Duck Nest Boxes 2011 #1

Beaver Boardwalk Blog followers know that I put up 7 nest boxes in spring 2010 in an effort to attract duck species that nest in cavities. Another 4 boxes were erected along beaver ponds up the Happy Creek Trail. A beaver felled the tree that one of the boxes was on, leaving 6 boxes around the Beaver Boardwalk area. No luck on those boxes in 2010, but all 4 of the Happy Creek boxes were used by buffleheads, which was really great to see.

Early signs for 2011 are more promising. I saw a female goldeneye come out of one of the boxes last week and another person saw a female goldeneye going into another box. I haven't been able to confirm which goldeneye species we're seeing - Barrow's or Common. Several pairs of Barrow's goldeneyes were on Maxwell Lake earlier, so my bet is on Barrow's.

With any luck we'll be seeing one or more broods of fluffy young goldeneyes within the next several weeks. I'll update the blog when I get more news to report.