The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: edstrong on April 12, 2021, 10:53:51 am

Title: Duck island banks too steep?
Post by: edstrong on April 12, 2021, 10:53:51 am

Hi duck owners, could I ask for your wise advice. We have a new island that we hope will attract wild ducks but wonder if the banks are too steep. The island is about 30 foot by 25 foot wide and about a foot high above the water and currently covered in short grass (see photo) but this grow long and unkept and we have also planted some small native hedgerow whips to give some shelter.

There are visiting mallards already but they prefer the shallower edges of the pond.

Any ideas on how to make the island more attractive to the ducks while remaining as natural looking as possible?

Thanks

(http://www.ehgp.com/public/islanda.jpg)

Title: Re: Duck island banks too steep?
Post by: Womble on April 12, 2021, 11:29:23 am

How about getting a wooden plank with a rough surface, or with wire tacked to it, and floating one end of it in the pond like a ramp?

Title: Re: Duck island banks too steep?
Post by: Fleecewife on April 12, 2021, 12:03:35 pm

How deep is the water?  Can you dig back into the earth in 2 or 3 places around the island to create a more gradual slope from the edge inwards? At the same time you could create a beach area, if the surrounding water is not too deep.
Are there any flowers, reeds and so on, or is it just plain grass?  It certainly looks a bit barren at the mo.  Ducks like water plants so maybe plant some of them into the water at the island edges, with rushes and reeds for cover.

Title: Re: Duck island banks too steep?
Post by: edstrong on April 12, 2021, 06:26:24 pm

Thanks for the replies. I don't want to use any artificial structures if I can avoid it. The island is bare at the moment but it should green up quickly once the weather improves. The slope continues down into the water at the same angle (about 30 degrees) to about 5 feet deep. It wouldn't do any harm to do a bit of digging so I might row out there with a spade sometime and create a lower section, and use the spoil to make the island a little less like a billiard table.

Title: Re: Duck island banks too steep?
Post by: arobwk on April 12, 2021, 07:37:57 pm

No duck expert here, but you mention wild ducks rather than potentially less mobile/flight-capable domestic duck varieties: personally, I wouldn't worry. 
Wild female ducks will almost certainly take advantage of your island for nesting idc if they like your 'pond'.