Why I Built tallGuard
tallGuard started with a simple problem: herons kept attacking my pond and taking my koi.
Like many pond owners, I tried the usual solutions: decoys, reflectors, pond protection and other deterrents. Some helped for a while, but the problem was always the same: a determined heron would eventually come back.
I realised that most deterrents have one major limitation. They do not actually know what is approaching the pond.
A motion sensor sees movement. It does not know whether that movement came from a heron, a cat, a person, a duck or something completely harmless.
So I started building something different.
I wanted a system that could watch the pond, recognise a heron and react automatically, while ignoring everything that was not a threat.
That idea became tallGuard.
Using computer vision and AI, tallGuard continuously monitors the area around the pond. When it identifies a heron, it can automatically trigger a deterrent and record the event.
What began as a project to protect my own koi has gradually developed into something much more capable.
I've spent years experimenting, training and improving the system using real encounters around my own pond. Every detection and every returning heron has helped me understand how the system can be made better.
tallGuard is still evolving, but the goal has never changed:
Detect the threat. Deter it. Protect the pond.
And hopefully, help other pond owners avoid the feeling of walking outside and discovering that another much-loved fish has disappeared.