By Todd Schaller, WWA Vice President
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s March, 2023 Newsletter edition.
A wood duck box on WWA’s Abrams Property in Oconto County was recently cleaned out by members of our Green Bay chapter.
My annual spring adventure to check or monitor Wood Duck nesting boxes is like Christmas for me. I open each nesting box with anticipation of what I may find; evidence of successful Wood Duck hatch, mouse nest, owl on nest, sign of another bird’s hatch or maybe no change from the previous spring visit. While I’m most excited about a successful Wood Duck hatch, I’m interested in whatever I find.
If you haven’t already completed your nesting box visit, now is the time. Waterfowl are on their northern migration and depending on the location ice conditions (be careful) can make accessing the nesting boxes easier.
The goal of the early spring visit it to prep the box for the upcoming nesting season: is the box still functional, straighten the pole, remove old nesting material and replace with new (dry) wood chips.
If you have never placed a Wood Duck nesting box you still have time to purchase a WWA nesting box from the website and get it set before the nesting season.
Before placing a nesting box consider;
- Landowner permission on private property,
- Property manager permission on public property (State, Federal, County),
- Being committed to annual maintenance and
- Predator proofing
While I enjoy my spring “Christmas” experience, some people use trail cameras placed outside the nesting box to monitor activity during the nesting season.
Regardless of your approach, Wood Duck nesting boxes are a great way of giving back to the resource we enjoy and extending your waterfowl experience.
For more information on placement and maintenance check-out a previous WWA Newsletter article by President Bruce Urben