Duck nesting tubes

[Walker570]

I have just typed this once and the system has just wiped it off..........not the first time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are in the processof refurbishing a large pond on the farm and decided to put on a couple of those nest tubes. We have a lot of scrap 2 inch twinweld wire mesh but it is difficult to bend and roll. Two of us managed to make one but I am going to weld four sections into a square box shape and then roll it in hay with wire mesh on the outside. Just wondering if the birds will notice.  Fortunately with the front end loader we can reach out over the pond and drive the scaffold poles in and attache the nest tubes.  Goimng to be ann interesting summer.

Photos later.

[sam triple]

Just done some out of chicken wire , lot easier to bend 

[Walker570]

That looks good.  Our weld mesh are a bit over the top I know but the material was there. I was just interested to see if being square makes any difference.  I know they will and do but still amazes me that mallard will use them. Maybe next year before they get used as the pond looks a bit bare at the moment. Planning to plant up and seed with wild flowers etc. 

[sam triple]

Cheers , I’m sure yours will be fine , the wild fowling club I belong to are in the process of rejuvenating 6 ponds cleared them of brambles and debris in the pond itself and each one has a nesting tube in place 

[Dave at kelton]

Good initiative well done!

[jall25]

Good to see

I used chicken wire for the last few years and had an occupancy of circa 40 percent on the 20 odd duck tubes out

During this year refurbishment of the ones that needed doing i used sheep fencing wire - made them a lot stronger - also made them a bit wider for access

 

Occupancy of these is circa 90 percent so far ! - i perhaps refurbed and made 15 new ones 

I also have used wheat straw instead of hay 

They have mandarin / mallard / moorhen in so far

Got another 2/3 going up this week and expect the first broods out this next week 

Made about 25 little ponds / splashes and all are teaming with duck and geese now 

 

[Walker570]

That gives me confidence.

[jall25]

1 minute ago, Walker570 said:

That gives me confidence.

Would just say try and get them up ASAP Walker

As i put them up they move in within a day or two

 

One of my new ones got flattened when we had all that snow - and it was full of eggs early March i think 

[Walker570]

Yep, hopefully farm life permitting....800 cows come first....I can arrange for them to go up this weekend.  Had a pair of Canadas and a pair of Greys on it in the last week.

[jall25]

2 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

Yep, hopefully farm life permitting....800 cows come first....I can arrange for them to go up this weekend.  Had a pair of Canadas and a pair of Greys on it in the last week.

Good stuff !

Yes we have had a few Greylag - its funny only 3/4 years ago we never saw a single one round us - now they are a fairly regular sight 

Watched the canada gander give the greylag a right hiding last week 

Never seem to bother with the ducks - just a quick swim at them and the ducks move off 

[Walker570]

Solved the problem of bending that 2 inch weld mesh. Just cut at 6 squares , three lengths.  Then put in the vice and easily bend to about 30 deg angle both sides just two of the holes depth which you should finish with a three sided piece, then attach each piece side by side with zip ties and you finish up with almost a round tube. Then attach with zip ties a length of normal one or two inch garden wire mesh lay the whole deal on a flat surface apply a 3-4 inch depth of hay over the whole area and roll up tying off again wirh zip ties or soft wire.  The two inch  mesh 'spine' gives the whole thing strength and the garden wire holds the hay in place.  Purring them in place this weekend so more photos once they are in.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Walker570

[jall25]

Great !

 

May i ask do you always use hay ?

[nacnud]

Interesting in the uptake. Our syndicate have put a few up, probably 10 or so overall over the last few years and none have been used. We refurbished them and lowered them slightly to about two feet above the water level, still no joy. They are positioned so they’re sitting 90 degrees to the prevailing wind but no joy. We used hays for the packing and put some on the inside as well.

[jall25]

We 

Well the wife actually made ours this year perhaps 1and a half times larger and we used wheat straw - Seems to have made all the difference 

I have put some in the water and also some on the islands 

[jall25]

Just as another tip that i have found that has worked well is the addition of supplementary feeding of the ducklings - particularly the first hatches because certainly up here the insects are not always about in numbers this early

I use meal worms 

[gmm243]

1 hour ago, nacnud said:

Interesting in the uptake. Our syndicate have put a few up, probably 10 or so overall over the last few years and none have been used. We refurbished them and lowered them slightly to about two feet above the water level, still no joy. They are positioned so they’re sitting 90 degrees to the prevailing wind but no joy. We used hays for the packing and put some on the inside as well.

We run about 50 of these in our club with a lot of them having a clutch in them as soon as the first clutch has vacated them. Most are used every year and are usually 3-4' above the water level. We use hay as nesting material and change it every year once the shooting season is over.

 

[jall25]

3 minutes ago, gmm243 said:

We run about 50 of these in our club with a lot of them having a clutch in them as soon as the first clutch has vacated them. Most are used every year and are usually 3-4' above the water level. We use hay as nesting material and change it every year once the shooting season is over.

 

Amazing work that is 

[nacnud]

1 hour ago, gmm243 said:

We run about 50 of these in our club with a lot of them having a clutch in them as soon as the first clutch has vacated them. Most are used every year and are usually 3-4' above the water level. We use hay as nesting material and change it every year once the shooting season is over.

 

 

1 hour ago, jall25 said:

Amazing work that is 

 

1 hour ago, gmm243 said:

We run about 50 of these in our club with a lot of them having a clutch in them as soon as the first clutch has vacated them. Most are used every year and are usually 3-4' above the water level. We use hay as nesting material and change it every year once the shooting season is over.

 

Thank you for the reply. We’re not sure why ours haven’t been used, we thought they might have been too high so lowered them but that didn’t make any difference. The ponds are heavily used and we feed them right through the season, some have small islands a couple of which have been used for nesting but so far the nest tubes haven’t attracted any ducks to them - very strange!

[jall25]

1 hour ago, nacnud said:

 

 

Thank you for the reply. We’re not sure why ours haven’t been used, we thought they might have been too high so lowered them but that didn’t make any difference. The ponds are heavily used and we feed them right through the season, some have small islands a couple of which have been used for nesting but so far the nest tubes haven’t attracted any ducks to them - very strange!

 

Yes that is odd

Our last year had perhaps 40 percent occupancy - but every one was used as a look out post 

Put them the other way in the wind - even if you think its wrong for a try

Try straw rather than hay - and make them wider so they can get in and out

 

I have had mallard - coot - moorhen - mandarin use them for definite 

I think a teal is in one now - but i dont want to look too close because they almost have their own little pond they use and are very skitty - something is in there for sure - i can see it on the thermal 

 

 

[jall25]

Mosaics of habitat is whats bringing the results for us

[holloway]

Just as a point of interest would these duck tubes be considered an act of real conservation bearing in mind that the Mallard is now an amber listed species ?

[jall25]

45 minutes ago, holloway said:

Just as a point of interest would these duck tubes be considered an act of real conservation bearing in mind that the Mallard is now an amber listed species ?

Without a shadow of doubt 

[holloway]

2 hours ago, jall25 said:

Without a shadow of doubt 

Nice to see other species benefiting from the tubes that can’t be a bad thing ,now please bear in mind I am playing devils advocate here and am not a rabid anti…. but how many of you do or would consider stopping Mallard shooting for a season to really cement your conservation endeavours ? 
Hence my question about proper conservation as against a self serving conservation to increase your own sport ?

It would be nice to get reasoned considered answers as I am in no way trying to judge and most of my shooting is limited to wildfowl myself .

[Fellside]

Hi holloway,

Your question is an interesting one. At the route of most avian conservation is the red, amber, green listings. Some of the listings are highly questionable and involved with a certain agenda - the RSPB are a key driving force. There was a winter mallard count (sorry can’t remember the year) when winter mallard were down. It was a very mild winter and we didn’t have many continental birds pressured to migrate. It was this lowish winter number which generated the amber listing - downgraded from green. This has somehow stuck, despite numbers being boosted the following year. I think the mallard is extremely common across the UK. Of course I don’t have real numbers - I don’t think anyone has - but can’t imagine any conservation concern. 

I can only speak for one shooting man here, but personally if the mallard was in real danger, I would be more than happy to leave them for a year on the wetlands under my control. I can’t see that being an issue in real terms however. 
What would make a big difference for biodiversity generally - is an increase in wetland habitats generally. Oh and control of Canadas - which competitively exclude native species. 

[holloway]

53 minutes ago, Fellside said:

Hi holloway,

Your question is an interesting one. At the route of most avian conservation is the red, amber, green listings. Some of the listings are highly questionable and involved with a certain agenda - the RSPB are a key driving force. There was a winter mallard count (sorry can’t remember the year) when winter mallard were down. It was a very mild winter and we didn’t have many continental birds pressured to migrate. It was this lowish winter number which generated the amber listing - downgraded from green. This has somehow stuck, despite numbers being boosted the following year. I think the mallard is extremely common across the UK. Of course I don’t have real numbers - I don’t think anyone has - but can’t imagine any conservation concern. 

I can only speak for one shooting man here, but personally if the mallard was in real danger, I would be more than happy to leave them for a year on the wetlands under my control. I can’t see that being an issue in real terms however. 
What would make a big difference for biodiversity generally - is an increase in wetland habitats generally. Oh and control of Canadas - which competitively exclude native species. 

Pretty much exactly the way I see it ,I started to wonder when I saw the Mallard on the amber list as to the justification of shooting them ,but then with a little more research I notice so is the Wood pigeon  and I wonder who decides these lists and is there an agenda behind them .