Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Weapon of choice

Don't presume my layout is a formula for success. I really don't know either way.

Brettski,

Have you done any maintenance on the wood duck boxes? Just asking since they should be cleaned out ever year and have fresh bedding added. I good job to due in the winter. I have wood duck boxes on our property in Northern Wisconsin for the last 25 years. I have woodies in most boxes ever year. My dad was at the property the first weekend in Feb. and cleaned out all eight of them.

I have a lot of wood ducks around my farm in Illinois and put in some wood duck boxes last fall on the new pond. I have mixed emotions now since most likely I have to drain the pond to fix a leak. I kind of hope the woodies don't use the boxes this year but doubt it since I see many pairs on my propert looking for nesting place from now though turkey season.

Scott

I just read in preparation for my WD boxes that they are very territorial, at least in regards to other WDs, and to space boxes at least 100 ft from eachother and, if possible, out of the range of sight. Not sure if other duck species would be the same, but 100 feet spacing seems like a safe bet to me.

I've had one woodie box on my pond for 3 seasons now, the little buggers are on my pond all spring and summer but have never used the box, I see them in the stream near the pond also so they must be using old trees.

TJ:

I read that they should be placed so the hens wouldn't see another woodie box if they looked out their own nest box. I think 100' is a safe bet anyway. I had a pair want to land on the pond today, but I was out there and they headed to the next pond South of me. He's got a couple of pair that nest there.

I cleaned them out the first winter, then missed the next winter and also this current winter. My bad; too busy with other stuff. Mother Nature will have to provide cleaning instructions to whatever squatter might shack up.

B'ski see what happens when you take that 15 mins prior to starting work to enjoy what is around you. It keeps things in perspective.

Before I read that wood duck boxes should be out of sight of each other, I had nine boxes on the south side of my pond spaced seventy feet apart. Doesn't seem to be a problem and there has been no dumping.

After hatch out, the ducks don't stay in the pond but head off into the woods. Actually, the only time I see the ducks is when they're selecting the nesting box, during the laying time, and as hatchout approaches. I saw multiple pairs scouting the area yesterday.

I clean the boxes each December. It's incredibly messy in the boxes with egg shells, eggs that failed to hatch, and wet wood shavings full of very tiny bugs. No self-respecting duck would nest in a box that hasn't been cleaned.

Last year, I put up four nesting boxes for a few black-bellied whistling ducks that had been frequenting the pond, the boxes being a little larger than wood duck boxes and with a five inch opening. I had been seeing them for a year and, thinking they had been attracted by the wood duck boxes, decided to put up boxes accommodating their larger size. A few weeks after the boxes were up, the whistling ducks left and haven't been back, which is unfortunate because, unlike woodies, the whistling ducks stayed in and around the pond and even came close to the camp. The woodies will probably take over those boxes as well as their own nine.

Understand it is hard to get to everything especially when there are other projects on the mind

Woodrow!
Woodrow has shown a great amount of interest in a snag about 50 feet from our little part-time cabin. This morning he was pretty busy.

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(please excuse the background noise; the truck is idling just out of frame)



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I love the call of the Pileated woodpecker, reminds me of jungle birds, but they sure can make a mess of a tree.
It looks like he can't decide if the tree is worth the trouble.

The first time I saw one in the woods was 2 years ago behind the house. I was sitting in the tree stand waiting for a deer when this BIG woodpecker flew into the tree and started eating the wild grapes that were in a tree maybe 50 Yds from me. I never realized how big they were.

Your LNP project is coming along nicely Brettski!

2 questions for ya. How many 'rats did the trapper get, and did you have any more follow-up on your tresspassers? Locally, towards the end of the season some guys here were getting $8.00/rat in the round (unskinned). Nobody saw that coming!

Pileated woodpeckers are impressive birds in person. Great photo and video. Nothing like sitting in a tree stand deer hunting have having one pounding away on a dead tree next to you or eating poison ivy berries 3 feet from your face!

I know it wasn't intended as funny, but this video is absolutely hilarious, Brettski! I couldn't help cracking up as he kept looking side to side after pecking the tree! Absolutely beautiful bird. My wife watched one for about 15 minutes at our place one day last week. She guessed it was about a foot tall. It was working on an old downed tree and when we both went later to look at the trunk, we saw that this guy has drilled some seriously impressive holes in it. Truly amazing birds.

I saw several Bald eagles while fishing on Toledo Bend this past weekend..close too...within 50ft

I used wood shavings this year instead of straw, and that seemed to do the trick.

We had another new visitor and first for the LNP pond. A Pied billed Grebe was enjoying the free dinner last weekend and was still there this weekend. In fact, I think I saw a pair of them this weekend.
This is a file pic from another website.

It spends ALOT OF TIME underwater. It's so small (about 12 or 13" long) and it's bill seems so small that I can't imagine he's mowing down alot of fish...or at least the big ones.
Anybody got first hand experience with these birds?

Cute bird and I say let them have fun.

Every place we've lived for the last 30 years, or so, has included several pileated woodpeckers. They are very territorial. We believe we currently have four. We call them our North, South, East, and West pileated friends.

Mostly they are very welcome neighbors. I leave several "snags" per acre for all of our wild friends. The West Pileated, who is by far the biggest, attacks the snags out our bedroom window. The East Pileated, who is the smallest, attacks the snags out our kitchen window. We had an old stump out the basement door for several years. Last spring, in just two days, one of our pileated friends reduced it to roots and chips.

Living in a log home with them in the neighborhood is a challenge. We have taken a lot of precautions, but every once in a while, we get carpenter bees or some other buzzing critter in our outside structure. It only takes minutes for a pileated to cause lots of serious damage. Last summer, it took about two full days for carpenters to repair damage the pileateds did in the springtime.

We also have downies, red bellies, and flickers. All are very welcome in our woods and at our feeders.

Brettski,

Pied bills were one of the most common water birds we saw when I was taking my ornithology field class in college. They are not overly shy but do spend lots of time under water like you noted. They don't feed a lot on fish, but more on invertebrates. A neat bird... What is your bird count up to at the LNP now?

Who the heck cleans out them nests that're 50 feet up in the dead maple trees on my place? I cleaned the boxes on the ponds religiously the first three seasons...and they never used them. The insisted the dead trees on the creek over the hill were better...I gave up cleaning them out. If they want to use 'em, they can clean them on their own.

I agree Matt, the wood ducks are on my pond spring, summer and fall but they won't nest, but there are lots of big dead trees that they prefer and I see them on the stream near the pond, so from now on spring cleaning is their job.

We were greeted on this trip by a passel of hooded mergansers. Dski was thrilled. I maintained reservations, but admittedly, I enjoyed seeing them (and secretly hoped that their visit would be somewhat brief).

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THEY MUST BE TAKING A BATH (click me)

Nope, not bath time, it's dinner time.

Hoodies are so small I can't imagine them taking anything very big though. Maybe do Brettski a favor and thin out his small YOY gills? I doubt they'll stay long.