Installed two wood duck homes near the inlet area of my pond which is submerged natural forest. Used 10 foot of 4" pvc pipe for the poles. I intend to camo paint these, then coat with Tanglefoot. Although the posts are currently on shore, the water should be about 4 foot deep at full pool.
These precautions protect the nest from predators. The main are coons and chicken snakes, with snakes being the biggy.
I can see both boxes from my future home site, but they are not within line-of-sight of each other. It'll be a few months before the ducks hit the local real estate market, so we'll have to wait to see if I have marketed these condos correctly.
You stated your pond was filled up Sept. of this year. Why would you be 4 ft low in 2 months. You stated your poles are on shore now but you expect 4 ft. when full pool?? Did you build your own boxes? Just curious, I built one last year and hatched ducklings the very first year!! Did not expect that. The weather destroyed that box so I built another one just like it except used a better wood. Mounted it exactly the same way on the same pole. It is clean with new shavings in it waiting for customers also. Hope I have as good luck again. Hope you do too. My post is never in the water but about a foot from it. I built a metal cone predator guard under mine. I got to witness ducks flying into my box. Blows me away how they can hit that little hole at full speed!!
Harvey filled it up, but the dam wasn't quite finished. A couple of feet added up to the overflow, plus really no rain since Harvey puts it at it current level. And I think a good bit just sunk in as the ground saturated.
Just a matter of time before we get a toad strangler here and fill it to the overflow.
I bought the boxes on Amazon. Woodlink cedar duck house. Great quality. Includes wood shavings. Until I get my house built I am shopless and darn near toolless.
Texas Parks and Wildlife recommends the slick pvc pole. They claim chicken snakes can navigate around the cones.
I hope I have your luck and get some ducks!
I belive I will order a couple . did not know about pvc post
Google:
Managing for Wood Ducks in East Texas - Texas Parks and Wildlife
They have an informative pdf.
We get a lot of woodies in the spring on the pond and would love to have some little fellas swimming around. My concern is we don't have a lot of mature trees near the pond so the woodies would not want to nest. Do you guys have a lot of mature trees close to your ponds?
I do, a number of them in shallow water.
The other challenge is the hens return to where they were born. If there are no wood ducks with 5 miles of your pond, then they are unlikely to move in. That is my biggest concern.
Bill, I have trees all around my pond even though the nearest one is 30 ft from the water and mostly a pine thicket. Very very few hardwoods. No doubt V4, if your poles end up in the water you will eliminate the raccoon and snake invasion. Did you concrete them in the ground? Flying in and out...they can get pretty rowdy!Good luck with your new fishys too. Are they feeding well?
The poles are sunk about 32" below ground. No concrete, although that is plan B if I see movement.
The soil was much softer than I expected. The second hole immediately filled with water even though a foot above pond level. That slope has a seep or slow spring.
The fish were invisible for several weeks. Then the invertebrates, particularly the whirlygig beetles mostly disappeared. The few remaining are hiding inches from shore.
Then boom. Fish started eating like sharks and there are fry everywhere. I am feeding floating catfish food and the fish are just getting big enough to eat it. The minnows and fry gnaw on the sides of the pellets.
I am surprised that they got a spawn in this year. The cnbg and res were only a few inches. I got the fish delivered from Overtons and only lost one cnbg after stocking. Based on how aggressively they attack pellets I expect great fishing. And based on the number of fry I expect some very well fed lmb when they arrive next spring.
I too had Overtons deliver my fhm,cnbg, and res. How big were your cnbg when planted in your pond? They will spawn at 3-4 inch long. If they were only 1-2 inch long I suspect the fry you see may be fhm and not bluegill. But I have always said... There's enough I DON'T know to start a whole new world!!
They were 3+ inches. Don't look big enough to spawn, but clearly they are. They look like cnbc or res, probably both. Hopefully the fm are spawning too although they may be more sensitive to the short photoperiod.
Bill, I have trees all around my pond even though the nearest one is 30 ft from the water and mostly a pine thicket. Very very few hardwoods. No doubt V4, if your poles end up in the water you will eliminate the raccoon and snake invasion. Did you concrete them in the ground? Flying in and out...they can get pretty rowdy!Good luck with your new fishys too. Are they feeding well?
I do, a number of them in shallow water.
The other challenge is the hens return to where they were born. If there are no wood ducks with 5 miles of your pond, then they are unlikely to move in. That is my biggest concern.
Thanks for the info guys. With my absence of nearby trees, maybe I'll try a mallard nest.
Looks good, I assume the PVC pipe helps as a predator guard? How did you drive down the bottom 5' into the ground? Pound on the pipe, then cement the connector over it? Or posthole digger to make the hole and pack dirt around it?
That is a good idea for a bird feeder to keep squirrels off. If they can grip the pipe and shimmy up they will at our place. Even smooth aluminum wrapping a 4x4 they can shimmy up, but probably a 4" round they can't bearhug and shimmy up?
Bill D,
I wouldn't be afraid to try a couple boxes by your place, I've seen wood ducks walking with ducklings well over 1/4 mile from the nearest water. Thanks.
Bryan
Check out:
Managing for Wood Ducks in East Texas - Texas Parks and Wildlife
Recommends the slick pvc pipe coated with grease or Tanglefoot. This is the only protection for chicken snakes.
I dug about 32" with a post hole digger. Mounded a bit more around the pipe when done. Probably 3 1/2 feet in the ground.
I just drove a T-post into the ground and then slide the 4" pvc over the post. I just cant remember off hand on how I attached the duck box to the 4" pvc. I should go and look because I need to replace one that a storm took out.
and what is the recommended height from the hole to the ground? I heard the hole is supposed to be oval and not round, is that important?
This link may have some useful info:
Managing for Wood Ducks in East Texas /c
edit - I see Vortex 4 already recommended it... but here's the link.
My reference file on wood duck boxes states 4’-6’ above high water level when mounted over water. Several places recommend 10’ when over land. I’ve usually followed these and enjoyed good success. The oval hole works to keep raccoons and opossums from entering. I haven't noticed any difference in nesting usage success from the ones over water versus the ones over land.
At one of the previous Pond Boss Conferences I won a wood duck box and camera on the auction. The box is up but I never installed the camera, maybe this winter. Thanks.
Bryan
Maybe I'm missing something? Is tanglefoot supposed to stop snakes and raccoons also or just ants and other insects?
Hi Flame,
Tanglefoot is just an insect barrier. Thanks.
Bryan
Read the Texas Wildlife paper. They claim Tanglefoot is effective against chicken snakes.
This is what one of the houses looks like today. There are a pair of wood ducks hanging out, but they haven't started to nest.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AZzXoYZV2yu6VYDh2
We have a few wood ducks passing through each year. The little ones that we like are the
Bufflehead. I am starting to think they are eating a great number of our perch ribbons.
Cheers Don.