The Tree-nesting Ducks
In suitable locations artificial sites may be provided for any of the several wild ducks which ordinarily nest in hollow trees. These ducks, as breeding species, are mostly northern, the Wood Duck being almost the only one which regularly nests, except at the higher elevations, very much south of the northern United States border. The Hooded Merganser may appropriate the house intended for the Wood Duck, and vice versa.
The location is of first importance. This should be a secluded wooded stream or body of water. The stump or tree which is to form the support for the house, and also the entrance to the house itself, should be in plain sight from the water. It may be a hundred feet from the nearest shore, but the nearer the shore the better. A lone trunk, or one of several on the edge of a wood, will do. Avoid placing the house too near the ground. Further specifications are given in Table I and Plate V.