Anyone ever put out wood duck boxes?

Mattones

Mattones

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After hunting a honey hole for the past two years I figure this year i will put out a few wood duck boxes. I feel I should after what that pond has given to me over the years in meat.

Wood ducks seem to favour this pond so in figure these boxes might just get used! I have seen a tree being used two years in a row by woodies

Just have to add predictor protection and add steel stakes to place them on. And of course bedding



 
I have not put any out yet but I have a plastic DU wood duck nest box that I am putting out this year at work. we have a small pond with trees on 3 sides that they seem to like.
 
I see you have grooved the inner front walls for the little guys to climb out that's good. I have put out quite a few and always a diver duck or merganser moves in instead of my beloved woodies. Oh well we all need a home.

Darryl
 
We built some many years ago and put them out. Instead of cutting wee groves we stapled scrap carpet on the inside and a bit on the outside to give them a bit of grip. We would put them out in mid winter when there was lots of ice to give us easy access to ponds etc. The ducks seemed to appreciate the efforts, as we never got any complaints.
 
I have never seen or heard of this before can you guys tell me a little bit more about these boxes?
From what I understand so far I think it is a hell of a great idea

I just realized these boxes are for wood ducks no wonder I have never heard of them before haahaa please excuse my ignorance we don't have wood ducks here LOL
 
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carverk said:
I have never seen or heard of this before can you guys tell me a little bit more about these boxes?
From what I understand so far I think it is a hell of a great idea

I just realized these boxes are for wood ducks no wonder I have never heard of them before haahaa please excuse my ignorance we don't have wood ducks here LOL
Click to expand...

What? You were expecting a conversation about shipping crates for handcarved decoys?
 
here are some pictures of the plastic DU wood duck box.it has various ways to mount it to posts/trees or metal poles. there is a metal ring that mounts around the oval opening to keep squirrels from chewing the plastic. I think I might have to see if I can paint it so it blends in a little better.


 
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maple_leaf_eh said:
What? You were expecting a conversation about shipping crates for handcarved decoys?
Click to expand...

At first I thought these boxes were built for all ducks and was something I had never heard of before till I realize you guys were talking about the boxes being made for wood ducks haahaa
So we don't have wood ducks on Haida Gwaii but I guess it doesn't hurt to learn sum thing about them
Plus I still think it is interesting
 
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I'll suggest adding a nail and some wire to keep raccoons from opening up the front of the box to get themselves a quick duck or duck egg snack. They very quickly figure out how to open duckboxes and can heavily prey upon both nesting hens and eggs.
 
Call your local Ducks Unlimited, tell them you wish to put out some duck nest boxes. they will/should give you some for free. I have 100 coming for my area over the next 3 years.
 
Yes a buddy and I made and put out 15 one winter a number of years ago. Here is a little trick that keeps unwanted things like starlings out. Cut two holes about 1/4" diameter and 3" apart parallel to each other and directly across from the entry hole. To a starling or squirrel looking into the box the holes lit up from behind look like a pair of Owl eyes and they tend to avoid them.

If you want to know how agressive starlings can be when it comes to stealing Wood Duck boxes to nest in, ask Deerdr about the time he watched a starling enter a box on his bass pond and chase away the hen Woodie nesting in it and then rolled her eggs out of it to set up house!! He went out and bought 2 flats of of 7.5's for his 20 gauge right after that and shot anything black coloured that flew into his property that spring. LOL
 
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I've had some fair success with wood duck boxes, as well as bird nesting boxes for other species.

One thing to keep in mind is that you can build a perfectly sized box, with the perfect hole size and placement, and then mount it at the correct height in ideal habitat (all very important considerations)...and then nothing uses it for years. Then you go out, take it down, remount it a few steps away, and the birds move in practically before you get off the ladder. If a box seems unattractive to the birds, definitely move it after a year or two.
 
Constructing the boxes and putting them out in a suitable location is one thing .... an effective predator guard (you're not opening a restaurant for predators ! )
and maintaining them from season to season is another ! And don't put them too close together ... woodies are territorial little bu##ers.
The same boxes will also be used by hooded mergansers, bufflehead and common goldeneye, (all cavity nesters) depending on location.
A number of other wildlife species will use them too ... owls, snakes, wasps ... be careful !
Woodies tend to find the boxes easier if there is good contrast between the hole (dark) and the outside box colour ... so don't paint that plastic DU box !
Light tan or light gray seems to work best ... even plain unpainted cedar is good.
"Higher" installation has often proven better than" lower" ... and pine shavings inside are preferable to cedar. Don't worry about the height ... the little ducklings can easily survive
a drop of 50 feet or more onto the forest floor, never mind water.
Your local Ducks Unlimited office will be able to provide some advice. A little nest box booklet was available, hopefully still is.
 
decent looking boxes... good move to scour up the inside below the hole. Lots of people forget that natural cavities aren't smooth as planed wood inside. Even if you don't get woodies, you could get other species (as stated above): goldeneye, bufflehead, hooded merg, kestrel, saw-whet owl... flying squirrels seem to take a special liking to them. It's all good.
 
I have literally 100s of Bird houses on my Property. Probably a dozen Woodie Boxes. If you want them used repeatedly, put clean wood chips in annualy. And yes I have had Woodies, Hoodies, Golden eye, American Kestrel, screech owl, flying squirrels, starlings, and best of all last year, HONEY BEES. Email me @ deerdr@nbcsmail.com. If I can help.
 
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