Heron havoc at palace
Pesky predator feasts on prized koi carp that have lived in Kensington pond for decades
‘He’s a pest, a real nuisance’
IT IS the beautiful spot chosen by Prince Harry to introduce fiancée Meghan Markle to the world.
However, the White Garden at Kensington Palace has also attracted attention for a very different reason.
In recent months, a grey heron has been visiting the large pond there to help itself to prized koi carp.
Some of the fish could have been living there for more than two decades since the time Harry and brother William fed them by hand with their mother Diana. The garden was much loved by the Princess during the 15 years she lived at the palace in West London.
But now the pecked corpses of several fish have turned up on the patio after apparently being caught by the large bird.
A source said: ‘The heron’s a real nuisance. He’s a pest. He comes here most days and steals the fish from the pond.
‘I don’t mind so much the little ones but it’s the big ones. He drags them out and pecks their eyes out and leaves them for dead, presumably because they’re too big to fly away with or eat. They’re koi carp so they are quite expensive and some of them are very old.
‘When we see him, we go over and shoo him away. He’s always got his eye on the gardeners so when he sees them, he flies off.
‘But he’s always back. He comes every day and he’ll fetch a big koi carp out from time to time. We find them abandoned by the side of the water with half their head pecked away and eaten. We’ve cleaned up a few of them. It’s not pleasant.’
In the spring, the green refuge’s name was changed from the Sunken Garden after an overhaul to mark the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death.
Her sons now both have apartments at the palace and at the reopening of the garden William recalled feeding the koi carp with her, saying: ‘There never used to be this many.’
The Prince was also told by long-serving gardener Graham Dillamore that some of the fish were so old they could be the same ones he had fed.
This week Kensington Palace, which is managed by the Historic Royal Palaces charity, confirmed that the heron has become something of a pest.
Head gardener Sean Harkin said: ‘The heron is a regular visitor. While we enjoy seeing him, he cleverly stands in the same spot we use to feed the fish and sometimes tries his best to get at them.’
Adrian Thomas, a wildlife gardener at the RSPB, said: ‘Large open ponds will catch their eye. But herons will also be concerned with how easy it will be to fly in and escape.’
Homeowners can deter the birds with netting, garden features and dense planting around the pond, he added.