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I never got a chance to clean out the WD boxes this past winter. I would like to do it in the next couple of weekends. Is it too late? Do I risk disturbing potential and/or existing tenants? For the record, in the 1.5 years that they have been there, I cannot say that I have actually seen and WD activity in the boxes...but...we are absentee and cannot say for sure that there was no interest last year.
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Bski
I will follow this thread with interest...I'm planning on having a few WD boxes myself and can use this information. Could you get in a ladder and just peak in before making a decision to infiltrate the nest?
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau ![[Linked Image from i1261.photobucket.com]](http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii582/teehjaeh57/I_subscribe_zps69249d43.gif)
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Hey Brettski,
In Louisiana WDs are already setting. I have about 18 boxes and would be surprised if they werent practically all full of eggs. If you miss a year of cleaning dont worry they seem to do some housekeeping themselves. Even if you scare them off the nest they will return. So either you will find a nest of eggs or an empty box that you can clean. Either way noting is lost by checking. If you have seen WDs anywhere in your area and have a box out chances are they will find and use it. Make sure you have a preditor guard though or your efforts are lost. It is likely that your birds do start nesting later so you may catch them before they lay. You are a good man providing habitat for those amazing creatures.
Dr Bob Guillory
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They are not nesting here in VA yet, I think you are safe in IL... But like Bob said, it cannot hurt to check. When you clean the box out, make sure you leave wood shavings or at least some saw dust on the bottom of the box. It really makes a difference as to whether the birds will use it.
Wood ducks are pretty picky in my experience. But if they like your location and box, they will use it for years.
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Good information. I have two boxes and haven't got a WD yet but am still hopefull -- they will come. 
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Thanks for the quick reply, Bob. I imagine you might have seen an older thread that I started about developing critter sanctuary . I wonder what your thoughts are regarding having 4 nesting boxes within this one zone, and the fact that they are surrounded by water. - CJB adds... When you clean the box out, make sure you leave wood shavings or at least some saw dust on the bottom of the box. After installing the boxes, I went to PetsMart and bought a big ol' bag of cedar shavings for about $9. I still have plenty. 
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You are real close to being to late, you need to do it this week at the latest. When inspecting the box be very careful and leave the opening clear just encase a hen woodie comes flying out. If you see any complete eggs in the box close it up and leave it alone. If there isn't any eggs present you could clean it out and it may be used yet this year.
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They are not nesting here in VA yet, I think you are safe in IL... But like Bob said, it cannot hurt to check. When you clean the box out, make sure you leave wood shavings or at least some saw dust on the bottom of the box. It really makes a difference as to whether the birds will use it.
Wood ducks are pretty picky in my experience. But if they like your location and box, they will use it for years. It is my understanding that Woodducks do not build a nest, so if you clean last years nest out, you have to fill the box back up with nesting material...at least thats what I do. good article http://www.ducks.org/Conservation/WaterfowlBiology/2716/WoodDuckBoxes.html
Last edited by Sgt911; 03/25/09 08:34 AM.
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Brettski:
Have the mallards nested in the condo? Last year both the goose and a pair of mallards nested on the island. Something got into the goose nest and she took over the mallard nest, but she abandonded it when we started the pond renovation. Both of them are back this year tho!
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I haven't seen any evidence, but last year was the first full year when it might have occurred. Being absentee + having all the duck nesting structures in a humanly inaccessible part of the pond + being busier than all get-out on all the other projects we were working on = unable to actually check or know what might have happened.
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Question on the mallards.. I had 2 mallards show up end of December, and about 3 weeks ago found them nesting on the ground under some bushes with about 14 eggs. Last week we noticed broken egg shells, and check and all the eggs were gone. Heron? Grackels? Raccoon? Not sure what. So I wanted to see if I could build them a nest structure. I found some people online saying they would re-nest. Found this: http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/ddp/henhouses/build.phpBuilt one quickly. Liner pond so I couldn't put it on their mount, so I put it on 2 saw horses I had in the water to avoid predators. Here's a pic of them and the fish feeding next to it. Odds they'll use it?? 
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odds: absurdly excellent
nice job. You used the same directions that I did, 'cept I put mine on poles.
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absurdly excellent eh? I was thinking absurdly poor.. you're giving me hope! how much 'stuff' did you put inside? I'm not sure if I have too much...
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remember; this comes from a guy that can't document any success with his own Mallard factories.
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When I saw the movie you linked with a door mat rolled up and a hen sitting inside, that's when the phrase "absurdly excellent" hit me.
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Mallards are a much better bet to get to nest than are woodies... In me experience woodies are fairly picky. Wood ducks tend to nest in the general same area where they were hatched. So if your pond is nowhere near another wetland or body of water, it may be hard to coax a new pair to venture into a new region.
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I put a WD box out last year on a pole mounted approx 6 feet out in the water. Haven't seen anything in it yet but I will check it this weekend to make sure no wasp moved in. Had teo Canadian Geese using my floating deck in the middle of the pond as a sleeping roost at night for about 2 weeks but I havent seen them in over a week. I really enjoyed watching them come cruising in at sundown from wherever they spent their day. The pan of scratch feed I put on the deck probably didn't hurt. We all like a midnight snack don't we?
Last edited by Jeff Walker; 03/25/09 03:46 PM. Reason: I'm a spelling fool
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Usually if we have a hen nesting the male will not be too far away. If you show up at your pond and see a single male (or two or more males if more than one of your boxes are being used) their is a good chance of a hen being in one of your houses. We have 4 boxes spread over 3 ponds and most years one of them will be used as a "dump nest." As a naturalist explained to us, a dump nest is a nest that multiple hens will use to lay eggs that they dont ever plan on incubating for one reason or another. We have found as many as 30 eggs in a dump nest after the breeding season is over. Pulling 30 rotten duck eggs out of a box at the end of August isn't pleasant, especially if you break one  . Hopefully none of your nests was used as a dump nest last season and is now sitting full of "ripe" eggs.
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Brettski,
I reread your critter sanctuary thread and I owe you an apology. You really are a perfectionist. I didnt realize who I was talking to. Love the hinged poles for maintainence. I mount 2 woodduck boxes back to back on 2.5 inch drill casing with a preditor guard. I dont place the duplex in site of another duplex. I use rough cyperss as it ages it looks so natural. I groove the letters L S U below the opening on the inside for the ducks to have a ladder to get out HA! I have noted that both sides of the duplex are consistantly utilized.
Bob Guillory
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(we never did anything to disturb and/or clean out the nesting boxes)
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...a month later
We're sitting at the picnic table at the end of another work day, trying to take Eric's advice to force time to "take it in". We watched the tree swallows that comandeered the bluebird house as they prepared their nest. The Kingbirds are already tending to 2 nests of broods; one under the dock roof and one under the actual pier. There's some kinda different wren working one of the woodland Chickadee houses. An eagle just flew over (that's a first). Then I see a duck flapping his little wings a mile-a-minute as he crosses the pond in the distance. About 10 feet short of the WD box, he back-peddles just slightly to slow down just enought to shoot right into the hole of the box like a laser guided rocket. Gone. I watched for about 20 more minutes. Nothing more. I cannot say that I have any idea what kinda duck went in there....only the assumption...?
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(we never did anything to disturb and/or clean out the nesting boxes)
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...a month later
We're sitting at the picnic table at the end of another work day, trying to take Eric's advice to force time to "take it in". We watched the tree swallows that comandeered the bluebird house as they prepared their nest. The Kingbirds are already tending to 2 nests of broods; one under the dock roof and one under the actual pier. There's some kinda different wren working one of the woodland Chickadee houses. An eagle just flew over (that's a first). Then I see a duck flapping his little wings a mile-a-minute as he crosses the pond in the distance. About 10 feet short of the WD box, he back-peddles just slightly to slow down just enought to shoot right into the hole of the box like a laser guided rocket. Gone. I watched for about 20 more minutes. Nothing more. I cannot say that I have any idea what kinda duck went in there....only the assumption...? AWESOME...I wish you could get a game camera focused on the box so you could ID it for us? That is such a great story BSKI.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Brettski, looks like you might have a laser guided wood duck, one other possibility is a Hooded Merganser, either way it would be great.
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Both of my wood duck boxes are being used this year. I was at our hunting cabin yesterday and today and checked them. The hens didn't seem to be sitting yet, so I am assuming they are still laying. Three drake mallards were fearless of me. I guess no ladies for them this year...
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CJ how do you check your boxes, is there a hinged panel or do you use a mirror?
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$100 to a donut it's a woodie. That's exactly they're mo.
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Just sit and watch... Just the way the females were acting. This is the 5th year the boxes have been up and the 3rd year birds are using them, so I kinda know what to look for from past experience.
They do have a screw off front to clean them, but I don't want to mess with them this time of year for fear of spooking the hens...
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