A quick reminder to plan to work on your...

[h2ofwlr]

....Wood duck boxes and Mallard Hen Nests before it is too late and the ice melts.

This weekend should be a good time and the next 2 weeks too in S MN After that we could get iffy ice if it gets into and stays the 40/50s next week and the week after like Accuweather is predicting. Up north you will get more time. Being often sloughs/ponds can have poor ice where muskrats and beavers are, and sometimes springs, it is always a good idea to wear around your neck the ice picks that ice fishermen use to help pull your self out for in case you do go through the ice. And a light weight ice chisel works well for testing the ice if any iffy areas as you are walking on the ice. I always carry a 5/8" dia shaft ice chisel when on the ice.

I often have guys ask, do I need to check the Wood duck boxes every year? Well no you don't. But you can see the results of last years nesting efforts, see if any other critters got into an unprotected box, or if mice are in it, etc.. And also to make any needed repairs. Also look for at the ceiling for and knock out any wasp nests. Use wood shavings that you can buy at the pet store--but do not use scented shavings are they added oils to it. And oils and eggs do not mix well at all. On pine or older Cedar boxes, I use 1 part cedar shavings and 2 to 3 parts aspen shavings. The cedar shavings helps to keep the insects out.

Speaking of mice, they can be a bugger with boxes mounted in Canary grass and cattails. On a cone shaped guard there is enough space that they can get by. So I use 1/4" hardware cloth to fill in any gaps bigger than a nickel or a small almond. I use clear Ultima caulking (it can have a cold damp surface and still will stick, Menards carries it) to attach the mesh to the guard. And if any cattail reeds lean on the guard, the mice can use that reed stalk to bypass the guard, just be aware of that if you have persistence mice problems. (this is why I like to mount the pole at least 6' away from cattail stalks). Also - and this is very important - wear protective gear when removing the shavings. It is full of urine (that is the ammonia smell) and mice can have Hantavirus. I wear a dust mask and have a pair of Playtex or plastic disposable gloves that I carry with, and wear them when removing urine soaked shavings, and then take them off right away by turning them inside out keeping the outer lay in so I do not contaminate my clothing, etc. with their urine. If using the playtex gloves, sterilize them with a water/bleach solution when you get home and then rinse them with water a few times and then hang them to dry. (This also applies with if you had to use your regular gloves to remove urine soaked shavings). The reason that I bring this up about mice is that I have been seeing a lot more of a problem with them in recent years compared to 5+ years ago and some of you may perhaps encounter them too.

As for Mallard Hen Nests, if the inner nesting material is gone, they are as not as likely to nest this spring, thus why it is best to check them every year. As for refilling the outer ring, often you can poke clumps of hay/flax in between the wire in the top 1/3 with out unraveling the wire frame. I use a 20" long piece of wood lathe (about 3/8" x 2") to 1st push the existing materials to the center and then add a series of clumps in between the wire. But with hay, because it rots, often every 3-4 years you need to reroll the nest. With flax it is closer to every 5-6 years. And if any nests were flooded (partially or totally submerged) it is an automatic reroll as the materials have rotted. And with last springs record breaking rains, many lower MHN did just that - flooded. If you see black on the hay or flax--that is mold, and is a good indicator that is rotted and it has minimal integrity of the stalks, it'll just break apart easily.
As for what to use for rerolling/stuffing I use flax straw, but it is difficult to find in much of MN. The next best thing is soft upland hay. I do not recommend Canary grass (this is the stuff that grows near the cattails that mats and tangles together and is a bugger to walk through when Pheasant hunting) It is basically too stalky (coarse). You need finer stalks, thus "upland" hay works well. Also this upland hay is what I use for the inner nesting material as that is what the hens normally use to build their nest in a natural ground nest in the grassland area. So if buying hay - ask the farmer for the finer upland bale/s.
Also--those with allergies, it is best to wear a dust mask when rerolling and for some, even restuffing the nests from the ends. And being hay and especially flax stalks can give you slivers, the nitrate coated gloves work well as do leather gloves to minimize the slivers.

And if you can, bring a neighbor kid or even an adult with and introduce them to our great outdoors.