23 April 2004

Amateur ornithologist monitors wood duck nest box using tiny video cameras

The plumage of male wood ducks (Aix sponsa) is among the most colorful of North American birds. Wood ducks prefer to raise their young in nests inside cavities of trees near or over water. As shown in the nearby photograph, many thousands of land owners assist in this task by building wood nesting boxes that they attach to suitable trees and and other supports.

Amateur naturalist Roger Strand has advanced far beyond assisting wood ducks to carefully observing what happens inside nest boxes when and after females lay their eggs. In an article in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press (April 11, 2004, Page C16), reporter Chris Niskanen describes how Strand has installed tiny video cameras and infrared illuminators inside three of the 100 wood duck nest boxes on his property, one at Sibley State Park, and another at the Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center near Spicer, Minnesota. Strand and others can now observe and hear what happens inside the box 24 hours a day.

Biologists are impressed by some of Strand's findings, including an instance where multiple females laid 36 eggs in a single box, the last of which carefully rotated and incubated all the eggs. Strand has even been encouraged to write a scientific paper about his observations.

Roger Strand, 68, is a retired surgeon. His observations exemplify the high quality science conducted by many thousands of amateur ornithologists. The Citizen Scientist commends Roger Strand for his observations of wood ducks and the Saint Paul Pioneer Press for publishing Chris Niskanen's fine article about Strand. We also commend the Associated Press for sharing Niskanen's piece with a wider audience.

Forrest M. Mims III