Use a squirrel baffle on any pole-mounted birdhouse. The simple metal disc wraps around the pole, preventing squirrels from climbing up to the birdhouse. Any mounted nesting box should have a squirrel baffle. Baffles help protect from other predators–like cats, raccoon and snakes–too.
Where is the best place to put a wood duck house?
Box Placement
Wooded swamps, marshes, streams, beaver ponds, and small lakes are ideal. Place the nest box where entry flyway is clear, in or near fresh water, but away from trees. If placed on land, face the entry hole toward water. Nesting materials: Add four inches of wood chips.
How do I protect my wood duck house?
At this time, repair all nest boxes, remove old nests and add fresh material – wood ducks cannot carry nesting materials to build their own nests. Also check the predator guard annually. The best way to keep predators from boxes on trees is to install metal bands at least 50 inches wide flush around the trunk.
Do squirrels eat wood duck eggs?
Squirrels are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and meat. Squirrels will absolutely eat bird eggs and baby birds! Squirrels are routinely seen raiding birds nests in trees and even stealing eggs from chicken coops.
What is a wood ducks favorite food?
While acorns are the primary winter foods, the seeds of bald cypress, hickory, sweet gum, buttonbush, arrow-arum, bur-reed, and wild rice are also common winter foods. Wood ducks feed primarily in shallow water areas, but will also forage on the forest floor for seeds, acorns, and nuts.
How do you keep raccoons out of Wood Duck boxes?
A 2-3 foot wide piece of thin sheet metal wrapped around the trunk of the nest box tree and fastened with sheet metal screws will keep raccoons and mink from climbing the tree to get at the box.
What bedding should I use for wood ducks?
Cedar shavings are the best bedding material, do not use sawdust! It is important to supply bedding because the hen wood duck is unable to bring bedding into the box herself. 3 to 4 inches of bedding is sufficient.
Should you clean out wood duck boxes?
It’s imperative that you clean them out annually and refresh the nesting material. Once you start you must continue on and every few years expand and add a few new boxes. If you notice that one location, for some reason, doesn’t get used… move it.
What do you put in a wood duck box?
They use material currently found within the natural cavities such as: bark strips, debris, and decayed wood materials. There should be a 3 to 4-inch layer of wood shavings or sawdust covering the bottom of the box, providing cushion for the eggs and heat retention during incubation.
How effective are wood duck boxes?
Wood duck boxes provide a man-made alternative, where hens can nest in relative safety from predators. The deployment of large numbers of nesting boxes can be used to help increase local or regional populations of wood ducks in areas where natural cavities are limited.
How do I get rid of squirrels?
16 Ways to Get Rid of Squirrels
- Sprinkle Cayenne Pepper.
- Don’t Feed Them.
- Set Up a Buffet.
- Mulch It.
- Use Netting or Fencing.
- Netting in Action.
- Be Dedicated.
- Spray Them.
How do you keep squirrels away from bird nests?
Tips To Keep Squirrels Away From Your Birdhouses
- Make It Difficult For Squirrels To Reach The Eggs In The Birdhouse.
- Attach A Long Narrow Tube To The Opening In The Birdhouse.
- Get A Squirrel Baffle For Your Birdhouse.
- Consider The Placement Of Your Birdhouse.
- Increase The Size Of The Roof On Your Birdhouse.
What eats the wood duck?
Predators. Humans hunt wood ducks. Owls, raccoons, red foxes and black rat snakes prey upon wood ducklings.
What month do wood ducks nest?
Nesting: The breeding season for wood ducks begins in April. The hen will pull some of her down feathers out to line the nest hidden in a natural tree cavity or a man-made nest box. The nest can be up to 50′ (15 m) off the ground.
Where do wood ducks go at night?
Ducks sleep on the water and dry land, depending on the species. For example, Mallards mostly sleep on the land, but Wood ducks mostly sleep on the water.
Where do wood ducks go during the day?
Woodies like to roost on ponds, and in corners of wetlands large and small, usually where there is some cover. They leave at first light to spend the day in ponds, wet cornfields, and creeks, but pinning down their exact spot is rarely easy.
How do I protect my ducks nest from raccoons?
A galvanized wire fence like the Rocicmhy ¼ inch hardware cloth would work great. It has small enough gaps that raccoons can’t fit their paws in it to harm your eggs or ducks.
Use scents & smells to deter raccoons like:
- Irish Spring Soap.
- Tea Tree Oil.
- Cayenne Pepper.
- Peppermint.
- Epsom Salts.
How far from water will Wood Duck nest?
1.2 miles
The nest tree is normally situated near to or over water, though Wood Ducks will use cavities up to 1.2 miles from water.
How big should the hole be in a Wood Duck box?
Entrance Hole ( 0val) – 3 inches high, 4 inches wide for Wood Duck. Height of Hole above floor – 16 to 18 inches. Inside Floor Dimension – 10 inches x 10 inches to 12 inches x 12 inches. Total Height of Box – 24 inches to 25 inches.
How often should you change duck bedding?
They are small pellets that turn into sawdust when they get wet. This bedding is good for both ducks and chicks. You will need to replace the bedding every couple of days.
How do you keep starlings out of wood duck boxes?
Traps, specifically designed to fit inside a wood duck house, have been found to be effective. George Wellenkotter lives in a serious Wisconsin starling belt. He developed an in-box trap for his own use which utilizes a spring mechanism to close a trapdoor, effectively capturing the starling inside the box.