Betty, really sorry about your goldfish. I wouldn't have thought a GBH would behave like that either. I'm glad you were able to find some fry. Ken --- On Mon, 8/4/08, gsas-member-request@thekrib.com <gsas-member-request@thekrib.com> wrote: From: gsas-member-request@thekrib.com <gsas-member-request@thekrib.com> Subject: GSAS-Member Digest, Vol 50, Issue 4 To: gsas-member@thekrib.com Date: Monday, August 4, 2008, 12:00 PM Send GSAS-Member mailing list submissions to gsas-member@thekrib.com To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to gsas-member-request@thekrib.com You can reach the person managing the list at gsas-member-owner@thekrib.com When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of GSAS-Member digest..." Today's Topics: 1. great blue heron (Betty Goetz) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2008 09:08:05 -0700 (PDT) From: "Betty Goetz" <haika@drizzle.com> Subject: [GSAS-Member] great blue heron To: "Greater Seattle Aquarium Society member chat" <gsas-member@thekrib.com> Message-ID: <2335.161.55.112.56.1217866085.squirrel@webmail.drizzle.com> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1 I may be adult goldfish-less. All it took was one great blue heron. My neighbors told me they saw it arrive on Friday, sit on my porch railing for 1/2 hour, and then an hour later fly up from under my deck to my roof where it sat for another hour. This was while I was at work. On Friday evening, I noticed that nothing came up for food, but I figured since it was cool and wet, they were too cold to be hungry so I simply netted the food and tossed it back over the fence to the poultry. Then on Saturday I saw a GBH stalk by UNDER the upstairs deck checking out my live culture tubs. My deck extends out roughly 15-20' and this heron was only 8' or so from my slider...I NEVER thought a heron would come under the deck to steal goldfish! But I netted both my whiskey-barrel sized tubs and found no adults...although I did net fry from both of the shubunkin ponds. My Rubbermaid stock tanks are iffy....I've seen the waterlilies move like fish are swimming deep below but nothing comes to the surface. I haven't seen Trish's sarassas either...although they may be hanging out in the brick pile which is where they stayed for several days when newly introduced to the tank. They never were really keen on coming up to the surface, so I'll be really shocked if the heron got these guys. But I haven't seen them since Friday morning. Both the 100 and 150g tanks are too large for me to net and so who knows. All my ponds are now covered with dog crate wire floor grates (they are sturdy and easy to remove and replace). I hadn't used them this year because Adak wasn't pulling out the parrotfeather and strewing it all over the patio any longer (weak grin). I never ever thought a GBH would predate so close to the house...live and learn and warning to the rest of you with patio/deck/porch ponds (weak grin). I'm really bummed...... I've got 7 fry so far from shubunkin ponds....plus a number of koi fry from Steev's contest. So...at least I've got something to rear to replace the 17 potential lost beauties. By the way, the GBH has returned every day since the 'hunt' Betty Goetz ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ GSAS-Member mailing list GSAS-Member@thekrib.com http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member End of GSAS-Member Digest, Vol 50, Issue 4 ****************************************** _______________________________________________ GSAS-Member mailing list GSAS-Member@thekrib.com http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member