Today, they are the ideal dimensions for wood ducks. Wood duck nesting boxes are very important because wood ducks are dependent on tree cavities for nesting — and these cavities are in short supply. Wood ducks require old trees to have large enough cavities for them to nest in. Because the forests of our parks are relatively young, there are not many trees that offer this nesting habitat.
Hopefully as we continue restoration and reforestation work in Three Rivers, we will provide more natural places for them to nest over time. Another native duck in this area that use cavities are hooded mergansers.
These ducks are the only merganser that nest in central Minnesota utilizing the habitat in our Parks. These ducks also readily take to wood duck boxes placed in our parks. Brad Pierson, a Three Rivers volunteer, has updated and installed hundreds of wood duck boxes while following the latest box design and management protocols. Since , he has been the primary volunteer responsible for the installation, maintenance and reporting of wood duck boxes. A successful box is one that contains egg membranes when checked in the winter.
We typically check boxes and clean and prepare for the next season once the ice is thick enough to walk on. I have found no evidence short of genetic testing to be able to distinguish between wood duck and merganser egg membranes. When we check the boxes for use, we also count the number of membranes to see how many ducks hatched. A report from shows that of the 60 wood duck boxes that had been placed in the parks, only five of them were successful.
Aquatic vegetation, especially duckweed, sedges, and grasses; fruits; nuts. Ramona Abrego. Lynn Rubey. A Wood Duck in flight. Margot Avey. Wayne Rasmussen. Kirk Nelson. Wood ducks male and female and female Hooded Merganser with ducklings. About Uploaded on Feb 21, The colorful harlequin plumage of the Wood Duck makes it so striking as to seem unreal. Aix sponsa - Wood Ducks at Burnaby Lake wetvideocamera. Paul Duluth St. Study: Mpls. Paul minimum wage increases led to loss of restaurant jobs.
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Outdoors Nature Notes: Consider giving wood ducks a place to nest March is a good time to put up one or more wood duck nesting boxes in a yard or area. Jim Gilbert taught and worked as a naturalist for 50 years. More from Star Tribune. Taste 10 great cinnamon and caramel rolls from Twin Cities area bakeries November Business Study: Mpls. Mammals such as skunks, opossums, mink, long-tailed weasels, ground squirrels, red foxes, and domestic dogs and cats are the most common terrestrial nest predators, although snakes also occasionally eat waterfowl eggs.
Owls, hawks, crows, ravens, seagulls, and magpies are among the most common avian predators of waterfowl nests. Of all the challenges faced by nesting waterfowl, however, the most serious is habitat loss. The United States has already lost more than half its original wetlands and 70 percent of its grasslands, and these vital habitats continue to be lost at an alarming rate. Ducks Unlimited works with a variety of partners to conserve vital waterfowl breeding habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region, Western Boreal Forest, and other high-priority areas.
Public policies such as Farm Bill conservation programs that provide incentives for landowners to restore and enhance wetlands and grasslands on less productive agricultural lands are vital to meeting DU's conservation objectives. In addition, DU works with farmers and ranchers to protect intact waterfowl habitats with conservation easements and to incorporate winter wheat into their crop rotations to provide more secure nesting cover for pintails and other upland-nesting ducks.
By supporting these and other DU conservation efforts, you are helping to ensure that when waterfowl return to the breeding grounds in the spring, the birds will find the habitat they need to successfully nest and raise their broods. Ryan Boyer is a master of science candidate at Michigan State University. Conservation : Waterfowl Research. Related du magazine habitat nesting research science understanding waterfowl waterfowl biology.
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