Terror In My Own Back Yard

I had just talked to Mr. Right on the phone and I turned around and through the half open patio door blinds, I saw what looked for all the world like a low-flying terradactyl. I knew it was a crane or a heron - both notorious predators of koi and I thought it fortunate that he flew over the pond and back toward the Northeast. I thought about when my two Army sons were working on the roof and couldn't get over how the koi looked from up high and I was surprised that this guy might have missed what they so clearly saw.

I went to the outside door and was looking for him back by the shopping center when he came walking around the back of the fat tree. He was very wary and cautious and I felt like he picked up on me standing there almost right away so I tried to be very still while I snapped off a couple of pictures.



When I moved to try to get a better view, he flew off.


First of all, I'm glad I spotted him. What a fluke! And second of all, I'm glad we have a net on that small pond where all the big koi are still vulnerable. I think the depth of the big pond offered some protection, not to mention the koi garage that we built on the bottom but there's no such protection in the small, shallow pond. Hopefully this guy wouldn't be able to spear through the net but now that I think about it, that's crazy. Of course he could spear through the net. Look at that beak.

It's crazy how much I enjoy photographing these guys at Striebel pond and how much it gives me chills to photograph them in our back yard.

We have just got to get that big pond re-done before we lose some expensive and precious koi.