Tag Archives: United States

An Animal-Free Pond is Cleaner

If your pond seems to be missing fish, then there is a good chance that something wild is feeding at it’s edges.  This is not only hazardous to your animals, the feces, feathers and other things that stray animals leave behind can be odorous, toxic and turn your pond into a slimy mess.  Furthermore it is not fun to be retrieving the dead body of smaller furry animal from the bottom of a pond where it might have slipped and fell.

 

One of the most common predators of our fish is the heron. The most common sight, especially in the southern United States is the Great Blue Heron that stands about four feet tall and has a six-foot wingspan. These birds primarily feed on fish and frogs. ). There are different species of herons scattered around the country, but the most seen around the pond is the Great Blue Heron.

 

One way to discourage herons from visiting your pond is to use a decoy of a fake heron.  As herons don’t like to feed on another heron’s turf, they will respect the fake heron’s feeding territory and stay away.

 

Leaf netting, a scarecrow, artificial and electric fencing (not really recommended but apparently effective) also can keep these clever bird away and also discourage as smaller furry animals like raccoons and foxes from feasting at your waters.

 

Leaf netting should be placed over the pond over the fall and winter to keep hungry birds from feeding and eliminating near the pond.

 

You can use a sprinkler alarm like the Scarecrow.  This is a sprinkler with a motion sensor that only activates when animals are near. When a heron, or anything else, crosses its path, it emits a burst of water, frightening away the birds.  However, the Scarecrow may not deter birds that swoop down to feed such as owls, seagulls and kingfishers.

 

The electric fence can be installed around the perimeter of the pond, giving a small jolt to any creature that decides to venture to the pond as well.

 

Raccoons are the most common visitors to residential ponds. As raccoons are nocturnal creatures, they tend to creep into your yard and swipe your fish at night. One way of dealing with this is to call your local animal control that can deal with the raccoons in a humane fashion by releasing them into the wild.

Do not be afraid to get professional help if the problem is out of control.

Tree and Branch Maintenance is Essential

If you have a home that has a lot with big trees it is absolutely crucial that you maintain the health of each and every one as well as make sure no branches are in danger of falling. Falling trees and limbs can cause a great deal of damage to buildings, structured, vehicles, power lines, wild animals, domestic animals and people.

 

One of the most common sorts of damage is when falling trees and branches fall on a building or structure. Most of this type of damage is avoidable. If you suspect a tree may topple over do not hesitate to call in an expert to assess the danger of this happening. Falling trees cause an estimated one billion dollars a year in property damage in the United States. Some of this damage is unavoidable, as would be the case with a lightening strike or a storm that sears branches off the trunk, but a lot of it is preventable.  Tree experts are called arborists. An arborist can identify and help you remove any branches or trees that might be posing a risk to your home, vehicle or public property.  Remember that if IA tree is on your property but leaning out over the road and it falls on a car that you could be in for a big payment on your liability insurance.

 

One problem that falling branches and trees cause is power failures. They also cause network outages and satellite television and antenna problems. Loss of power can be severely disruptive to entire communities and cause food spoilage, loss of data, closed businesses and problems with essential services.  The arborist that you hire to evaluate your property can tell you if any of your trees are at risk of downing a power line.

 

Although reports of individuals being killed or badly injured by falling trees are rare it is very possible for it to happen.  It is most likely to happen if an individual is out of doors in severe weather and standing beneath a tree that is rocking and rattling or that already has severed limbs about to fall.

 

Another huge problem is that downed trees and branches can block roads and trails and make it difficult for emergency vehicles to pass.  This is why trees and branches that might block roads should be removed.

 

Finally, an arborist can identity diseased trees on your property. If insects, disease and rodents are the problem then the arborist will recommend you remove it before it can damage surrounding flora and fauna.