Waterfowl Boxes

So we had some maintenance that we needed to catch up on. This maintenance isn't too simple in terms of actually getting to the location and it requires us to take the truck out on to the trails. And once you actually get to the spot you either have to go by canoe or be ready to throw on a pair of waders.

One of our waterfowl nest boxes located on Heron Pond

We have waterfowl nest boxes installed around the property. These boxes are important to ducks who use them to make their nests. The most common ducks to visit the boxes are Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers. Occasionally, Great Crested Flycatchers can be found as well. 

The problem is, these ducks aren't the only creatures out there interested in said boxes. Predators like raccoon's often attempt to climb up these nestboxes in order find food at the expense of the ducklings. This is when predator guards come in handy. They are meant to act as a non-climbable surface and consist of a PVC pipe that is attached to the nestbox. This would be the same kind of predator guard that we use on our bluebird boxes. The screws holding the predator guards to the boxes can end up rusting, leaving the PVC pipe to drop into the murky water below. We simply have to get to the box, fish out the PVC, and screw them back in. If the PVC is screwed back in and there doesn't seem to be any other problems, the box will be ready for the next season.