Newsletter Archives

New at the Nest

Our customers are valuable to us. We continually search for new and better ways to serve you. In an effort to better meet your needs, BestNest aggressively adds new products to the website. Some of the new and exciting products that we've added are shown below. Be sure to check out our New Items department regularly.

Sales & Specials

We've decided to run a special on a handful of products. Act now on the following "Hot Buys" because the special ends on Monday, February 28th. Be sure to check out all of our exciting specials by visiting the Hot Buys department regularly.

Clearance

A few of our deeply discounted items appear below. These items feature exceptional savings and value but are not all of our sale items. More discounted items may be found in their corresponding departments. Be sure to check out some of our other exciting deals by visiting the Clearance department regularly.

Duck House Basics

Ducks have become one of the most familiar and interesting sights in birding, whether seen on the water or in the air. Seldom, however, do many of us think of their nesting requirements. Many ducks throughout the United States and Canada are cavity nesters, but finding it more and more difficult to locate a proper roosting site. Determining what ducks live in your area, adding a nesting box to it, and properly placing it for the birds can aid in increasing their populations and become a fun hobby for you.

The most well known duck to use a nesting box is the wood duck, commonly found in the eastern half of the United States. Buffleheads and common mergansers also will use a nest box, and thrive throughout most of the northern United States and almost all of Canada. Two other northern ducks, the common and Barrow's goldeneye, benefit from roosting boxes placed for them. In Arizona and Texas, the black-bellied whistling duck may roost in a cavity. Lastly, mallards, one of the most common ducks, will occasionally use a manmade box to raise their brood.

Providing nesting boxes to waterfowl helps to maintain a viable population, and can even reduce stress on the mother. All of these ducks require an enclosed, secure nest to lay the eggs, but their bill and webbed feet make them incapable of creating their own cavity. In the past, ducks would search for cavities abandoned by other birds or partially rotted trees in old growth forests. With habitat loss and new forests, these sites have become more difficult to locate. In addition, ducks require a much larger hole than would traditionally be made by a woodpecker or flycatcher. Thus, offering them their own nesting box allows them to create their nest easily.

Properly mounting your duck house offers these birds a better chance for survival. Most duck houses should be placed either directly above the water or as near to it as possible. For goldeneyes, mergansers, buffleheads, and wood ducks, the home can easily be placed on a pole or post and situated 4' to 6' above the surface of the pond. If this is not possible, locate the house 15' to 20' high on a tree or post near the water. Shortly after the eggs hatch, the mother duck calls to the nestlings and each jumps out of the box to reach her. Angling the home slightly downward and ensuring it has a ladder or other scoring so the nestlings can exit aids them in this process. Keeping the home near or above water makes the ducklings less susceptible to attacks by raccoons or hawks. A few inches of wood chips or other nesting material on the base will also create a soft bed and keep the eggs in place.

If you have a pond or lake near you, and wish to help duck populations thrive, place a nest box either over the water or in the vegetation around it. Offering roosting to goldeneye, bufflehead, mallard, merganser, or wood ducks is a perfect way to enjoy waterfowl. BestNest carries a fantastic selection of roosting boxes in our Duck Houses department. For more personal assistance, please call one of our customer service representatives toll free at 877-562-1818 from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.