I don't know what is getting them. We don't have any large birds of prey that I have ever seen in the yard and there is no sign of animals around the pond.

The pond has steps down to center, each dropping about one foot down to the center that is three feet deep. The fish mainly hang out in the deepest part and if any animal was trying to stand on the last step to get to them they would be in a water depth of two feet. They would also be at least six feet from the edge of the pond. I can't imagine what is happening. My DH and I have even discussed doing a "firewatch" staying up all night taking turns watching the pond to see what is happening.

Any ideas?

Could be a heron or a kingfisher. They both take fish and leave no trace. If the missing fish were 8" long it is likely to be a heron.

I have seen a kingfisher take a 6" fish but 8" might be a bit big.

Look out the windows very early in the morning.

Herons injure fish by stabbing at them with their beak. Can leave scrapes and cuts.

You can cover the pond with a net or criss cross fishing line.

Herons can spear them with their beaks a lot deeper than a raccoon can grab them.

http://www.amazon.ca/Rittenhouse-amzn_ca_cro-102-Scarecrow-Activated-S prinkler/dp/B004I3P992

I am considering getting one to play it safe

You could make a floating plant island and anchor it to a couple of concrete block in the middle of your pond. I'm thinking that would provide similar type over-fin cover and still look nice.

~dianne

PS - one year I watched a hawk swoop down and grab it's prey of choice - our dogs toy snake. So maybe one of the bright orange fish decoy's might work?

I am an insomniac and often sit outside in the dark by my pond and watch the animals come to the pond. The variety is amazing but the raccoon is the most invasive, devious and destructive. They are also vastly entertaining.

The birds are a big problem because they are mostly protected. There are large numbers that hunt and eat fish including hawks. Nets and the Scarecrow are good protection but they don't always work. If you have a newly killed fish left behind you can see the way it was caught by the injuries. A hawk would leave several scratches from its claws on both sides while a heron would leave only one or two marks from its bill. Steep sides to the pond with no shelves or very deep ones prevent the heron's access. Overhanging branches and other obstructions inhibit the hawk's hunting method. A heron swallows the fish whole so it leaves no trace behind a successful hunt while a hawk tears the fish apart after landing. It might leave scraps behind.

The fish that was injured seems to be healing quite well. I was concerned he might not make it. He had one small hole (probably from a bill) but also had scrapes on his side and his one eye was red and swolen.

I like the idea of floating plants anchored for cover. I put a kitty ltter box cover in the bottom for them to hide in, but they don't seem to use it. Floating plants would probably work much better.

But the other missing fish was found as well. But there was just the skeleton left. We have an irrigation ditch that runs along the back of our property and we found the skeleton on the side of the ditch in one piece just picked clean.

Does that help narrow down the culprit of this fish murder? Are there specific animals/birds that would leave the skeleton in tact like that?