Wood Ducks provided with new homes : 無料・フリー素材/写真
Wood Ducks provided with new homes / Region 5 Photography
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| 説明 | Wood ducks provided with new homes - The Weaverville wildlife crew took a short break from monitoring owls this summer to focus on another important bird: the Wood duck. They made major repairs to several existing nest boxes, and also constructed four new nest boxes out of old U.S. Forest Service road signs.Wood ducks are medium-sized, vibrantly colorful perching ducks native to North America (photo below). Their preferred habitats are riparian areas and wooded marshes, and lakes, where they nest in cavities in snags and living trees. They also readily nest in human-made nest boxes, which allow biologists and waterfowl enthusiasts to both view the ducks and track their reproduction results. The wood duck population declined precipitously late in the 19th century due to habitat loss and overhunting - for meat and also plumage for the European hat market. The 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act regulated hunting limits and included measures to protect habitat, and the advent of artificial nesting boxes in the 1930’s further bolstered the population. Almost one hundred years later the wood duck population has recovered, and wood ducks comprise about 10% of the annual duck harvest in the United States.Although their population has recovered, wood ducks are locally rare. “We visit dozens of lakes and ponds throughout the forest to check for Western Pond Turtles, Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs, Cascade Frogs, salamanders, etc. and we also write down any mammals, birds, or reptiles we see during our visit. Wood ducks are a real treat to see, especially if they have a trail of ducklings behind them,” says #ShastaTrinityNF wildlife technician Lacey Strong.The last major push to create wood duck habitat on the westside of the Shasta-Trinity NF was in 2014, when eight nest boxes were installed. But the wooden boxes, nailed to trees and exposed to the elements year-round, need regular maintenance. Crew members inventoried the fourteen known nest boxes on the westside of the forest and made major repairs to many of them. Some boxes just needed a few new screws, but others had warped or pulled away from their trees so much that they needed to be taken down and put back together with new wooden boards. Mike McFadin, Wilderness and Trails Program Manager, suggested using the old road signs and also loaned some tools for the project. “I hope these are for non-migratory ducks…they might never leave!” he said afterward.Wildlife technicians Bryce Yoder and Daniel Hair jumped at the opportunity to get creative, and their nest boxes are works of art. Nest box construction is complex: The entrance hole must be large enough for a female wood duck to get through, but small enough to keep out a hungry raccoon. There should be a hinged lid or side panel so the box can be cleaned out annually. A wide strip of sheet metal has to be wrapped around the tree beneath the box to deter climbing predators. And last but not least, the inside wall under the entrance hole must be textured or lined with chicken wire so that the ducklings can climb out when they are ready to fledge.Early next spring the wildlife crew will visit each box for a pre-season check. They will ensure the boxes and predator guards are in good shape, and add a few inches of nesting material to help insulate and cushion any future eggs. The crew will then return every few weeks during the summer nesting season to monitor box use and reproductive success.(story and photos of box construction work by Jessie Roughgarden, Wildlife Technician)Shasta-Trinity NF |
| 撮影日 | 2018-11-26 15:56:26 |
| 撮影者 | Region 5 Photography , USA |
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