Wood Duck Monitoring
IWLA Rockville Chapter has constructed, installed, and currently maintains nearly 70 wood duck nesting boxes. Chapter Members have helped maintain wood duck boxes since the 1950's at several public and private areas including the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area near the Potomac River, and at the Tridelphia Reservoir. Nesting data are recorded annually and contributed to Maryland Wood Duck Initiative and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The video below was produced by Tony Ipina of Tony Ipina Films in 2021 to show the efforts of our volunteers who repair and replace about 70 wood duck nesting boxes every winter so that the ducks may nest in them in the spring. Watch the video to see our volunteers in action. We thank Ryck Lydecker for leading this effort every January.
The Wood Duck is one of North America’s most beautiful waterfowl. Males have a beautiful multicolor plumage, with green on the crown of their heads, dazzling blue wings and black and white stripes on either side of their maroon chests.
It’s an odd duck. While most waterfowl species nest on the ground, wood ducks nest in cavities inside old trees, which females line with feathers and other soft bedding material. Unfortunately, many older trees in wetland areas that are the natural habitat of wood ducks have been destroyed, putting this beautiful bird in jeopardy.
Conservationists have learned that wood ducks will nest in specially designed “boxes” if they are placed in appropriate locations near food, trees, and water.