Wood Duck Box Has a Tenant



Wood Duck Box

 After seeing a Wood Duck on our stream Bill decided to build several Wood Duck nesting boxes to encourage one of these beautiful ducks to nest on our property.  Often the offspring will return to the same place to nest.

He built the boxes to the exact dimensions recommended and used cedar as suggested.  On the inside, below the entry hole, he used a file to etch steps into the wood.  This allows the chicks to climb up out of the box.  To ensure that predators could not enter the nesting boxes he attached them to a PVC pipe.  Special paint that adheres to plastic pipe was used to blend it into the natural surroundings.

We have diligently cleaned out the boxes and placed fresh cedar shavings into them every winter at about nesting time.   Although we have never seen a Wood Duck inhabit one of the nesting boxes we did find a broken egg shell once that could have been from a Wood Duck chick.



A shy screech owl inhabiting one of our nesting boxes




However, owls have found these nesting boxes to be a perfect habitat.  We were delighted to discover a screech owl and her owlets one season, and now another very shy screech owl has moved into the same nesting box.  Perhaps this could be one of the owlets that has come back home.