FOREST GLEN — Ken Meerbrey and his family are in an epic battle with a bird that is killing, but not eating, some of the 75 koi in their home's backyard pond.

Since late May, at least one great blue heron has snatched four large, colorful, expensive koi out of Meerbrey's pond, killing them but not eating them because the fish are too big.

Ken Meerbrey and two of his three daughters — Nicole (l.) and Monique — stand near the family's koi pond. [Photos by DNAinfo/Justin Breen unless indicated]

He's trying everything to stop it. First, he planted a blue heron decoy next to the pond. Then he added an aerator, which creates bubbles that float from the bottom of the pond's six-foot depth to its surface. In the last two weeks, he even plugged in a radio, which plays news stations WGN-AM and WBBM-FM 24 hours a day.

All of these steps are recommended deterrents for heron attacks on koi ponds. Neighbors don't mind the extra noise, Meerbrey said, although one told him to put on Rush Limbaugh's radio show.

"I like to stay on top of the news," Meerbrey, a Chicago Police officer, said laughing. "After I hear the news four times, I can change the station.

"We're trying to control the bird in a natural way that's not harmful to the heron and send him back to the wild. We're trying any way to deter it."

Justin Breen says some of the fish are worth more than $1,000:

Meerbrey has had the pond for 16 years, but this is the first time a heron has done damage. His Forest Glen home is near the north branch of the Chicago River and LaBagh Woods, and he thinks those are the likely spots the bird came from.

Meerbrey, his wife, May, and two of their three daughters — Nicole, 16, and Monique, 14 — have seen first-hand an actual blue heron in their yard about 10 total times in the last few months. They also have a video camera that recently captured a heron killing one of the fish around 3 a.m. The family also has a macaw, Breezer, that alerts them with squawks when the heron shows up.

"Breezer is like our watch bird," Meerbrey said.

The story might be considered funny if Meerbrey hadn't spent so much money on the pond and its inhabitants. Meerbrey estimates he's easily dropped $25,000 on the project, which takes up a good portion of his backyard. He's had some of the koi for 16 years, and, said if he wanted, could sell them for several thousand dollars.

"We put an investment in this and we appreciated our yard," Meerbrey said.

Great blue herons, a protected species, are common in Illinois, stand 4-5 feet tall and eat a variety of food, including fish and frogs.

A great blue heron, not the one visiting the Meerbreys' backyard, dines on a pair of fish. [Getty Images]

A koi hasn't met an untimely end this month, and Meerbrey is hoping the radio addition did the trick. If it doesn't, his next task will be to criss-cross fishing line over the pond. He'd like to avoid that, though, because two turtles also live in the pond, and a female needs to frequently exit the water because she laid several eggs near it.

Meerbrey respects his heron foe — or foes — and understand it's just doing its job.

"We never thought we would have a problem with a heron," he said. "We know what we're up against."

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