Can anyone identify this bird?

Had a couple of floating traps and a couple in the bank. Not touched.

The fish are between 8-16 lbs. Gills and livers gone pretty much only head left although this could be the heron picking off what the otter leaves. Farmer told me also a couple off ducks have been taken as he has seen the remains. Nothing has been seen left on the bank for about a week now :confused:
 
Had a couple of floating traps and a couple in the bank. Not touched.

The fish are between 8-16 lbs. Gills and livers gone pretty much only head left although this could be the heron picking off what the otter leaves. Farmer told me also a couple off ducks have been taken as he has seen the remains. Nothing has been seen left on the bank for about a week now :confused:

Def NOT the heron then lol
 
Had a couple of floating traps and a couple in the bank. Not touched.

The fish are between 8-16 lbs. Gills and livers gone pretty much only head left although this could be the heron picking off what the otter leaves. Farmer told me also a couple off ducks have been taken as he has seen the remains. Nothing has been seen left on the bank for about a week now :confused:

as others have said its a heron usually if a fish is too big they spear them through the gills but they dont usually go for larger fish
the damage you are describing sounds to me like otter they love to eat around the gill area into the flanks and stomoch of the fish and leave the rest higher up on the banks,cormarants are black slender birds usually in groups now bloody awfull things the mere opposite me usually has numbers in exess of 40 all our shoal fish are getting wiped out, atb wayne
 
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Strange.

In my experience otters nearly always take a good bite out of the top of the head.

These are intact though...?
 
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image.jpg
Cormorant - this ones thieving no more fish
note - legally shot under licence from NE
 
Otter is your culprit as long as eggs is eggs I genuinely thought this was a wind up a stalking / country man who didn't know what a heron was
 
We've had massive problems with Otters. I resorted to a single strand electric fence at 8 inches high.
As already said Herons will spear large fish but can only swallow them whole.
 
Otter is your culprit as long as eggs is eggs I genuinely thought this was a wind up a stalking / country man who didn't know what a heron was


LOL Swarovski..........I was not really all there this morning. As soon as the first post came in saying heron I thought............ :doh:
 
We've had massive problems with Otters. I resorted to a single strand electric fence at 8 inches high.
As already said Herons will spear large fish but can only swallow them whole.

Yes, I spoke to the farmer about 2 hours ago and I am helping him put up an electric fence around the water on boxing day. 2 strands about 8 inch off the ground and another 8 inch on top.
 
My mates and I always refer to herons as pterradactils, they have a simalarity when they are in flight :D
 
I wouldn't bother with the second strand, they can't jump over stuff very well. Just make sure they get a good knock off it.
 
itll be an otter , if your putting a perminant fence up use 4 inch rounds , first strand about 8inch high second about 12inch high but on the opposite side of the post then a third strand about 16inch high on the same side as the first . Anyone with an interest in cormorant control would do well to apply for a license to control them now as NE have relaxed the rules around numbers a little
 
the photo is a grey heron or if you live on the west coast of scotland it's a florivore (sp), it an otter doing the damage to your fish, I have sat and watched a otter taking duck off a pond close to my house, glad i'm not a duck!!
 
It could be an otter but that damage is not consistent with what an otter will usually eat.
could be the result of a second scavenger after the event

More usual to see the gills and liver take. Out and a big chunk just below the head
this is more common:

423853_253126418097203_129634670446379_567131_233484861_n.jpg
 
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