Indeed, Seagulls consume fish from pond gardens. Seagulls are a predator, although they can also swim and fly.
They’re typically found in salty waters, mainly oceans, lakes, and the like. Water birds consume smal fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and small prey, such as small animals and birds.
They’re always hunting for some form of aquatic life to prey upon, or scavenging on food that is left dead by larger predators or humans.
Yet when these birds see an easily-captured fish pond, they abandon searching for food themselves, and simply hang out near your fish pond for great opportunity to eat, breakfast, or dinner!
Key Takeaway: Seagulls eat whole fish, and can wipe out a pond quickly! Even though they are not good divers, they will simply prey on fish kept in shallow ponds.
What Dangers Do Seagulls Pose to Garden Pond Fishes?
Seagulls can do a number to your fish:
- First, of course, the obvious danger is eating the fish and now you have an empty pond.
- Secondly, seagulls are scavengers, and you will occasionally find dead carcasses that they are ravaging. Seagulls will carry bacteria and other disease-carrying germs on their feet and beak. When they land in your pond and dive for fish, germs are being spread into your pond which affects your whole shoal.
- Thirdly, seagulls would swallow the smaller fish, however, they try to tear pieces of flesh from the bodies of the larger fish, as they cannot swallow it. This injures your fish, sometimes leading to stress or even death.
Why Do Seagulls Swallow Whole Fish?
In general, seagulls will eat the fish whole.
Seagulls have very strong, unhinged jaws and flexible throat proportions that fit the whole fish.
A seagull has two stomach chambers, and the first one secretes a strong acid that digests the flesh and breaks down the bones.
How to Protect Your Garden Pond Fish From Seagulls and Other Predators
At the moment you are saying to yourself, “let’s take some time to relax and enjoy the rewards of my pond,” the predators will show up.
As humans, we tend to find a solution to most of our issues.
Below are the solutions to protect your fish from seagulls, herons, kingfishers, and other birds that eat fish.
Putting a Net Over the Pond
This is one of the most efficient ways to protect your fish against seagulls and other predators.
Polyurethane nets are lightweight, almost clear, and very durable for creating a fish-proof barrier against pheasants.
A seagull will see a fish from the air, but when they try to grab the fish from the surface of the water, they will run into a mesh net.
This will prevent them from getting to the surface of the pond.
The net does take away its modern aesthetic look, but it is worth it to protect your fish.
As an extra complication, the netting is also time-consuming and resource-consuming because of the amount of netting length and anchors you must secure it.
Additionally: You have to design the cover to leave an available entry point to and from the pond for easy visitor access when you need to feed or check your fish.
Decoys/Fake Competitors
When thinking about how the gulls hunt, it’s important to understand that they will leave once they perceive a competing predator.
So, you can utilize artificial decoys (seagull, heron, owl, hawk, etc.) to scare away predator seagulls.
Manufacturers have developed the trick of making the decoys move some of their body parts, such as the neck, to offer some sense of life.
Maybe alongside the artificial decoy, you can create a lifelike scare-crow design seen put on rice and grain fields to scare-away grain-eating birds.
Birds, in general, are afraid of the humans and will be scared off by the human form swinging around the pond.
But you will want to move the decoy from one point to another because birds regardless of species can generally tell when something is stationary and harmless.
By moving the artificial seagull or owl across the pond, the real gulls (and other competing predators) will consider the decoy a real competitor and leave the location.
Caves and Tunnels
Based on the size of your pond and the surrounding landscape, you can build hideouts for your fish.
Much like the deep ocean has tunnels and caves for fish to hide from predators, you can also use your imagination to create small spaces and tunnels for your fish when sensing danger.
Even the fish know when a seagull is nearby and they run and hide.
A little tip to remember: If a seagull comes twice or thrice and do not see a fish, they will consider that as an area with no food and probably nothing more.
Increase Depth of Your Pond
At times, your fish are being eaten because they are too close to the water’s surface.
A lot of birds of prey, even seagulls, cannot dive deep enough to chase a disappearing fish.
Be aware of the weight of the seagull will make diving absolutely impossible. To really keep your fish safe, have a really deep pond.
If you have your pond, and it’s already too shallow, you can also dig out a little more depth.
Floating Plants
Water lilies and other floating plants will instantly make your pond look full of life and greener and more natural.
These plants will also help you create a small ecosystem in your pond with balanced flora and fauna, as these plants on the waste from fish, and nitrifying bacteria will consume the waste.
However, did you know that these plants can also act as cover for your fish, protecting them from predators?
It’s true!
A pond completely devoid of plants will be clear water, meaning a pelican or seagull can simply see your fish from a long distance while flying through the air.
Ideal floating plants for your fish pond include:
- Water hyacinth
- Duckweed
- Water lettuce
- Sensitive plant
- Azolla
- Frogbit
- Salvinia
Predator Repellent
Agronomists have researched and recommended chemical solutions that are also effective as seagull repellents. You can get these at your local pond products dealer.
Typically these repellents will have some sort of scent that the gulls do not like. So once you spray them around the pond area, no gull will ever plop its feet down in the space you have sprayed with repellant.
Some of these chemicals create a translucent, sticky substance at the spot where the gull tried to get comfortable. Once a gull becomes entangled in the sticky substance, the gull usually does not return because of its previous unpleasant experience.
These chemicals will never harm your fish and are safe.
Some examples of bird repellents are:
- Bird X Bird Proof
- Bonide
- Flock Free
- Bird Stop Liquid Bird Deterrent
Ornaments
Have you ever noticed shiny pinwheels or CD discs hanging around someone’s yard and wondered why they would hang such decorations in the space they live?
Well, it is less about aesthetics and more about pest and predator management.
There are many shiny consumers ornaments one could buy for the purpose of scaring away gulls.
Gulls and many other birds are afraid of flashes of light.
When the sun shines, the rays of the sun fall on shiny or metallic surfaces that then reflect these rays of light at all sorts of angles and provide flashes of light.
Flash of light scare gulls during the day; the light effect at night is not significant unless there is a bright full moon; most gulls don’t hunt at night so perhaps that will be a non-issue.
However, if you are a DIY’er you do not have to go and buy commercial pinwheels and ornaments to waste your money on:
- Grab some metallic tape, a piece of string, and a stick, and you will have your decorations made.
- Just tie the tape to the stick using the string.
- The tape will blow in the wind and be hit with sun rays producing flars and a scary swift sound, all of which helps to keep the seagulls away.
Pond Lights
Gulls were annoyed, even frightened by lights.
When you use various kind and color of LED pond lights mixed and matched together, you get the lighting that will scare away the gulls from your fish.
You know about that strobe light that you use on occasion for disco parties?
That would come in handy to protect your fish away from these birds.
Some special pond lights even have a noise that is supposed to be disturbing to predators.
For Example: The LED light bulb could have a programmed sound they say a seagull makes when in distress. When the seagull flies above your pond and the sensor detects the gull the LED lights up and makes the sound, the gull thinks he is in danger and leave and your fish are safe for another day.
Create Water Movement
When water moves, the seagull takes time to spot a fish on the pond.
On still water, the bird can reach your fish very quickly.
To reduce fish being eaten by a seagull due to ease of access, have water movement in your garden pond.
Water movement has other benefits as well, such as keeping the pond aerated, and preventing the water from scum and stinking up the area.
Make an artificial waterfall to create water movement in your still pond by using stones or an air pump.
Pets
This is a very controversial subject precisely because some pets, like cats and dogs, can be predators of fish.
However, if you have a dog that eats well and is more inclined to scare gulls off, and not be tempted to eat any of the fish themselves – then go for it.
Your dog can stay close to the pond and should a seagull come down, it will hear the sound of your dog barking and get scared away.
Sprinklers
Another brilliant (and affordable) way to deter gulls from your garden pond is with motion-activated sprinklers that spray water when they detect movement.
When a gull flies close to the pond in search of fish to eat, the motion-activated sprinkler detects the movement and sprays water in every direction.
The unexpected motion of a stream or droplets of water will startle the gull and cause them discomfort flying away.
CAUTION: the sprinkler activates when it senses ANY movement, including you and your pets. If you are enjoying the pond area with family and pets, just switch off the sensor.
Bird-scaring Devices
You can find devices for scaring birds at retailers like Amazon.
These devices are sensor devices that detect movement.
When the device detects a seagull, it will either light up or make noise that will scare the predatory birds to deter them away.
Bird Feeder
Though this method of protecting your fish from seagulls may be less than popular, if you feed the birds at another location, they will be drawn to that location rather than the pond.
So, you’re playing mind games with the birds by giving them what they came for; food.
This can be a useful method of sustaining your school of fish; however, it can be costly.
For example, where are you going to get small birds, crustaceans, mollusks, or small rodents on a daily basis to feed the birds at the bird feeding station?
If you choose to use this method of protecting your school of fish, ensure to keep the food and water source away from the pond.
From Experience; you don’t want the seagull to pass through the pond to get to the feeding station, as it may stop to take the easy food, your fish.
Balloons
If establishing any of the previously mentioned methods isn’t possible for you, there is a low cost method of scaring the seagulls away; that being by using balloons.
Balloons are very inexpensive, easy to install, and easy to acquire. You simply blow it up, tie it off, and hang it around the pond.
Again, don’t forget that you want the balloon to have a shiny reflective surface.
It will also help if you are able to purchase those balloons with faces painted on as they are more durable.
Wrapping Up
Fish ponds are attractive to various classes of animals, from frogs to birds.
Predatory birds, like the seagull, may take fish from your pond, leaving it empty, injuring your larger fish they cannot swallow, and dispersing bacteria in the rest of the aquatic life in your pond.
There are several ways to protect your fish from seagulls. They include netting your pond, creating tunnels and caves, to using bird repellents and decoys.