Got two wood duck boxes for Christmas. Was going to put them up today... But grateful to find info online that, like most things I do without research, I was going to do it wrong. Can't put them in trees with nothing to keep the raccoon and squirrels out. Unless you like feeding eggs and wood ducks to raccoons and squirrels. Will post mount them with guards in place once the guards I ordered come in. I put in two apple orchards this past spring. One with 43 trees, one with eight. Five varieties, ten trees each. I planted clover and chicory for ground cover and rigged up a pump system from the upper pond to water everything. Have an excavator coming to expand two of the ponds and clear more around both orchard areas to make room for the 25 pear and 15 plum trees that are coming this spring. I have 240 Chinese chestnuts in cold storage to begin growing once they germinate, probably by the beginning of February. I did 150 last winter from which about 90 seedlings are growing. I had about 20 Dunstan chestnut growing that I put in when I got the place. They're doing so well I decided to give them plenty of company. I cleared the two orchards by myself over two years using my limited equipment. After seeing the excavator clear for the ponds I quickly decided that manual clearing days are over! Shaping things on the property has turned into my favorite way to spend free time. Seeing the response of the wildlife has been very encouraging. If you build it... They will come!
