Originally published in Lake of the Woods Area News, Volume 54, Number 4, Fall 2024
Nature knows best! Human intervention can create imbalance to an otherwise masterful, complex design. Our island home often provided the perfect habitat. Deadfall provides nesting and hiding spots for rabbits and grouse. Standing dead trees can accommodate foraging woodpeckers. Sometimes, however, we can help offset severe conditions such as extreme flooding, or to minimize the impact of our footprint. It is then that building homes for our friends in nature can engage both young and old and help feathery or furry friends. Here are some homes to consider.
Wood ducks and mergansers
Wood ducks have sharp clawed feet, perfect for hanging onto trees. They look for hollow trees or nest box. ‘Jump day’ is one day after hatching. With their mom calling, ducklings leap and glide, sometimes onto water and sometimes on the ground. Wood ducks can jump from a hole dozens of feet from the ground, but it is better to mount the box five to ten feet, so they do not have to fall as far.
The box has a hole approximately four inches in diameter close to the top of the front panel. It can be made of any material but cedar lasts the longest. It should not be painted so it appears natural to its surroundings in the woods. Preferably the opening should face east to offset the prevailing winds and towards the water.
Approximate dimensions: front/back and sides 9 inches wide by 18 inches high. The photo of this duck box that my husband made shows a slightly extended roof cover, a vent at the top, and a simple latch to be able to thoroughly clean the box each season. Audubon International has a more elaborate design at
audubon.org/news/how-build-wood-duck-nest-box.
Loon raft
Sorry no photos available but hopefully you can imagine this nifty solution to water levels that can vary immensely on Lake of the Woods—and prove disastrous for our beloved loons.
Our island shoreline could be a welcoming home for the female loon to build her nest close by the water’s edge. Too often however, lake levels change in the spring and we would find her nest flooded and her eggs, once encased by the warmth of her body, now in frigid water. The loon’s legs are positioned far to the rear of their body for best swimming and diving—not equipped for walking long distances on land.
We had some success building a loon raft again, from materials on our island. The raft needs to float on the water so that the nest is six to twelve inches above the water. It should be anchored close to shore and allowed to rise and fall with the water level. Regular check ups are needed. The area should be secluded and not subject to heavy traffic. Loon nests require privacy to have a successful brood. Take heed. Improper placement can put nests more vulnerable to gulls, eagles and wakes or waves from boats that will flood the nest. Rafts can also break loose from shore if not secured properly. Placing the raft as soon as the ice melts is important.
Don’t get discouraged, if loons don’t immediately take to the raft. Continue to keep putting the raft out in the spring and remove in the fall. If you have no loons using it within three years, it is likely not the right location.
Cedar provides the best floating material although it may get waterlogged over multiple uses. Build a platform approximately four feet by four feet, leaving a gap of less than a quarter inch in between for drainage. Attach four cedar logs together for the base and cover with cedar deck planks. All of you know how to chain or attach things to shore if you live on the lake.
A Google search found many photos of similar loon rafts of varying degrees of complexity.
Bats
Milled ten-inch accent lumber gave our little cabin a Frank Lloyd Wright appearance. We also added un-barked red pine slabs that acted as a wainscot to the grey stucco exterior. We liked the appearance, and so did the bats.
Bat colonies can exceed 200. They are predators to pests such as mosquitoes—a great asset in the woods around our lake home. We were determined to build them a new home.
There are numerous bat box designs and many bat boxes sold online. The Canadian Wildlife Federation also has a free download and instructions at cwf-fcf.org/en/explore/bats/bat-house.html.
Some of CWF’s top tips include:
- Use natural woods or non-toxic composites and galvanized screws and nails
- Glues and paint used in construction should also be non-toxic
- If using paint, dark colours absorb heat faster and can make it more comfortable for the bats
- Install roosting grips inside for the bats to hang onto (these can be mesh)
We used what materials we had on the island. Typically, there should be three-quarter to one inch roosting chambers, an open bottom, rough surfaces, and vents. There can be a landing pad on the bottom, just a little piece where they can easily land and crawl up into the house. The house should be approximately 50 cm in height and 36 cm wide.
CWF advises that bat houses around this size help keep a more stable temperature and provide more space for a new mother to raise her pups. You may also want to consider building or buying a multi-chamber bat house with passage holes between chambers, since the number of bats that gather in a single roost can vary widely.
While it took a few attempts, we were happy to see our bat’s take residence in their new home. Everybody was happier in the end.
Happy building!
