefish underneath them.

    8. #28
      coolwon is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by SimonW View Post
      New observations made.

      Recently small koi of 5-15 cm keep disappearing again, and I find that it is a magpie that has got used to visit my fry tank periodically to get some fish as free lunch. It seems to be good at catching fish, and I never thought that magpie is so smart and adaptive.

      I wonder if magpie can catch fish of 20-25 cm, the size of the disappeared koi mentioned in the original post.


      You have the time and the means, set up a camera, problem solved.
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    9. #29
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      Quote Originally Posted by SimonW View Post
      To be honest I have never seen a heron in my area, and I have lived here for 10 years now.

      As a matter pf fact it is very unusual to see heron in this part of Sweden I am living in. I have lived here for >20 years and have never seen one, though I have not looked for them either.
      No need any more. Magpie is the guy!

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