Wood Ducks

[Spiderman]

If you live on the lake, pond, or a creek, you might think about putting up a Wood Duck house. You can order one online or build one out of a 2X12.

It needs to be on 1&1/2 or 2" pole about 10' off of the ground, about 5' from water. Add some pine straw to the bottom and your set to go.

I had a successful pair last year, I think they had 13 baby ducks. They were sitting on their house at 6:50 this morning.


Spring gets started early in the wood duck world!

[Dave Duit]

Hi Spiderman,
Thank you for the post topic. I have built three wood duck houses for the lake where I live. I add cedar chips to my houses, but the pine straw works great too. Congrats on the baby wood ducks hatching. Good job. I placed all three of my houses well apart so as not to cause territorial issues and also placed them about 10 feet off shore in the water. Each house includes baffles for any possible attempts by snakes or raccoons.

[Conrad Baker]

They are beautiful birds. I wish I lived near/on the water so that I could put some houses up. I think the Martins would like the lake setting also. Martins and wood ducks, what a sight.

[Bird Brain]

My wife and I are looking for acreage right now for a retirement home. I'm hoping for a pond to expand my enjoyment. I've also had good luck with other species. This will be my 6'th year hosting screech owls. They are almost tame. We can easily get within 3 feet of them. I see them in the bird bath at dusk and dawn. They perch in the entrance frequently. They are very loyal to the house I gave them and return every November and leave in May. Every time a visitor sees them, their chin hits the floor. I enjoy seeing peoples reaction when they see them. They do not bother martins.

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I got bats also. 5'th year coming up. They are very loyal also and return every March. The bat colony's exit can last 30 minutes or longer. The swarming at night is fun to watch also. Almost as much fun as martins. Nothing beats martins though.
https://vimeo.com/426588610

Can't wait for my hummingbirds to show up. I think they entertain me the most, chasing each other around. Still waiting for martin and bluebird success. Maybe this will be the year.

[D. Doll MN]

[quote=Spiderman post_id=294891 time=1612274745 user_id=4020]
If you live on the lake, pond, or a creek, you might think about putting up a Wood Duck house. You can order one online or build one out of a 2X12.

It needs to be on 1&1/2 or 2" pole about 10' off of the ground, about 5' from water. Add some pine straw to the bottom and your set to go.

I had a successful pair last year, I think they had 13 baby ducks. They were sitting on their house at 6:50 this morning.


Spring gets started early in the wood duck world!
[/quote]

All of the above suggestion are great, especially if living in texas they might prefer it better then other places. I think ducks are ducks so being that said just because you dont have water on property dose not mean you can't get woodduck nesting on your property. They are going to prefer the water and everything first, but depending on nest cavity availability will nest in strange places. In MN I have seen baby wood duck chicks walking in town on city streets cutting through back yards to get to water, the nearest water was about a quarter mile away. I have ten acres of property and on that property there is one thirty by thirty low area that holds water in the spring but dries up. A friend of mind gave me a woodduck house last year so I put it up in that wet area. I got it up late but a woodduck took to it right away and had elven eggs that hatch. The closest water that doesn't dry up is 700 yards away. For the ducks safty maybe better where they can get to water quicker, but maybe not necessary. Take the chance and put one up.

[SSMartin]

I put up a box this year over my mother in laws marsh. It has a pair of wood ducks in it daily. I have seen a Florida mottled duck in there with a single duckling so I know the predators must be harsh. I used to house screech owls they are very enjoyable. When I moved to the ranch I have not been able to house them I think there is too many natural areas. I do hear them in the spring calling for mates.

Birdbrain,

Nice bat house looks like a rocket box?
Here’s a video of my houses if you’re interested I have counted over 600 from the largest house. I no longer count it’s easier just to sit back and enjoy.
https://rumble.com/vdfzhn-bats-leaving- ... v&mc=45w0u

[jhcox]

Hey birdbrain how did you build that bad house and how long did it take for you to actually get bats to stay in it. I put a bat house up five years ago and never had a single bad in it. I have big open fields around my property and I see bats from time to time but not very often.
Thanks in advance JHCOX Heiskell TN

[Bird Brain]

I bought mine here.
http://batandbirdboxes.com/bat-boxes/
Here are some plans if you want to build your own.
http://www.batcon.org/files/RocketBoxPlans.pdf
I got lucky and got bats my first year. I only got 9 bats my first year. The colony doubles to triples every year until there is no more room for any more bats. 3 important things to remember. Bigger bat houses have much higher occupation rates. Its a maternity colony. They want room to grow. The bigger the better. Pole mounts are more likely to be discovered than house mounts. A pole mount has 360 degrees of discoverability. A house mount only has 180 degrees of discoverability. The higher the bat house, the more likely it will be discovered. A bat is more likely to fly under a high bat house and notice openings than fly under a low bat house and notice openings. So the higher the better. My pole is 17 feet high. My rocket box is 4 feet long. So I only have 13 feet from bottom of bat house to ground. I wouldn't want to be any lower than that. Hope this helps.

[CSXengr]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would join in on the wood duck discussion . I have a little bit of experience with wood duck box construction and placement. We got started maintaining and erecting boxes quit by accident. I have been a volunteer for DU for a number of years, so to help with the wood duck populations our Chapter wanted to do something to help the local duck population. A local rock quarry asked if we would place duck boxes in their wetlands if they provided the boxes. So we agreed.

Now the important details. If you want a long lasting box go the extra step and use cedar or cypress lumber to build the box. I have seen a lot of boxes built using plywood, press board etc. These boxes are a waste of your money and time. Not to mention it's a bad box for the babies to be raised in. Next NEVER NEVER put up a box without a predator guard! I can not stress how important a guard is. Without one it is a death trap for the hen and babies. Snakes, raccoons and any other predator love baby ducks as well as a hen that is incubating eggs. She is trapped inside the box if a raccoon climbs the pole and there are no emergency exits out of a box. Trust me when I give you these instructions.

Next the pole can be either pipe or wood 4x4. Never mount them on trees! For the same reasons I stated, predators love trees. Locate the box where it is easy for the babies to jump out of when they fledge. Near water is preferred but one very important point make it easy for YOU to maintain. We have seen so many well intended people put up boxes and walk away. Boxes must be maintained each winter /early spring of every year. And we use cedar shavings as nesting materials. There are several good web sites to show how to construct boxes and make predator guards. As well as lots of helpful info.

Now you might ask how I became so knowledgeable? Will what started as four boxes has now grown to around 125 boxes erected and maintained each year! And more on the way. The NCWRC has even enlisted our help and we help maintain around 30 boxes for them. So I have seen a lot of good bad and ugly!

Sorry for the long post. But I hope by my hard knocks of learning it will give you a little insight in wood duck boxes and maintenance. Better hurry, in my part of NC the ducks have already started pairing up and selecting their nesting site.

Gary

[Conrad Baker]

Thanks for the info. Predators are really devastating when it comes to destroying the nests, the babies, and the mother. We know the mother will fight to the death to protect her nest, and predator guards are mandatory to ensure the safety of the ducks. Thanks again.

[killerv]

And most of the babies become bass or turtle food.

[flyin-lowe]

I have read conflicting reports on screech owls and martins. Some say they won't bother them, some say they do. Curious if anyone else on here has screech owls and martins with vicinity of each other. Would love to have more cavity nesters on my property but the martins are the first priority.

Have tried to attract bats for years and have never had any luck. Have built multiple houses of varying sizes, all following recommended standards for size, color, and placement. I have built them for several different locations. A nearby college has a nationally recognized bat expert and I have spoke with him several times. He said with the species in Indiana and the numbers (dropping) getting them to use man made housing is tough. He has tried for years with no success, and just wished me luck, lol.

[Spiderman]

I have read conflicting reports on screech owls and martins. Some say they won't bother them, some say they do. Curious if anyone else on here has screech owls and martins with vicinity of each other. Would love to have more cavity nesters on my property but the martins are the first priority.

Have tried to attract bats for years and have never had any luck. Have built multiple houses of varying sizes, all following recommended standards for size, color, and placement. I have built them for several different locations. A nearby college has a nationally recognized bat expert and I have spoke with him several times. He said with the species in Indiana and the numbers (dropping) getting them to use man made housing is tough. He has tried for years with no success, and just wished me luck, lol.

We have Martins in our backyard and screech owls nesting in our front yard. I have never had any problems with these small owls bothering the Martins.

From what I have witnessed the owls go to the nearest street light and feed on insects.

I never could attract bats to any housing even though in the summer we have a few small bats that feed in our backyard.

[SSMartin]

My bat houses overflow most of the time. Bats can be just like martins. It took 3 years to get the first house occupied now every bat in the town seems to be here.