Wood Duck Nesting Box Project

We are fortunate to live in rural East Texas where we may interact with and enhance wildlife. Hunting and fishing are ingrained in our culture and lifestyle. With this advantage of having wildlife comes the responsibility of stewardship. Wildlife conservation has become the pride of the outdoorsman in a couple of generations. The days of sustenance hunting have been replaced with bag limits, hunting regulations and habitat protection. The results have been a bounty of wildlife for all to enjoy.

A benefactor of this movement has been the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa, meaning “Water Bird in Bridal Dress”). The male Wood Duck in all its glory is one of the most beautiful birds in North America. This magnificent bird almost became extinct at the turn of the previous century due to over hunting, decorative feathers and loss of habitat. While many waterfowl migrate annually on the Central Flyway to the Texas coast from their nesting grounds in the north, the Wood Duck is a local resident.

A local, ideal habitat for the Wood Duck is the hardwood bottomland along the Neches River within the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge. While Wood Ducks may naturally nest in tree cavities, their brood success rate is enhanced by the placement of Wood Duck nesting boxes. These boxes allow hatching without the interference of predators. A project has been undertaken to place Wood Duck Nesting Boxes in the Neches Refuge by the Friends of the Neches River.

You are invited to become involved with this project by contacting Michael Banks at mdbanksdds@gmail.com or Kim Caraway-Zemer at kimzemer@icloud.com.

Michael Banks

Kim Caraway-Zemer

Friends of the Neches River

Jacksonville, Texas