I have been doing a GREAT deal of reading about Heron and how to deal with it at this point.  Amazing, these creatures.  They can actually learn your routine and work around it.

My opening the side door the other day - 2 hours earlier than I normally would have - and seeing this giant bird flying off lends some credence to this prospect.

There are many prospects to getting rid of them, however, the theme of having dogs around is a recurring prospect.  I will be luring my dogs to that pond through use of food.  Oh, there is nothing like food to a Great Dane - or any dog for that matter.  Put a bowl of food out there every day and what do we have? Dogs coming to the immediate side of the pond to see if there is more in it.

Mark is going to work on building a stand for the mannequin head - including arms.  I have several old T-shirst I can put on it.

But the interesting factor was the trip wire.  I don't know that that Heron or those Herons have found the other pond some 15 feet away, but I have to assume they have or will.  The information I have found is that Heron don't land in the pond, they have to land on the ground and then wade into the pond.  I read this many times over for the last couple of years, which really has me scratching my head on the above ground pond that I found the bird flying out of.  That bird could not have waded into that pond, impossible.

But the other pond? So, I am going to put some trip wire on the posts that are all around that pond. Easy enough.  I think the dogs are the best probability of keeping them away if I can get them over there when I am not here.

It was, however, interesting to read what I had already figured out: the fish disappear and you don't see them after a Heron has been around, taking even only one fish on one occasion.  Yes, I figured that, but ---- a smart fish in that above ground pond can easily outsmart the Heron by hiding under that giant Yerba Mensa plant.  I closely inspected that plant today, there is no way for any bird or anything else for that matter to peck through that plant.  A fish - or lots of fish - hiding under it - will not fall victim to a Heron.

So I have my work cut out for me.  I figured that sooner or later, I would be confronted by this situation.

This may be an on-going situation, as from what I have read, these creatures are very persistent birds that actually have a routine and your pond - if they find it - becomes a part of that daily routine.

I can say that I am more motivated for that bird to eliminate this property as a part of it's daily fly-over than it is of coming to dine on  my pond food, ie: Koi and Goldfish.

We'll see.

I'm guessing that this coming Friday?  I will be heading up to the mountains for a 2 night stay, leaving Sunday morning to be back in time for church at 10:00am.  The area where my mother's property is at is not in danger of any current, active fires.  It is, however, nicely dried up there.  In fact, Arizona is currently in it's 20th year of being in a drought.  Some years get ample rain - far and few between - which is not enough to reverse the situation.  I'll give SRP - Salt River Project - big time kudos for their foresight to have prepared for this LONG ago and still be able to provide the metro Phoenix area with enough water that as of yet, there are no water restrictions.

The other thing that has greatly helped is "Reclaimed water".  It is non-potable (you can't drink it).  It is water that is recovered from waste treatment plants.  Yup, that's right: the piss and dung places where waste water goes.  They have been building more and more of them for years and years now.  There are lines run all over the place.  They water golf courses and landscaping along and in the middle of freeways and city streets.  They put water into large lakes and without them, well, a lot of that would have to disappear.  Businesses tap into them off of city streets to water all the vegetation they have planted around their properties.  I know this because my company deals in selling the piping, fittings and valves that supply this industry.  It also cools the Palo Verde Nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear generating station in the nation.

I got the mannequin head today.  I put it on a table that is right next to the pond in question that is being terrorized by a Great Blue Heron.  I have now eyeballed that creature twice and have let it be known it is not welcome here.  I will find a pole that will fit into that hole underneath the head and plant it in plain, open view.

I will be ordering a motion activated sprinkler as well.  I have further plans but money is tight so on hold for now.  I am taking whatever steps I can.  Sophie - the new doggy - is obviously taking advantage of the open gate when I am away at work as there is fresh dog droppings over there.  I am pretty sure a bird isn't going to want to be around any dogs.  I have too much invested into all of this to have some bird coming and taking it all away for dinner.

Tomorrow morning, Caleb and I leave on a road trip to Heber.  I think this trip, I will spend the time praying with him.  I haven't done that much of that with him, but I think it's time to start.  He's totally into the Lord and that's the reason he is going up there.  Not to please anyone on earth, but to please the Lord and to continue on the path of fulfilling his destiny in God's plan for his life.

It is nice, frankly, to be taking a day off here and there. I have put in for a 5 day off time next month during the 4th of July.  I have no confirmation of that, but no other drivers have put in for it, so I expect to get it.  I decided to take the 2 days off after 4th of July which is on a Wednesday, figuring that at least some contractors will take the entire 3 days off  as well - which makes it easier for the company to fill my position with someone from the main branch instead of having to bring in a temp driver.

I expect to spend at least 3 days and 2 nights at the property.  Maybe 4 days and 3 nights. Possibly go up on Tuesday after work and come back on Saturday morning.

The leaf-eating wasps - which are decimating my giant Yerba Mensa plant - are becoming extremely agitated.  I am spraying the same swath of already destroyed leaves every day with poison.  Those leaves aren't exactly taking the poison well, but they are doomed anyway.  The wasps have no clue and are flying around in "violent" circles attempting to land but not..........quite...........getting there.  I am not just going to sit idly by while wasps and birds take away what I have worked so hard to create.

I'm still quite amused by Obama stating one day that the economy is doing just fine and then stating the next day that it obviously isn't doing fine.  Are people so blindly faithful to a party to not even perceive what they are reading or hearing with their own eyes and ears?  Apparently so.  Which is hardly surprising.

Whatever.  If we have to live with 4 more years of this BS, so be-it.  I can only go to the voting booth and make my voice heard.

Enough for one entry, just got done with a bunch of stuff outside and now?  Cooking dinner.

Later.

ben