Gutted !

Jim Jamieson · 24th August 2018, 10:03

Gutted right enough, if you’ll pardon the pun.

For over 30 years I’ve had a fish pond, in fact I’ve got two interlinked with a constant water flow between them.

Over the years I’ve had loads of fish and sometimes they’ve even bred among themselves. I never had a net on the ponds up until recently as while we were on holiday a heron visited for breakfast, lunch and dinner consuming approx 15 fish.
I then fitted a nice tailored net by clipping it over stainless screws into rawlplugs all around the pond edge.
A couple of weeks ago with now only three very large Koi left I noticed fish scales at the side of the pond with some bone fragments nearby. On further inspection two of the fish were gone.
I was away last week on holiday and my neighbour who was looking after the house commented he hadn’t seen the lone fish all week.
Yesterday I flushed out the pond to clear the water and yes the remaining Koi of almost 20 years is gone.

Speaking with some locals I’ve found that the culprit is deffinately not a heron due to the net and not a cat as it couldn’t have caught the fish from under the net but wild mink which are roaming around at a local fishing pond.
Mink feed on small voles, frogs and of course fish and as my garden borders onto a field they could roam around it from the nearby fishing pond and have had their fill.

I don’t think I will be replacing any fish, well at least not until the mink have been made into fur coats

WillyHeckaslike · 25th August 2018, 14:20

Know the feeling and it's not nice. Nature's predators know no boundaries and even in the most populated of inner cities a perceived haven of peace and tranquillity adjoining a house can be a killing ground for them ... and quite often without the occupants ever seeing or suspecting. Sparrow hawks are often a pain in the proverbial for me, sometimes they leave little trace of their visits to the unsuspecting eye but they can leave our garden looking like the aftermath of a mass pillow fighting contest ... blimming feathers everywhere and sometimes worse. Yuck!

stevestrat · 25th August 2018, 14:50

My folks used to have a small fish pond. Had bother with crows of all things having a go at fishing!

24th August 2018, 10:03	#1
Jim Jamieson This is my second home Rover less ! Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Tarbolton Posts: 3,442 Thanks: 393 Thanked 888 Times in 542 Posts	Gutted ! Gutted right enough, if you’ll pardon the pun. For over 30 years I’ve had a fish pond, in fact I’ve got two interlinked with a constant water flow between them. Over the years I’ve had loads of fish and sometimes they’ve even bred among themselves. I never had a net on the ponds up until recently as while we were on holiday a heron visited for breakfast, lunch and dinner consuming approx 15 fish. I then fitted a nice tailored net by clipping it over stainless screws into rawlplugs all around the pond edge. A couple of weeks ago with now only three very large Koi left I noticed fish scales at the side of the pond with some bone fragments nearby. On further inspection two of the fish were gone. I was away last week on holiday and my neighbour who was looking after the house commented he hadn’t seen the lone fish all week. Yesterday I flushed out the pond to clear the water and yes the remaining Koi of almost 20 years is gone. Speaking with some locals I’ve found that the culprit is deffinately not a heron due to the net and not a cat as it couldn’t have caught the fish from under the net but wild mink which are roaming around at a local fishing pond. Mink feed on small voles, frogs and of course fish and as my garden borders onto a field they could roam around it from the nearby fishing pond and have had their fill. I don’t think I will be replacing any fish, well at least not until the mink have been made into fur coats

25th August 2018, 14:50	#3
stevestrat This is my second home ZT260 #243 (resting) Join Date: May 2010 Location: Prestonpans Posts: 22,484 Thanks: 650 Thanked 4,624 Times in 3,358 Posts	My folks used to have a small fish pond. Had bother with crows of all things having a go at fishing! __________________ Steve T4 Location Map

25th August 2018, 14:20	#2
WillyHeckaslike This is my second home Rovers 75 & 25 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Wearside Posts: 4,522 Thanks: 543 Thanked 709 Times in 511 Posts	Know the feeling and it's not nice. Nature's predators know no boundaries and even in the most populated of inner cities a perceived haven of peace and tranquillity adjoining a house can be a killing ground for them ... and quite often without the occupants ever seeing or suspecting. Sparrow hawks are often a pain in the proverbial for me, sometimes they leave little trace of their visits to the unsuspecting eye but they can leave our garden looking like the aftermath of a mass pillow fighting contest ... blimming feathers everywhere and sometimes worse. Yuck!