VOLUNTEERS ASSISTING WOOD DUCKS 0N PEI by Eastern Habitat 
     
     Joint Venture staff 
     
    
   
   
    
     Volunteers across the Island are attempting to increase local 
     
     Wood Duck populations by maintaining Wood Duck nest boxes. 
     
     Approximately 200 boxes have been erected across the province by 
     
     the P.E.I. Department of the Environmental Resources, the P.E.I. 
     
     Wildlife Federation, the Fly Fishers Federation, Holland College 
     
     students, and private citizens. As part of the wetland stewardship 
     
     initiatives of the Department of Environmental Resources’ Eastern 
     
     Habitat Joint Ventures program, volunteers are enlisted to maintain 
     
     these boxes. Nest boxes can be checked from September lst until 
     
     March 3lst without disturbing nesting birds. Maintenance is also 
     
     crucial. Each year, old nest material must be replaced with clean 
     
     dry wood chips to keep the boxes attractive for nesting Wood Ducks. 
     
    

    
     The Wood Duck is one of four 
     
     waterfowl species that are cavity 
     
     nesters in the Maritimes. Common 
     
     Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, and 
     
     Hooded Mergansers are also cavity 
     
     nesters, however, only the Wood Duck 
     
     and the Hooded Merganser are known 
     
     to nest on Prince Edward Island, and 
     
     the Hooded Merganser only very 
     
     rarely. Wood Ducks usually nest in 
     
     a hole in a hollow trunk created by 
     
     either broken limbs, lightning, logging, or by woodpeckers 
     
     including Common Flicker. The nesting cavities are lined with down 
     
     from the breast of the female to cushion the 8 to 15 eggs. Upon 
     
     hatching in early June, the young use their sharp claws to climb up 
     
     the inside of the nesting cavity to the entrance, jump to the 
     
     ground, and follow the female to an adjacent pond or riVer which 
     
     may be some distance away. The young ducklings can fall 20 meters 
     
     from the nest without injury. _ 
     
    

    
     Wood Duck populations are limited by the availability and 
     
     quality of habitat and nesting sites. P.E.I. has considerable 
     
     quality habitat available to Wood Ducks but lacks large cavity 
     
     nesting sites. Therefore, nest boxes can be quite successfully 
     
     used if properly installed and maintained. Wood Duck nest boxes 
     
     come in a variety of designs including both wood and plastic 
     
     construction. Boxes should be rough inside to allow chicks to 
     
     climb to the entrance. Pieces of burlap or mesh wire can be 
     
     stapled to the inside if necessary to make this task easier. Nest 
     
     boxes may also be predator proofed by wrapping the supporting post 
     
     with sheet metal. We have found that boxes erected on posts over 
     
     water are more successful than on land sites. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ASSISTANCE WANTED: 
     
    
   
   
    
     o Loon surveyors for Deroche Pond 
     
     0 Shorebird surveyors for selected concentration 
     
    
   
   
    
     sites on Bedeque and Malpeque Bays. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Contact Rosemary Curley at 368-4807. 
     
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