Volunteers install wood duck nest boxes
On one of the last winter days of March, volunteers with the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America installed wood duck nest boxes on Normandale Lake. This project was done in partnership with the City of Bloomington and the NMCWD.
Wood ducks nest in tree cavities near water, and so man-made nest boxes like these are quite useful for them. They are one of the few duck species that have claws on their feet to help cling to tree branches. These nest boxes will serve to replace old, deteriorating ones on and around the lake.
Though ice has mostly gone by now, we will soon be looking for fluffy baby ducks to leap into the water!
Watch the video of the event here, produced by Paul Raymaker:
View video summary
A video from the Bush Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League about installing 15 wood duck nest boxes at Normandale Lake in Bloomington on March 6, 2021, in partnership with the City of Bloomington.
A chapter member explains the lake’s history. Normandale Lake was originally a wetland. For flood control, the City, the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers converted it into a shallow lake in the late 1970s and early 1980s, adding habitat islands and 18 duck boxes. Over the years most of those boxes deteriorated.
Another member explains that wood ducks nest in hollow trees, so the boxes stand in for them. Wood ducks were nearly wiped out by overhunting, habitat loss, and demand for their feathers, and have recovered thanks to hunting regulations and conservation. He encourages people with nest boxes to clean and check them every year and keep starlings and house sparrows out of them. He also urges anglers and hunters to switch to lead-free tackle and ammunition, since a single lost lead sinker can kill a duck.