Something has had me goldfish?

 We have a small pond which until recently had seven goldfish in
it, we have this year in particular built it up with plants to add
coverage and added a brick dry wall edging to replace the old cane
wall we originally had and added lilies which covers two thirds of
the pond which is about 2 feet deep at one end and about eighteen
inches at the other. We have also erected two pergolas, one
directly over the pond which has fine netting over the top to
discourage the odd heron etc and the other as a seating area.

We had until a few days ago seven goldfish, we only now have two
left, I had made a cover over the pond which was plastic netting
attached to garden cane to protect the fish but this year because
of the extra coverage of plants I removed the cover (it won't fit
now anyway due to the overgrown plants) but there had been
sufficient cover to protect them, or so I thought, the linked
photo's below will show very little flight path for a heron or
even a seagull to land and takeoff but we still lost five fish
over two days.

Any idea what might have nabbed the fish, or do you think it
possible for a flying predator to take the fish as there may not
have been sufficient coverage after all?

http://stephen.hull.mediacave.co.uk/example/pond1.jpg
http://stephen.hull.mediacave.co.uk/example/pond2.jpg
http://stephen.hull.mediacave.co.uk/example/pond3.jpg
http://stephen.hull.mediacave.co.uk/example/pond4.jpg

Stephen.


--
http://www.stephen.hull.btinternet.co.uk
From the Wirral Peninsula.
Coach painting tips and techniques + Land Rover colour codes
"Whatever is rightly done, however humble, is noble". Henry Royce

 

I put over EIGHTY (80) fish in my daughter and son in law's pond. None there
now. And none floated to the surface ...... dead :-((

Rooks?
Crows?
Magpies?
Foxes?
Cats?
Red Squirrels?
.
.
The Heron which does the circuit?????

They have the lot!  :-((



Mike


--

...................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

...................................

 
I am supprised you can ever see them with all tyhat plant cover.
Looks as if a heron could stand outside and fish in quite easily, but
have you thought it could be a grass snake, they are partial to fish.

 

I am supprised you can ever see them with all tyhat plant cover.
Looks as if a heron could stand outside and fish in quite easily, but
have you thought it could be a grass snake, they are partial to fish.
.....................................................

In our case never seen any grass snakes. A couple of acres of landscaped
gardens with well mown lawns. However, there is an Island in the middle of
the pond where Ducks, Moorhens and Coots have their nests and raise their
chicks, grass snakes like eggs don't they?

Mike


--

...................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

...................................

 "'Mike'" wrote:

Doesn't mean they're not there - they're stealthy little devils!


Grass snakes much prefer frogs, but will readily take fish instead.  I've
seen more grass snakes that I've seen frogs these past few years.

I don't know whether grass snakes take small eggs, but duck's, moorhen's and
coot's eggs would be too big for them to handle.
--
Interloper