Each Spring,
around the end of March, I see Wood Duck pairs flying around the
Village. The male is striking with his chestnut breast, green head
with white stripes, buff colored sides and patterned feathers. The
female is a grayish brown with a white- speckled chest and white
around her eyes. In flight, you really cannot see all the details,
but when they land in a tree, you can. What?! Ducks in a tree?
That's what Julie Galloway thought when she first saw Wood Ducks
sitting in a tree in her yard. “Something is wrong with this
picture!” Year after year they visit the tree and consider the
real estate. Wood Ducks have claws and are able to perch on
branches. Wood Duck babies have claws, too. They can climb out of
tree cavities or nest boxes. Wood ducks are good at flying through
the woods around trees. They eat acorns, insects, fruits, land and
water plants. They choose nests in tree cavities and specially made
Wood Duck nest boxes. Male and female fly around together, land on
trees, and the female examines a cavity while the male hangs out on a
branch. They do this in early morning.
A couple of years ago, my
husband made two cedar nest boxes with attached metal baffles which
should ward off intruders like squirrels and raccoons. We placed the
boxes at the end of Cleveland and Peck Avenues by the the stream.
These sites were chosen because soon after birth, baby Wood Ducks
jump out of the nest and mother duck gathers them together and leads
the brood to water. Sounds easy. But...these ducks can nest over a
mile away from water and don't take into consideration humans, cars,
domestic pets, and here in the village: Route 9!
In 2011 during the
Antique Festival, right about noon, I got a call from Maggie
McDonough. Baby Wood Ducks had dropped down from a tree in the middle
of the festival and were running under a parked jeep. Momma had taken
off. I suggested that people back off, give the ducks a wide berth
and maybe Momma would come back and lead her ducklings away. She
did! Ducklings typically jump between nine and noon. Good to know for
our Wood Duck response team.
Pat Saunders has agreed
to help me on Jump Day. We just need to know where the ducks have
nested and try to figure out when the anticipated jump will be. I can
post on our village social media sites. The best thing we all can do
is keep our pets away from the ducks, not interfere with mom and her
brood by giving them distance, and run interference for them should
they cross Route 9. A human road block? Call or text me at 899-9246
if you have any info on the ducks. Last spring, Dixie, her daughter
Diana and I tried to unite lost babies with their mom. We drove
around the village on a wild duck chase.
The Wood Duck box at
Cleveland Avenue is all cleaned out and has fresh cedar shaving,
thanks to Egan, Reed, Morgan, Cecily, Aiden, and Katherine. We took
out a couple of old wasp hives that were in the top of the box. The
Green Hour group went to spring clean the box at Peck Avenue but upon
knocking, an adult squirrel jumped out. The box is currently leaning,
closer to a shrub than it should be, and so is accessible to
squirrels. When we looked inside, four baby squirrels were nestled
together. They were adorable! I know, I know! Just send the ducks to
Cleveland Avenue!
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| Male Wood Duck |
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| Female Wood Duck |
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| Pair Checking on Real Estate |
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| Decisions Decisions |
