Erecting Duck Nesting Boxes at Bushy Park Wetlands

Over a few months in mid 2003, The Friends of Bushy Park Wetlands (FBPW) in conjunction with the Friends of Dandenong Valley Parklands Inc. (FDVP) made and painted about 30 Duck Nesting Boxes to be erected around various wetlands in Dandenong Valley.

The FBPW members decided it would be better to delay the erection of their allotted 5 boxes until the water level at the southern lake near the bird hide had dropped.  With a very dry start to 2004 it was decided to erect the boxes over 2 days on Monday 8th and Monday 22nd March.

Before we erected the boxes to the poles we used nuts and washers inside the box to secured 2 half shells of special post clamps to each of the 5 nesting boxes. The post clamps (photo-1) were obtained from Atlas Rodek Fencing in Knoxfield for about $5 each, or $10 per box.

Click thumbnail photos to see a larger image

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-1

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-2

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-3

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-4

With the water about 0.5 metres below normal level, it was possible to do the job while wearing gumboots, instead of waders.  The fact that the metal poles were 3.2 metres long presented a height problem for using the post rammer.  However this was overcome by using a shovel to first dig a hole about 0.4 metres deep into which the pole was placed (photo-2). With the pole on an angle we slid the rammer over the end (photo-3), before raising the pole to a vertical position. Then to gain extra height the person using the rammer stood on a nesting box which lay on the mud.  It was then easy to ram the pole a further metre into the ground (photo-4).

gDuck Nesting Box Erection Photo-5

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-6

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-7

Duck Nesting Box Erection Photo-8

With the pole secure in the ground we then placed an end cap over the top of the pole to keep the rain water out (photo-5). It was then time to mount the nest box to the pole using the other half shell of the special post clamp (photo-6). The box was then raised up the pole and each clamp nut tightened with a ring spanner (photo-7). Another finished box shows one of the 2 hook and eye clips holding the side access flap, used for nest box cleaning, closed (photo-8).

By Trevor Hudson

Published April 2004

Updated 1 April 2004