Help, The Snakes Are Eating My Fish!

“Sit quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.” ~ Zen quote

The grass is growing and growing. Spring has certainly sprung, but it is hard to “do nothing” as some of the creatures in my pond are unhappy. So much wildlife stop by to visit my little ecosystem: deer, frogs, birds, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, turtles and snakes. As it should be, the pond has taken on life of its own.

Pond Story (Part 2)

Just when I had decided to let nature takes its due course, and enjoy the majestic heron methodically spinning its magic, life in the pond took some twists and turns. See, I have come to realize (with the help from many of your comments) that the heron was truly a gift wrapped up in a natural lifecycle eating package. While the fish were doomed (not all were Koi, there were Goldfish and Carp too), the heron became a new creature to watch for in the early morning hours. Most of the fish that are left have gone into hiding, but the heron still swoops by each morning to catch a glimpse of a shiny fish. Sometimes he swoops down, but mostly he flies over the pond and goes off to diminish my neighbor’s pond.

The sun has been descending later in the day, and we’ve been spending more and more time outside in the early evenings. My son is home from college and he loves to cook. He especially enjoys cooking over the outdoor fire pit that is just a few feet away from the pond. One evening, while he was cooking and we were enjoying the last minutes of outdoor light, we noticed quite a commotion in the pond. The water aerobics was coming from a snake with one of our smallish gold fish in its mouth.

I ran inside to get the camera (photo above) and the field guide (it was a Northern Water Snake) while the snake glided in and out of the water as it wrestled with the splashing fish. After about a half an hour, the snake must have realized that it had bitten off more than it could possibly chew. It gave up exhausted, slithering off into the tall damp grass. The injured fish swam deeply down into the darkness and hopefully it has recovered from the ordeal.

Next: More info about water snakes and an update on the heron story

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Emma S.

2:03PM PDT on Oct 26, 2011

Interesting!

send a green star

Carole R.

9:50PM PDT on Sep 15, 2011

I agree with Ekaterina B.. Snakes are the one thing that really creeps me out. Even the picture makes me shudder. Hope your fish are safe.

Michele W.

6:09AM PDT on Jul 17, 2011

Thank you

John S.

8:46AM PDT on May 26, 2011

Thanks.

Maira S.

2:27AM PDT on Mar 23, 2011

Gracias!

Kamal P.

3:58PM PDT on Aug 14, 2010

Make them separate from there, give the any safe place, i really
feel bad for your poor fishes.

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oliver

mr C.

1:30PM PDT on Jul 7, 2010

must be great!

Mary S.

10:33AM PDT on Jun 11, 2010

no I never would like to eat as it is non-veg I dislike it thanks
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ib A.

4:28AM PDT on Jun 7, 2010

wow, nice post & photo you have, great snake protecting the eggs?? buy more fish..:)

johan l.

11:45PM PDT on Jun 1, 2010

Isn't Gods creation wonderful?
Nice camerashot with the watersnake holding the little goldfish in its mouth!
Judging from your article, you have to live close to nature to see all those animals in your garden!
Wonderful article!