They have been hanging out at the creek all weekend
... a pair of wood ducks.
For three years they come in the early spring to scout out a nesting site. Last year we were ready and hung a wood duck house before the spring. They came ... they checked it out ... they checked out various holes in various trees ... they left.
Now they are back. We spotted them last Thursday, and Friday ... and Saturday ~ the day the rains came!
Wood duck houses are to be mounted on trees, over water. (when the ducklings are old enough, they get "pushed" out of the nest - land in the water and start swimming!) The house should be mounted five feet above the water level. Done.
Problem is that early Sunday morning, after Saturdays monsoons ... the wood duck house was IN the creek!! That's right, the water level had risen five and a half feet above normal!
By this morning the water has receeded a few feet, but I am sure the inside of the house (filled with wood shavings) is a mess! - So, as fortune would have it, guess who comes to inspect the house today?
That's right! After inspecting the house from the roof, and the surrounding tree branches, Momma dropped down into the creek and flew up and into the house ... but then ... they left (probably thinking we are rotten housekeepers, as well as not knowing the proper height to mount their house).
Birding dad is not sure if he should go down and try to clean it out, in hopes that they take a second look, after the water receeds some more.
Posted by sunybank at April 5, 2005 08:03 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.viewfrommywindow.net/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/27
