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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

pond visitor

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20 Nov 2008 16:17 #1 by derek (Derek Doyle)
This handsome chap visited my pond on sunday afternoon and ate one of my goldfish before his hasty retreat. There is a mewing sound as he flys off which i assume he made (it certainly was'nt me). Has anyone any idea if they do make this vocalisation.

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30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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20 Nov 2008 17:05 #2 by arabesque (Mick Veale)
nice video.. the cheeky mare.

when working in fish antics years ago
myself and dimitri went out one morning to
find that we had left the covers off the pond
and a heron/herons had eaten about 1000 euros worth of koi..:blush:

we startled him and he flew off bouncing off walls scrambling away
and left a nice trail of white behind him..!

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20 Nov 2008 17:10 #3 by arabu1973 (. .)
Replied by arabu1973 (. .) on topic Re:pond visitor
Unless it was a cat in a heron costume they dont make that noise, maybe some cat was stalking him and it got anoyed that it got away. Anyway you ar in a lot of trouble now that he found your pond, he'll be back for more free fresh live food. I know of two ways to dither him from eating your fish either put a pond net over the pond at 10"-12" from the water surface or put four sticks 2foot long at each corner of the pond and put some fishing line between them around the pond one at half way up and one at the top, the herons has to get at the edge of the pond but because he cant see the fishing line that will hit him on the chest and he cant step over he'll give up(i use this metod on my pond since last year when a heron had 3 of my koi, didnt seen him since)

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20 Nov 2008 17:22 #4 by Andrew (Andrew Taaffe)
Hi Derek, check out the winning article in the recent competitiion for some inspiration on getting rid of the stealthy robber

ITFS Club Secretary
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
see the ITFS tab above for more information www.irishfishkeepers.com/index.php/itfs

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20 Nov 2008 19:36 #5 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:pond visitor
thanks for the replies lads
arabu; i put the net on the pond just after doing the vid. as the heron only flew a short way and was perched on a tree nearby and has been back several times since, but the fish are now safe.

mick; dmitri told me that story, he said the heron ..at on your head.

andrew; yeah i read that article, it was very good but i won't be getting a gun just yet.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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23 Nov 2008 19:57 #6 by Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
Derek, I have hushed Herons away from my pond many times, but I have never heard a sound like that, I reckon arabu1973 is right, that there was a cat nearby.

Regarding the stakes and fishing line stopping the heron getting into the pond, that is the method I used successfully for years, it is less unsightly than a net. It will not stop them coming and doing some window shopping.


Daragh

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23 Nov 2008 21:09 #7 by arabu1973 (. .)
Replied by arabu1973 (. .) on topic Re:pond visitor
Yep you are right and you have to see them trying to walk to the edge of the pond and not understanding what is in their way that stops them :blink: because they cant see the fishing line :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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21 Apr 2009 21:52 #8 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:pond visitor
at the easter weekend i decided to tidy up my pond, so i removed the net cleaned the filter and removed sludge from bottom and algae.
i neglected to replace the net and on monday morning the pond water was very clear but not a fish in sight. on investigation i
found 5 small goldfish huddling under the plants but six larger koi and goldfish were gone, including a shubunkin which i had
for five years.
i suppose they were taken by the guy in the above video or one of his relatives.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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21 Apr 2009 22:33 #9 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Frustrating!
Derek,I overheard you talking with Daragh at the meeting last week,and you mentioned the white tailed sea eagle.I spent a day looking at these and others on the Isle Of Mull a few years back,amazing size!Did you see the documentary on RTE2 tonight about them?

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

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21 Apr 2009 22:56 #10 by derek (Derek Doyle)
Replied by derek (Derek Doyle) on topic Re:pond visitor
thanks dave, no i missed the rte program. i saw several eagles, buzzards and harriers in hungary last year
and i'm going to andalucia next week and intend to visit gibralter and tarife to see part of the raptor and stork migration from
africa. though i'm dreading driving on the wrong side.
i have seen buzzards, hen harriers, peregrines, merlins, sparrowhawks and kestrels and the three irish owls in ireland but not yet the recently re introduced eagles or red kite.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish

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21 Apr 2009 23:08 - 21 Apr 2009 23:13 #11 by Acara (Dave Walters)
I was lucky enough to live in the highest village in the Scottish Highlands for 3 years.I spent a lot of time exploring,and many many days and nights out with the game keepers,however there relationship with raptors left a lot to be desired,I saved a good few birds from the 12 gauge by 'bumping' the keeper at the 'wrong' moment.We had some good rows!I loved lying back in the heather watching the golden eagles soar.Red kites had just been re-introduced in the Black Isle,but I dont know if I ever saw one.
A friend of mine is/was(I havnt rung him for a couple of years,must arrange a visit) the RSPB man for the whole of the North of Scotland,and he pointed out a few osprey nests on days out stalking.I wasnt far from Aviemore,Loch Garten,etc,great osprey country.
I was approached at work one Sunday morning by a policeman and a ranger of some sort,we had a pair of lads in having breakfast(scrambled eggs!)who were under surveilance for egg collecting.They nabbed them and interviewed them in my office,but had to release them.
Enjoy the trip,that will be some experience.
Don't worry about the driving,it comes naturally,I didnt want to do it,but was surprised how easy it is.Only thing was occasionally pulling out of a carpark the fiance would,rather excitedly,remind me about which side to be on!

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!
Last edit: 21 Apr 2009 23:13 by Acara (Dave Walters).

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