by Alex A. Kecskes

If you own a home near the ocean, river, pond, or lake, you may have had a run in with blue herons. These tall, light blue-grey birds have long black legs, pointed beaks, black bellies, and a black stripe along their white heads.

While they may be beautiful to look at, they can present a nuisance to your property. If you have a Koi pond, for example, you and your Koi may not be too happy to see them.  For in addition to amphibians, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, and small mammals, blue herons enjoy feasting on fish.

If blue herons are giving you the blues, here are some humane and effective bird deterrents the pros use:

Bird Spiders

Like most birds, blue herons don’t like spindly things that can strike their legs as they attempt to land. Bird Spiders have long tentacles that whip erratically in the breeze to make birds too nervous to land on rooftops or fence lines. Bird spiders are easy to set up on just about any even surface. The devices come in 2-, 4-, 6- and 8-foot diameter arm lengths to create ever widening zones of deterrence. The best bird spiders come with a glue-on base, so you can easily attach them to most surfaces.

Plastic Bird Netting

An easy-to-handle and install bird deterrent, Plastic Bird Netting creates a physical barrier that will keep blue herons from specific areas of your home.  The netting is typically sold in two roll sizes: 14 x 100 feet and 14 x 200 feet. You’ll want a relatively large mesh to block out herons. You’ll also want to invest in high quality, durable, U.V.-protected polypropylene netting, which is strong, light and virtually invisible. Nowadays, bird netting even comes in various colors to blend in with your home.

Solar-Powered Bird Repellers

Equipped with motor-driven “arms” that spin around continuously at 30 RPM, Solar-Powered Bird Repellers make it really rough for herons to land anywhere near them. You can easily position these repellers wherever herons gather most often. The best bird repellers come with adjustable arms that protect up to a 5-foot diameter area. And while they are solar powered, the best devices will also run at night or on overcast days, since they can store the sun's energy for later use.

Scarecrow Bird Deterrents

A silent sentry that springs to life the second a blue heron enters its radius of protection, Scarecrows do a convincing job of keeping birds away from your home. The motion-activated devices greet herons with a harmless water blast, startling sprinkler sound, and realistic looking bird-like moving head.  Scarecrows connect easily to your average  garden hose and will protect a 1,200 square foot area that extends 35 feet out by 45 feet wide. The best scarecrows will deliver up to 1,000 "firings" on a single 9-volt battery, and you can adjust their sensitivity and range.