Wood Duck Nesting Project

Between 2008 and 2015, Skyline High School students periodically assisted with a cavity duck nesting project at the Hazel Wolf Wetland Reserve.  Our project focused on the wood duck (Aix sponsa).   

We visited the wetland twice a year.  In the fall, we removed the previous seasons nests and prepped the boxes for the next nesting season.  We brought the abandoned nests back to the class to determine egg laying success.  We determined which species of birds laid eggs and whether or not the eggs hatched successfully.  If the eggs did not hatch, we estimated the development of the embryo.  In the spring, we made sure all the boxes were still camouflaged and installed data collection probes.