Monday 21 January 2013

Short lived joy



We'd not been living in this house very long when I opened the bedroom curtains one morning and saw a heron stood on the coal shed roof.  I'd never seen a heron so close before and was positively thrilled.   
My excitement didn't last however when I went outside later and found loads of dead fish floating in what little bit of water was left in the pond.  The heron had waded in to get the fish and punctured the pond lining in the process.  There were still quite a few fish left in the murky water at the bottom so then we had the job of fishing them out and keeping them in various baths and tubs while we relined the pond.
After that we put some netting over the pond to keep herons out.  Last year this was replaced with a piece of security fencing that you have round building sites, not very pretty but is easy to lift on and off.

Which brings me to these two photos taken today -
Nice chunky icicles where water runs into the pond through the fencing

and a heron spotted in our field
it looks like it's stood on the gate but it's behind)


Here are a few more photos I took in the snow








6 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos Georgia, certainly convey how cold it is at the moment.
    Love the Heron pic with the church building in the background and the 'tunnel' photo.....just beautiful.
    Shame about losing your fish, but they're certainly safe now.

    Claire :}

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  2. Aw, we had problems with a heron as well. I like the fencing idea to keep it out, though. Keep warm!

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  3. Oh no! Pesky heron. I have seen the odd one hovering about the 'Mill' brook - never seen any fish (Perhaps that's why. Your pictures are gorgeous.

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  4. I love seeing the herons too, but have had similar experiences...now the pond has to be netted - that keeps them away!
    Great photos :o)
    Rose H

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  5. Beautiful pictures! Snow really does change the landscape and make you notice things you hadn't seen before. Our walks across the fields have been quite magical, if a little cold!
    We have had a heron fishing in our pond before, we haven't seen him lately though. It must be hard for the birds who source fish to cope in this winter weather, I have been wondering how our Kingfisher is coping. I am personally hoping for a thaw soon, though I know that will mean a return to the dreaded mud!!

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  6. Very nice photos. I like the snow when I'm inside looking out! I understand that herons can be very destructive to peoples fish ponds, shame as they look so magnificent.

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