Do wood ducks use nesting boxes?
Nesting habits: Wood Ducks seek out hollow trees, old woodpecker holes, or nest boxes for nesting. Females select the nest site. Males guard females until eggs are near hatching.
Where is the best place to put a wood duck nesting box?
Boxes can be installed on posts or poles in the water, at least 3 feet above the high water mark, facing south or west. If installing on land, choose a site within 100 feet from the water with no branches around the entrance hole. Predator guards should be installed. Place 4 inches of wood shavings in box floor.
How do you attract wood ducks to nesting boxes?
To increase the chances of your nest box being used by waterfowl, it should be located in an area attractive to cavity nesting ducks. You’ll see these birds using wooded wetlands that contain water year-round or, at least, throughout the summer. You’ll also see them using trees along riverbanks and lake shore lines.
What are the dimensions for a wood duck nesting box?
The basic nest box has a front, a back, 2 sides, a bottom, and a top. The front can be either 3/4 or 5/8 inch stock, and a good size is 11.5 inches wide x 22.0 inches tall. The bottom of the 3.0 inches high by 4.0 inches wide oval entrance hole is 17.0 inches from the bottom of the box.
When should you put up wood duck boxes?
Installation can be performed annually, but nesting season occurs February through June. Boxes can be installed in wetlands, swamps, creeks, ponds, oxbows, or lakes. Placing boxes in a wooded landscape will provide a natural setting.
What do you put in a wood duck box?
Cavity nesting ducks do not carry nesting materials. It’s important to help them out by placing four to six inches of wood shavings in the bottom of the box. You can find wood shavings at your local pet or farm supply store. Do not use sawdust.
What time of year do wood ducks nest?
Wood ducks pair up in late winter and begin breeding in early spring. The males attract females with their call and attractive, colorful breeding plumage. After the pair breed, they build a nest in the cavity of a tree.
What month do wood ducks lay eggs?
In the Deep South, egg laying can begin as early as late January with many hens having more than one brood during a long season which ends in late summer. In northern states and Canadian provinces, wood ducks return as soon as the ice melt occurs, with egg-laying beginning shortly thereafter.
How many wood duck boxes do I need for a pond?
Optimal nesting habitat contains up to five suitable cavities per acre in close proximity to brood-rearing habitat; however, since most natural cavities are not suitable for use by nesting wood ducks, these conditions frequently require that 50 or 60 natural cavities per acre exist.
How do I keep squirrels out of my wood duck house?
Use a squirrel baffle on any pole-mounted birdhouse. The simple metal disc wraps around the pole, preventing squirrels from climbing up to the birdhouse. Any mounted nesting box should have a squirrel baffle. Baffles help protect from other predators–like cats, raccoon and snakes–too.
What do you put in a wood duck house?
How do you keep raccoons out of wood duck boxes?
A predator guard will help to improve the chance of a successful hatch by preventing egg-eating raccoons and other predators from entering your nest box. Your nesting box should include a predator guard to help ensure nest success!