wood duck nest boxc3449209.r9.cf0.rackcdn.com/2014/woodduck/woodduck_nestbox.pdf · make sure the...
TRANSCRIPT
Galvan
ized
sheet m
etal
18"
5” for 4” p
ost
6” for 5” p
ost
7.25” for 6” p
ost
rivet
Pre
dato
r Gu
ards
A p
red
ator g
uard
will h
elp
to im
pro
ve th
e ch
ance
of a su
ccessfu
l hatch
by p
reve
ntin
g e
gg
-eatin
g
raccoo
ns fro
m e
nte
ring
you
r ne
st bo
x.All b
oxe
s
sho
uld
inclu
de
Pre
da
tor G
ua
rds!
GA
LVA
NIZ
ED
SH
EE
T M
ET
AL C
ON
ET
his is th
e mo
st effective pred
ator d
eterrent. C
ut a 3
6" d
iameter circle o
f
sheet m
etal. Cu
t an ap
pro
priately-sized
ho
le in th
e mid
dle to
accom
od
ate
po
le size. Rem
ove an
8"slice fro
m th
e circle, join
the ed
ges to fo
rm th
e con
e,
and
rivet togeth
er.
ST
EE
L SH
EE
T S
AN
DW
ICH
36
”x 49
”she
et o
f 28
-gau
ge
stee
l
•F
old
the sh
eet in h
alf alon
g the 4
9" len
gth, creatin
g a fron
t and
a back
,
each 2
4" w
ide
•A
lon
g on
e 36
" side, m
ake a 1" fo
ld tow
ards th
e insid
e centre
•D
rill two
ho
les, 34
" apart (see d
iagram)
•P
lace you
r guard
so it su
rrou
nd
s the p
ole o
r tree trun
k. Slip
the u
nfo
lded
side u
nd
er the 1
" fold
.Usin
g vice-grips, b
end
the co
rners in
to lo
ck these
pieces an
d p
revent th
e guard
from
op
enin
g.
•P
ole m
ou
nt: b
olt th
e guard
into
place ab
ou
t 2" b
elow th
e nest b
ox.
•T
ree mo
un
t: nail th
e guard
in p
lace—if th
e tree is alive, check th
e guard
often to en
sure tree grow
th h
asn’t p
opp
ed th
e guard
off.
PLA
ST
IC P
IPE
GU
AR
DM
etal or p
lastic pip
e (stove p
ipe, sew
er pip
e) drilled
at the to
p an
d b
otto
m
and
bo
lted to
the tree o
r po
le makes an
effective pred
ator gu
ard. T
o p
revent
small ro
den
ts from
crawlin
g thro
ugh
, place a cru
mp
led p
iece of ch
icken w
ire
betw
een th
e po
le and
the gu
ard.
TH
IS IN
FO
RM
AT
ION
HA
S B
EE
N C
OM
PIL
ED
FR
OM
TH
E N
ES
T B
OX
GU
IDE
FO
R W
AT
ER
FO
WL
BY
DU
CK
S U
NL
IMIT
ED
AN
D T
HE
CA
NA
DIA
N W
ILD
LIF
E S
ER
VIC
E, E
NV
IRO
NM
EN
T C
AN
AD
A; A
ND
A
CO
NS
ER
VA
TO
R A
RT
ICL
E B
Y M
EA
RL
RO
ON
EY
(VO
L.1
9,N
O.3
).
GA
LVA
NIZ
ED
SHE
ET
ME
TA
LC
ON
E
STE
EL SH
EE
TSA
ND
WIC
H
PLA
STIC
PIP
EG
UA
RD
CED
AR
IS IDEA
LC
edar lu
mb
er is recom
men
ded
becau
se it
is natu
rally resistant to
weath
er and
insects. Y
ou
can also
use o
ther lu
mb
er
such
as pin
e or p
lywo
od
. Boxes m
ade o
f
plastic o
r metal are n
ot p
referred. A
void
treated lu
mb
er. Th
e box p
ictured
uses1
0.5
8 lin
ear feet of 1
” x 10
” (3/4
”
thick b
y 9 1
/4” w
ide) lu
mb
er that is
rou
gh o
n o
ne sid
e (for th
e insid
e of th
e
box).
FINISH
ING
TOU
CH
ESD
uck
s Un
limited
do
es no
t recom
men
d
app
lying a fin
ish to
cedar b
oxes. A fin
ish
migh
t help
to exten
d th
e life of a p
ly-
wo
od
box.
If you
decid
e to ap
ply a fin
ish to
you
r
nest b
ox, use a n
on
toxic wo
od
preserver
or a ligh
t shad
e of an
earth-to
ne p
aint.
Th
e du
cks w
ill find
you
r box b
y seeing
the co
ntrast in
colo
r caused
by th
e entry
ho
le. Do
no
t app
ly finish
insid
e the b
ox.
Cavity n
esting d
uck
s do n
ot carry nestin
g
materials. It’s im
portan
t to help
them
out
by p
lacing fo
ur to
six inch
es of w
oo
d
shavin
gs in th
e bo
ttom
of th
e
box.Y
ou
can fin
d w
oo
d
shavin
gs at you
r local
pet o
r farm su
pp
ly
store. Do not use
sawdust.It can
suffo
cate
du
cklings an
d
ho
lds m
oistu
re.
Every year in
the
fall, after the
nestin
g season
has co
mp
leted,
or in
the w
inter, clean
ou
t old
nestin
g
material fro
m th
e box an
d rep
lace it with
a fresh layer o
f wo
od
shavin
gs. This
annual cleaning needs to be a part ofyour long-term
maintenance com
-m
itment once you place your nest
box. Avo
id th
e urge to
loo
k into
the b
ox
du
ring sp
ring an
d su
mm
er.
Bu
ild a D
uck
Ne
st Bo
xW
oo
d d
ucks, b
uffle
he
ads, b
arrow
’s go
lde
ne
yes, co
mm
on
go
lde
ne
yes, h
oo
de
d m
erg
anse
rs and
com
mo
n
me
rgan
sers are
all cavity ne
sting
du
cks. The
y bu
ild n
ests in
aban
do
ne
d w
oo
dp
ecke
r ho
les o
r natu
ral tree
cavities cau
sed
by
dise
ase, fire o
r ligh
tnin
g. Th
ese
du
cks will also
use
a con
structe
d
ne
sting
bo
x. He
re are
plan
s for a n
est b
ox th
at you
can b
uild
,
install an
d m
aintain
. The
de
sign
, wh
ich is u
sed
by th
e
Du
cks Un
limite
d G
ree
nw
ing
pro
gram
, may e
ven
attract oth
er
cavity ne
sting
bird
s such
as kestre
ls, tree
swallo
ws, g
reat cre
sted
flycatche
rs or scre
ech
ow
ls.
GR
EA
T L
AK
ES
/A
TL
AN
TIC
RE
GIO
NA
L O
FF
ICE
|1
22
0 E
ISE
NH
OW
ER
PL
AC
E
AN
N A
RB
OR
, MI 4
81
08
|T
. 73
4.6
23
.20
00
|F
. 73
4.6
23
.20
35
|W
WW
.DU
CK
S.O
RG
Co
nstru
cting
and
placin
g a n
est
bo
x is a fun
pro
ject that b
ring
s
years of en
joym
ent. A
bo
ve: this
po
le-mo
un
ted n
est bo
x features a
con
ical metal p
redato
r gu
ard.
Belo
w: w
oo
d d
uck d
rake.
NE
ST
BO
X M
AIN
TE
NA
NC
E: A
LON
G-T
ER
M C
OM
MIT
ME
NT
On
ce a cavity nestin
g bird
starts usin
g you
r box, yo
u’ll likely see
man
y bro
od
s raised o
ver the years.N
esting sites fo
r these b
irds are
limited
in n
um
ber.W
hen
they fin
d a go
od
nestin
g site, there is a
very goo
d ch
ance th
ey’ll return
in fo
llowin
g years. Wh
en yo
u p
ut
up
a nest b
ox you
are com
mittin
g you
rself to m
aintain
ing th
at box.
Fall an
d w
inter are th
e best tim
es to rem
ove o
ld n
esting m
aterial,
tighten
any lo
ose screw
s and
mo
un
ts, and
add
new
wo
od
shavin
gs.
If you
do
n’t h
ave any d
uck
s usin
g you
r box o
ver the su
mm
er, do
n’t
worry. W
aterfowl b
iolo
gists have seen
waterfow
l migratin
g in th
e
fall scop
e ou
t po
tential n
esting sites fo
r next sp
ring. T
his to
o is a
goo
d reaso
n to
keep yo
ur b
oxes in to
p co
nd
ition
. Yo
u n
ever know
wh
en so
meb
od
y migh
t be p
opp
ing in
!
gnid
niF
erud
ecor
Pthe Right Place
Too
ls and
Materials N
eeded
handsaw or table saw
drill and 1/2”bitjigsawscrew
driversandpaperpencilm
easuring tapestraight-edgew
ood screws
wood 1 each 1 x 10 x 12’
1.M
easure an
d cu
t you
r wo
od
to p
rod
uce th
e
six pieces.N
um
ber th
e pieces as sh
own
.See
material m
easurem
ents.
2.A
ttach th
e back (1
) to th
e side (2
) usin
g fou
r
screws fasten
ed fro
m th
e back o
f the b
ox. See
explo
ded
view.
3.D
rill five 1
/2" d
rainage h
oles in
to th
e flo
or
(3). A
ttach th
e flo
or b
y fastenin
g two
screws
thro
ugh
the b
ack and
two
thro
ugh
the sid
e.
4.D
raw th
e entry h
ole o
n th
e fron
t (4) u
sing a
pen
cil (4 1
/2" x 3
1/2
" oval). D
rill a pilo
t ho
le
and
cut o
ut th
e entry h
ole u
sing a jig saw
. See
detailed
view. P
rop
er entry h
ole d
imen
sion
s
are critical.
5.S
core th
e insid
e face of th
e fron
t (4) w
ith a
saw. Th
e ho
rizon
tal slots w
ill pro
vide to
e-
ho
lds w
hen
the d
ucklin
gs climb
ou
t. Yo
u can
also u
se hard
ware clo
th.
6.A
ttach th
e fron
t (4) u
sing six screw
s.
7.R
ou
nd
the to
p o
utsid
e edge o
f the d
oo
r with
sand
pap
er (5). S
ee explo
ded
view. F
asten th
e
do
or at th
e top
with
on
e screw fro
m th
e fron
t
and
on
e from
the b
ack.Th
e two
screws fo
rm
the h
inge an
d allow
the d
oo
r to o
pen
. Pin
the
do
or sh
ut w
ith a n
ail from
the fro
nt o
r add
a
latch.
8.A
ttach th
e roo
f (6) u
sing fo
ur screw
s from
the to
p an
d th
ree screws fro
m th
e back (b
e
careful n
ot to
screw in
to th
e do
or). Th
e box
is now
ready to
install. D
on’t fo
rget to p
ut a
4–
6 in
ch layer o
f wo
od
shavin
gs into
the b
ox
for n
esting m
aterial.
No
w th
at yo
u’ve
com
ple
ted
con
structio
n o
f you
r
ne
st bo
x, you
ne
ed
to co
nsid
er w
he
re to
insta
ll it.
Be
sure
to p
lace th
e b
ox in
a lo
catio
n th
at w
ill be
con
ven
ien
t for m
on
itorin
g a
nd
an
nu
al m
ain
te-
na
nce
.
WH
ERE TO
FIND
TENA
NTS
To
increase th
e chan
ces of yo
ur n
est box b
eing u
sed b
y waterfow
l, it sho
uld
be lo
cated in
an area attractive to
cavity nestin
g du
cks. Y
ou’ll see th
ese bird
s
usin
g wo
od
ed w
etland
s that co
ntain
water year ro
un
d o
r, at least, thro
ugh
ou
t
the su
mm
er. Yo
u’ll also see th
em u
sing trees alo
ng riverb
ank
s and
lake sho
re-
lines.
PO
SITION
ING
YO
UR
NEST B
OX
Nest b
oxes can b
e mo
un
ted o
n tree tru
nk
s or o
n steel p
oles b
eside th
e water
or ab
ove th
e water.
GO
OD
PLA
CEM
ENT:a d
ead tree at th
e water’s ed
ge
BETTER
PLA
CEM
ENT:a so
lid d
ead tree in
the w
ater
BEST P
LAC
EMEN
T:boxes o
n p
oles n
ear stand
ing, fl
oo
ded
, dead
trees
Live trees can
be u
sed fo
r mo
un
ting b
oxes, bu
t keep a clo
se eye on
you
r box.
Gro
win
g trees may lo
osen
mo
un
ts and
make b
oxes less attractive to th
e bird
s.
TREE TR
UN
KS
Live an
d d
ead trees are su
itable. If b
eavers are arou
nd
, do
n’t p
lace nest b
oxes
on
pop
lar or w
hite b
irch trees. B
eavers eat these trees. A
lso, avo
id p
lacing th
e
box w
here stiff
bran
ches are clo
se to th
e box. R
accoo
ns can
climb
these
bran
ches an
d gain
access to th
e box.
STEEL PO
LESM
ake sure th
e po
les are fixed
solid
ly in th
e soil o
r marsh
bo
ttom
, to en
sure
that th
e nest b
oxes are stable. D
rill two
ho
les in th
is po
le to acco
mm
od
ate a
pred
ator gu
ard (see last p
age).
Boxes sh
ou
ld b
e placed
abo
ve typical h
igh w
ater levels and
at a heigh
t that
will allow
you
to access th
e box fo
r mo
nito
ring an
d m
ainten
ance (ab
ou
t 4
to 6
feet abo
ve land
or w
ater). In term
s of d
istance in
land
, try to keep
you
r
box clo
se to th
e water.
Clear an
un
ob
structed
fligh
t path
to yo
ur n
est box b
y remo
ving b
ranch
es
that m
ight b
e in th
e way.
The en
trance h
ole to
the b
ox sho
uld
face the w
ater.
Yo
u can
tip th
e box fo
rward
a little bit to
help
the d
ucklin
gs reach th
e
entran
ce.
Du
cklings p
refer privacy. D
on’t m
ou
nt b
oxes close to
hu
man
distu
rban
ce
or clo
se to o
ther n
est boxes.
MA
TERIA
L MEA
SUR
EMEN
TS—not to scale!
BA
CK
FRO
NT
31”23.5”
9.25"
9.25"9.25"
DO
OR
9.25"
RO
OF
9.25"
FLOO
R7.75”
9.25"
SIDE
23.5”
14”23.5”
DETA
ILED FR
ON
T VIEW
—not to scale!
Entry H
ole
3.5"
4.5"3.25"
Kerf C
uts
(Insid
e face)
or H
ardw
are C
loth
EXP
LOD
ED V
IEW—
not to scale!
BA
CK
SIDE
FRO
NT
FLOO
R
DO
OR
CLEA
NO
UT
RO
OF
Hin
ge fo
r Clean
ou
t Do
or