One of our comets disappeared

[Anja]

Thursday they were all three still there, Friday I only saw two of them, the bright orange one nowhere to be found. Yesterday we did the big spring cleaning of the pond and he's definitely gone, not even a body is there. I've never seen a heron around, but that's the only thing I can think of. Especially since they have lots of hiding places they can scoot to, but herons are patient.

We put all the tender plants and tropicals back in yesterday, so now more than half of the surface is covered, three days too late? 

[Fishnut]

Awe, Sorry to hear that!  It could have been several creatures that come and go from the city back yards.  I hope for your sake it wasn't a creature that will come back for the rest of the fish!

I'm too afraid that something will get my fish.  The pond is covered with a mesh and it's under the gazebo.  If a creature manages to get one of my fish, they would have to be one determined SOB!

[Anja]

Yeah, me too, I hope they're done. We've never had problems in the almost two years we've had a pond. We've plenty of raccoons, but they only come to drink and then go raid the birdfeeder. Apart from a rare attack on our trash can (and once walking across some freshly painted boards) they don't bother us. They also tend to come after sundown or juuust at sunup, when the fish are still hidden away. Also, I think with a raccoon or cat I would have found some trace or remains. They're messy.

Covering the pond is not really an option. Something the raccoons couldn't get under wouldn't let me garden there either, I couldn't stick my hand in for the guys to come and nibble, and with the sort of layout we have, I don't see how it could be done without being very much 'in your face' so to speak.

We have pipes in under the rocks, where the fish go to hide when scared. But of course, they do come back out again after a while. A patient heron might easily get one then. I hope the plant cover is enough now to protect them.

[drboeing]

We had raccoons learn about the pond (aka buffet) that was at my childhood home, you would know if there was a raccoon visiting, there would be scales everywhere around the pond, I was so upset by that as a kid, I can still see the image of it.  We had to shut down the pond after it was discovered by the critters, it became too regular a stop for them, as in nightly.

[Anja]

We had raccoons learn about the pond (aka buffet) that was at my childhood home, you would know if there was a raccoon visiting, there would be scales everywhere around the pond, I was so upset by that as a kid, I can still see the image of it.  We had to shut down the pond after it was discovered by the critters, it became too regular a stop for them, as in nightly.

Holy mother of George, that sounds really bad. I can only hope they stay obsessed with our bird feeder then.

[Cbellehumeur]

i've seen snakes in my pond come out of the water with fish in there throat

[Anja]

i've seen snakes in my pond come out of the water with fish in there throat

Seriously? What kind are they? (I've only seen garter snakes around here, who seem quite a bit too small to make off with a 4 inch goldfish.)


edit: typo

[Cbellehumeur]

it was a garder...but i have rat snakes to and i know they'll have no problem with a 4" fish.

it probably wasn't a heron or a king fisher because if they were successfull they would continue to come back for the easy meal until there were no more fish....i've experinced that as well.

[drboeing]

Anja, Id love to see your pond this season if I may... hunny and I were going to build one this year, but cant entirely agree on how to go about it, and now with the wedding plans getting closer, well, the budget is cooked for the season, but still Id love to learn and see as many ponds as we can before we start building.

Obviously Id like to learn the best trick for protecting a pond BEFORE the racoon invasion, our yard is in suburbia, yet the dogs still managed to find a skunk in the yard last summer, Id hate to see what a racoon might do.