Your Website for Wood Duck Information

The mission of the Wood Duck Society is to educate and promote sound management of wood duck populations and associated habitats required for their reproduction and survival.

March/Spring Issue

The March 2012, Spring issue of the  Wood Duck Newsgram is  available soon. If you are interested in receiving our Newsgrams, click on the link below for membership information. The Wood Duck Newsgram is published three times a year.Become a member today!

*Frequently Asked Questions*

Check out our newly updated 'frequently asked questions' [FAQ] on the link to the left. It contains a wealth of information to answer many of your wood duck questions . If you need further assistance, please Email us.

Spring 2012

We receive many emails and pictures from wood duck enthusiasts across the country and even worldwide. Your stories and pictures are greatly appreciated. Occasionally we will use your pictures in the Wood Duck Newsgram [with your permission]. So, if you have pictures you might like to share, please send them our way.

2012 WDS Annual Meeting 

This years' Wood duck Society Annual Meeting is set for Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the Wargo Nature Center in Centerville, MN. The annual meeting is free and open to the public. It is a great way for you to meet us, enjoy a great program and share wood duck stories.  A morning program is followed by lunch and afternoon videos.  For details, please click on the link 'Dump Nest' on the left.

Spring Cleaning

Now is a great time to clean out your wood duck nest boxes if you have not already. It is also a great time to 'remove' those nest boxes from trees and install them on poles of wood or metal with a "cone guard" to protect the hen from predators!

 The "Best Practices" method is a sure bet resulting in low maintenance. It is easy for you and a safe haven for the hen.

 

Roger Strand teaching kids about "Best Practices"at 'Prairie Pot Hole Day' in Willmar, MN.

 

 Can't Wait !

The wood duck hen below decided to leave with her brood on June 1st several years ago. One of the young ducklings just couldn't wait! His impatience resulted in his being pushed out, which really got the ball rolling. Eight ducklings and mom left the box safely, but not until making an adventure out of it. Click on the link to the left to view the short video.

Click here to watch film of the jump.

Photo by Stephen Straka

 

Last years' WDS Annual Meeting was a great success.

The 2011 Wood Duck Society's 25th Annual Meeting,was held at the Wargo Nature Center in Centerville, MN, just north of St. Paul, Minnesota. This years' annual meeting, which was open to the public, included guest speaker, Ray Norrgard. Ray is Wetland Wildlife Program Leader with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Ray's presentation was "An Introduction to Moist Soil Management". The Minnesota DNR will be expanding and developing this wetland management tool in an effort to improve habitat for waterfowl, especially during migration. Quoted from the Minnesota Moist Soil Management website, "Moist soil management involves intensively managing shallow wetlands and impoundments in the range (1-12 inches deep) to provide optimal feeding locations for dabbling ducks". Ray Norrgards' presentation addressed this topic in detail, to the delight of this captivated audience.

The meeting continued with our very popular open forum, followed by a silent auction, lunch and concluding with the afternoon session of sharing videos, pictures and answering wood duck questions. For those interested, the annual meeting is held on the first Saturday in April of each year. The WDS Annual Meeting is always open the the public. For our 2012 Annual Meeting, keep posted to our website for details.

Cone Guards for your wood duck nest boxes

Information on purchasing cone guards for your wood duck nest box has now been updated on this website under the link ">Best Practices". Simply clickhere or on 'cone guard' on the 'Best Practices' page. When you follow the techniques explained in Best Practices you will be using a method that has proven to be successful. Survival of the hen is the ultimate goal.

 

Pictures from previous a Annual Meeting at Wargo

Previous Annual Meeting photo with director Roger Strand [right] assisting in nest box building Volunteer Paul Martin helps out with the drill press at the meeting.

Donations to the WDS

Donations to the Wood Duck Society help us in our quest to educate the public on wood ducks and teach time proven methods for installing wood duck nest boxes.  It also supports the (advertisement free) Wood Duck Newsgram, our impressive tri-year publication with extraordinary photos and stories of not only wood ducks, but many other duck and avian species.  Our continued support of youth is very important to us.  Sponsoring a youth each year at the Minnesota Waterfowl ‘Woodie Camp’ is one prime example.  Help us to continue our mission by supporting the WDS with a $15 membership that includes a one year subscription to the Wood Duck Newsgram and/or a much appreciated cash donation.

The Wood Duck Society is non profit 501c3 certified and all donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

 

The Wood Duck Society receives many emails and letters from people like you. We appreciate the opportunity to answer your questions and help you have successful experiences with wood duck nest box management. We do our best to suggest solutions to your inquiries based on advice from our diverse group of WDS Directors, some with over 50 years of wood duck experience. We also appreciate the photographs we receive from you for use on this site and our Newsgram (credit is always given for each picture used).