Duck nesting tubes

dto001

Howaya Lads,

I’m putting up duck nesting tubes this year.

https://basc.org.uk/ducks-take-the-tube/

Does anyone here have any experience with them? Do they work here for wild birds? Is there tips you have?

Cheers

Double Barrel

dto001

A good bit of information on this old thread:

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77570139

Good luck
DB

Double Barrel

useurowname

I’ve seen them in places(Boora Bog, LoughEnnell) they look great but I’ve never actually seen a duck in one. I intend experimenting with one myself this spring in a habitat where predators are a real threat but lamping/trapping is not an option.

Dai John

I nailed plastic barrels onto a wooden pallet and had it floating and anchored on a duckpond ,but it was taken over by moorhens, they flourished for a while then all were killed (by a mink I think).

ferrete

Dai John wrote: »

I nailed plastic barrels onto a wooden pallet and had it floating and anchored on a duckpond ,but it was taken over by moorhens, they flourished for a while then all were killed (by a mink I think).

Interesting idea you got any pics of it

Birdnuts

Dai John wrote: »

I nailed plastic barrels onto a wooden pallet and had it floating and anchored on a duckpond ,but it was taken over by moorhens, they flourished for a while then all were killed (by a mink I think).

Sounds like mink alright - first sign of mink arriving on a waterway is when Moorhens vanish:(

JP22

ferrete wrote: »

Interesting idea you got any pics of it

Lots of stuff and ideas out there, I am not sure if wild duck will continually use and breed in them though.

https://www.buttercupfarm.co.uk/chicken-duck-waterfowl-and-poultry-housing/duck-houses-waterfowl-runs/floating-duck-houses-platforms.html

Dai John

ferete, no pics, very simple thouigh. I cut the ends off two 25 litre plastic oil cans and nailed them on a pallet, the pond is next to a barley field and used by mallard.I tied some rope with an old anchor on the pallet and shoved it out, I had a double length of rope on the anchor and when it reached the correct position pulled the anchor off the pallet. The rope was tied so that the closed end of the drums were facing into the wind.I also left straw inside.It was well inhabited until the mink arrived . I should add that I never shoot over this pond.

garyc007

Iv read of a good few lads having success with them. Im going to give them a go myself this year. They have to be up off the water to prevent predators getting in, so the floating barrell mentioned wouldnt work. I had a similar feeding station set up on a bottomless pond before so you could use the idea for that though. -We couldnt set up nest tubes on it for that reason, it just goes straight down from the edges, no shallow water.