AWA Wood Duck Nesting Boxes

This Is One Way To Get The Youth Involved In Wetland Conservation

The Alabama Waterfowl Association was informed that they would be receiving 20 Wood Duck Nesting Boxes from the Gilliam Springs Baptist Church (GSBC) 5th and 6th Grades Royal Ambassadors (RAs).  Royal Ambassadors is a ministry for boys grades 1 through 6. The boys decided to build the boxes and donate them to AWA as one of their requirements for advancement.  In addition to building the boxes, there are plans for the boys to take part in the placement, and maintenance of the boxes.  Each boy will identify his box in a way that he will be able to check on his box in the years to come.  When told about the donation Marty Upton, Big Spring Creek coordinator, said that this was exciting to him because this type of thing was one of the reasons for the project, to introduce today's youth to waterfowling. AWA is extremely honored and pleased to have the GSBC 5th and 6th Grades RAs participating in the development of our Waterfowl Project at Big Spring Creek in Guntersville, AL.

        Side Door Wood Duck Nesting Boxes

The side door nest box was designed to enable a maintenance crew to check boxes and replace nesting material through a swinging door that is located on the upper portion of one side of the box.  The side door box works best when constructed from 1 full inch thick rough sawn lumber.

Materials List:

 

Rough cut lumber*             1"x12"x1"                 10 linear feet

Galvanized nails                10 penny                      40 per box

Lag bolt & washer              3/8 x 4"                        1 per box

Hardware Cloth                 18" x 3" strip               1 per box

Poultry netting staples        3/4 "                             6 per box

Wood Shavings or Sawdust                                    3" deep

*Baldcypress, western cedar or eastern hemlock

Construction Procedures:

1.  Size the lumber for a constant width as indicated in plans.

2.  Cut boards to dimensions illustrated in figure 1.

3.  Bore four 3/8" holes through the floor for drainage.

4.  Cut an elliptical hole 4" x 3" in the front of the box, 4" from the top.

5.  Bore a 3/8" hole in the back of the box for mounting.  The hole should be located in the center of the box, 4" from the top.

6.  Using poultry netting staples, attach a 1/4 mesh hardware cloth strip 18"x3" on the inside of the front of the box between the entrance hole and the bottom.

7.  Using rust-proof galvanized nails, nail the sections together.  Do not nail the top to the side of the box that serves as the door, and only drive one 10 penny nail partially through the bottom of the door.  The nail will be pulled when the door is opened.

8.  Do not paint nest boxes because some colors may repel ducks, and dark colors retain heat.  Boxes will weather naturally and blend with the environment within a year.

9.  Cut assigned numbers with a router or attach a metal tag to the front of the box.

10. Attach the box to a tree or post with the lag bolt.  This procedure must be done by reaching through the side door of the complete box.

Figure 1: