Attracting Nesting Wood Ducks To Your Property

Easy-to-follow guide offers advice on how to attract the greatest diversity of birds: birdhouses, feeders, water and waterers, much more.

Reference on the wood duck includes basic biology, life history, population characteristics, and research and management techniques.

Many people think of wildlife as something distant, creatures living in natural forests and remote public preserves. But most wildlife in the United States isn?t found in the distant wild. It lives on our private lands, in our very backyards. Because of this, America?s ten million woodland owners are in fact at the forefront in protecting US wildlife for generations to come. But while most landowners want to help preserve the beauty of the natural environment, most are unsure where to begin. In Attracting Wildlife to Your Backyard, author and landowner Josh VanBrakle provides readers with 101 easy-to-follow activities and practical approaches to help do just that. Some projects include: Installing a bat box Making a food plot Identifying trees that attract wildlife Forming a brush pile Assessing a stream's health Building a pond Learning bird calls Planning a backyard scavenger hunt Complete with stunning wildlife photographs and an appendix of practical resources, Attracting Wildlife to Your Backyard is an essential read for anyone who cares about the environment.

This is a story of conservation told through the natural histories of two of the world's most fascinating birds, the Wood Duck of North America and the Mandarin of Asia. The only two species in their genus (Aix), these Northern Wood Ducks are native to different continents but have long been kept together in captivity. Now, for the first time in history, they are also flying side by side in the wild in a small area of northern California. This rare circumstance has given Lawton L. Shurtleff and Christopher Savage the opportunity to observe the Northern Wood Ducks' close relationship and is the starting point of this informative and beautifully rendered book. The opening chapters tell how the Wood Duck and the Mandarin came to inhabit the Pacific Flyway and explain their extraordinary similarities. Subsequent chapters discuss the distinctive histories of the two species and describe the birds throughout the seasons in their native flyways. The Mandarins' place in Asian art and literature is the subject of Chapter Five. The final chapter illuminates the successful work done to protect the North American Wood Duck, which has made a remarkable recovery from near extinction, and the beginning efforts to protect the Mandarin, whose existence in East Asia is seriously threatened. Stunning full-color photographs by renowned wildlife photographers, along with photographs by the authors, capture the exquisite beauty of these much revered birds. Detailed maps show the Wood Ducks' territory in North America and the Mandarins' territory in East Asia and Great Britain. Three appendices--plans for building nestboxes, instructions for banding birds, and lists of books and conservation organizations--and a thorough index are valuable resources in a book that will delight bird-lovers and general readers alike.

Produced in association with the National Audubon Society, Audubon Birdhouse Book explains how to build and place safe, species-appropriate bird homes for more than 20 classic North American species, from wrens to raptors. A visit to almost any home or garden center presents birders with numerous cute and colorful contraptions that are sold as bird homes. But the fact is, many of these products provide anything but a safe refuge for your feathered friends. Each of the easy-to-build boxes and shelves within is accompanied by cut lists, specially created line diagrams, and step-by-step photography, making the projects accessible to those with even the most rudimentary woodworking skills. In addition, this practical and beautifully presented guide is packed with color photography and profiles and range maps for the bird species covered—including titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, phoebes, swallows, waterfowl, and even kestrels and owls—to help the reader properly place and maintain the homes to attract birds. And because these projects are the product of years of experience and field-testing, you can be sure you’re getting the best advice regarding proper design, safe construction materials, and correct home placement to mitigate exposure to elements, pests, and predators. Finally, beyond the birdhouses, you’ll find out how you can contribute to the larger birding community and even enhance your birding experience with the aid of new technologies. Build an Audubon-approved home for these species: Bewick’s, Carolina, or House Wren; Prothonotary Warbler; Eastern, Western, or Mountain Bluebird; Ash-throated or Great Crested Flycatcher; Tree Swallow or Violet-green Swallow; Juniper, Oak, Black-crested, or Tufted Titmouse; Barred Owl; Eastern or Western Screech-owl; Barn Owl; Northern Flicker; American Kestrel; Black-capped, Carolina, or Mountain Chickadee; Wood Duck; Hooded Merganser; Purple Martin; Mourning Dove; Barn Swallow; American Robin; House Finch; and Eastern or Say’s Phoebe.

An unforgettable story about the fascinating behavior of the most elusive of wild game birds. When Joe Hutto began his experiment in imprinting two dozen wild turkey--in the tradition of the great animal behaviorist, Konrad Lorenz--he had no idea that it would change his life. Told with skill and humor, and vibrating with the natural wonders of the Florida flatwoods, Illumination in the Flatwoods will amaze and enrich all who share this season with the wild turkey.

Two children and their father provide a new nesting site for a wood duck hen. Includes instructions for building a wood duck nest box.