Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Thought we had the birds sorted out, seems he was just waiting till the trout got a bit larger. Notice the damage on both sides of the trout.



Might be a little hard to see, but the trout have big V's down either sides of their body. There's one with a ripped open gill plate and there was a dead trout laying on the ground today.



We have a mesh over the tank, but I guess this provides a perfect hunting platform for the bird to sit on. We specifically lowered the water level quite a lot, it's down about a foot or 30 cm from the mesh, but once again, I guess he just sits on it with his neck and head down in the mesh waiting for the fish to come near.

Put cable ties with the end sticking up on the cover so he can't land? Maybe one every 2 or so squares?

Make a pin cushion effect...

I think we may drop some finer mesh on top for the moment..

What a coincidence. I have had the same problem in the last week.
I have a massive ibis looking thing eating my small Koi out of the sump tank.
He can stand on the ground and still reach to the bottom of the tank.
I have now placed a foam lid over it after losing 5 little Koi.

I had this one standing over my fishtank. what kind of bird is it?

Oh yeah, he's found you...

It's a night heron see here for more pics http://www.google.com.au/search?q=night ... d=0CFMQsAQ

We have had problems off and on with them for 1-2 years, and the sneaky buggers will come in at night time when you can;t see them.

I've had troubles with smaller birds. Black birds scratching my seedlings out of the punnets I had them in sitting in the growbeds to get water. They also got worms coming out of the growbeds into the punnets and I reckon they are what the birds were after.
Stuffed a few of my corn babies but no major damage

How abt securing some bird netting to the mesh?

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That or leave Joker on guard duty.

Yeah. those things are the ninjas of the bird world

Oh yeah stealthy killers... We have put a bird mesh over the top of the metal mesh now, hopefully this will stop some of the fish losses.