Thanks to Eagle Scout candidate Aaron Morgan, and Troop 118, three new wood duck boxes are installed at the mill pond at the Pynchon’s Grist Mill Preserve. This Saturday was cold and raw, but members of West Brookfield Troop 118 spent the afternoon installing nesting boxes that they made that morning.
Aaron researched various styles of boxes and settled on a version that included a predator guard installed below the box to keep the raccoons, squirrels and other nest predators and box users out! An added feature is wire mesh stapled to the front panel that will help young “woodies” get up to the opening when the time is right to leave home. Small sticks were snapped into small pieces and included in the box as nesting material. The boxes were placed out in standing water, with the goal of making it more difficult for predators to actually reach the box because they can’t jump from a nearby tree or higher limb.
Thank you Aaron, and Troop 118 members, for installing wood duck boxes at the pond. Visitors will enjoy seeing more brightly colored wood ducks as they walk along the pond edge. We’ll be keeping track over the years and hope to count many successful broods!
