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: