Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Wood duck camera house

Here is an update on the wood duck house with the camera in it.
Working very well! Here's a few pictures:









And here is the live feed from YouTube:
Perridise Duck box
https://youtu.be/mYC8cqQQGKc

The cable leading to the camera popped loose. I used electrical tape, which was a poor choice.
I'm going to open the box up in the next few days when she's out feeding, and fix it (zip tie through the side vent, I think)

First egg appeared 3-28-2020, and she started brooding (sittin on the eggs full time) 4-5-2020.
Hatch and jump out day should be around May 5th. They all jump out the same morning, typically between 7 and 9 a m.

Now I'm thinking about a "fish nest cam"... Hmm maybe. 🤔

Dr. Luke,
I'm so glad you are doing well in this Covid situation and I hope you have some time to relax and watch the wildlife (and stay healthy). You are so fortunate to have successful nesting and brooding right outside your window. I'm trying hard but failed again this year.

I have 2 very nice wood duck houses, very warm and soft wood shavings in it and no takers. Might as well give them to someone else who can be more successful... This will be the 2nd year of waiting in vain. I did see a wood duck couple last week Monday come in for a look around. They were high up in a big oak tree for a while. They did not land in or around the pond like they have done in years past. In years past they even would swim around, rest on shore and walk around a bit but not this year. We do have a mallard pair with a nest under a pine tree but the mallard pair were not around when the wood ducks stopped by.

I'm sure our dog may be part of the problem, do you have a dog and do the ducks mind? Our dog is kept from the pond edge by his electric fence underground but perhaps his presence and patrolling is unsettling? I also know with the kids home from school there is a lot more general traffic in the yard and my son's very loud and annoying gokart (minus a muffler because it goes faster and backfires more that way) going down the trail nearby was precisely poor timing for the poor wood ducks.

It is too late now. I may have to try to put a duck house deeper in the woods away from the pond to see if that gives them more privacy, or like you, I may have to put the pole right IN the pond. What keeps me from that is we like to ice skate as long as we can and the pole would be in the way. The ducks scout the pond in the fall I'm told and if I install the pole at ice out in the spring I'm not sure the duck house will be around long enough for them to accept it?

But you sharing pictures and the webcam especially is really appreciated!!

Thanks

CC-
I don't think the dog is an issue, but the go cart (and noise) definitely are. Woodies are very wary and leary. Once the hen picks a nest box and lays eggs, she's not likely to abandon them even if annoyed. I don't know if Northern Michigan's spring duck migration is the same time as Iowas. Our wood ducks appear within a week or less of ice out, and begin looking for nesting spots. Maybe you could try to limit activity and noise a bit during those precious few weeks?
Don't give up hope. Some hens have to try to nest a second time if the first time is disrupted. We had hatchlings in August 2 years ago.

COVID19 has been a challenge, for sure. Getting pretty tired of donning and doffing PPE. I look like "The Mandalorian Smurf" (our gowns are blue). 😉

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not sure, I suspect you are a bit ahead of us based on when the lone pair was sighted and how far your nesting progress was. But like you said, maybe there will be a straggler or maybe a 2nd chance rental on one of our houses.

I'm also wondering if the direction the hole faces makes a difference.

Someone suggested a submerged base and partial upright metal pole that could stay in place under the iceand water level and not interfere with skating. Then as soon as ice out I could use a boat to add the top pole and duck house. An idea for this fall.

Trying to keep everything quiet since we saw them last and who knows.

The momma mallard is staying on the nest but another mallard pair showed up to paddle around a little.

Saw our first eastern bluebird but no takers in the several shape and size bluebird/bird houses we have scattered around. I did find that this winter the mice found the bluebird houses and made nests. They were warm in their fluffy nest all winter but the 1" of nasty feces they deposited in the bottom of the bird houses was not enjoyable.

Any food sources that would attract wood ducks? An offering of acorns at the base of the tree

I hear Iowa is not on lockdown like MI?

I also was sitting here with your woodduck camera on youtube open in another tab. I was on the phone and all of a sudden I heard a train whistle very close by. Now I know we have no trains coming by our house.... took me a bit to figure out it was coming from your house

Actually, we have train tracks within a 1/2 mile, and the sound carries very well.

My understanding is wood ducks do feed on grain, but really love acorns. We have loads of burr oak on our place, so that is helpful in attracting them.

Iowa is basically shut down in every way possible, but no "shelter in place" order. Not sure if it would add much at this point. Other than a few nursing homes, we have not had much activity.

Had to tweak the camera cables, and position, as the hen had bumped them out of position. Zip tied into a better position, plus a little gorilla tape. I waited until she went out for her even stretch & feed.

That's pretty cool. How many eggs is there?

Very cool, Dr Luke!!

Best guess is 12. Maybe 14.

Dr. Luke, all day today we have a black screen on the live feed. IS the camera covered?

Software glitch. I think it's fixed? I'm using OBS Studio, and it's well beyond my computer skills.

wonderful, can see clearly again, thank you! I shared with the science teacher at our school and he was happy to share this with his students. Lots of web cams for raptors and eagles but very few if any for wood ducks. We do have a neat nest box cam for our peregrine falcons in Grand Rapids. It shows a high in the sky view! They choose to nest on a nest of rocks, OUCH!!

Grand Rapids Peregrine Nest Cam links

If you scroll down a bit you will see links for a ceiling view camera and a side view camera. The side view shows the city skyline too

Good stuff CC!

Flying back into the nest box this morning

Great shot! I'm loving watching remotely here. Thanks for hosting this.

How much snow is scheduled to hit your way? I have the same duck boxes and I wonder why they have so many air slots designed in them. It seems they would want solid sides and wooden sides to give a little more shelter from wind or cold??

I think we're going to be in the rain band, so maybe none. 🤞

I think adequate ventilation and keeping the hen cool is more important than the shelter aspect. Plus the vents are on the bottom edges of the corregation of the sides, which seems to keep things nice and dry. And under all that duck down, the heat really stays. The eggs were quite warm when I had the nest box bottom off fixing the camera cable.

Where did you get the box from?

DuckHut

HIghly recommend them!! Well built and come with adapter to attach to a pipe.