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<p>When Bob Avery reached inside a wood duck nest box and handed the contents to Devin Schappert, he was passing on a tradition.</p><p>More than 30 years ago, Avery, who is a member of Ducks Unlimited, got involved helping to improve things for wood ducks on State Game Lands 57. Over the years, the Wilkes-Barre resident has erected and maintained wood duck boxes, planted the edges of ponds with vegetation that waterfowl prefer and, his favorite part, conducted yearly checks of the boxes to see if the ducks nested successfully.</p><p>On July 15, Avery checked wood duck boxes on Upper Bean Pond. Along with friend and fellow DU member Eric Lewis, Avery checks the boxes every year in July to determine how many were used by wood ducks and how many eggs they hatched.</p><p>But this year, Avery had a bit of help.</p><p>Three members of the North East Pennsylvania Chapter of Delta Waterfowl - Schappert, Bill Sterling and Randy Jones - joined Avery not only to help, but learn as well.</p><p>Avery taught the members how to erect duck boxes, what various aquatic plant species look like and how to tell the type of duck that used a box based on the thickness of the shells inside. Boxes are checked in July, Avery said, because most of the eggs hatch by mid-June and the nests aren&#8217;t deteriorated.</p><p>Avery said it&#8217;s a thrill to pass on what he knows to younger people who are continuing his work with the ducks on SGL 57.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m on cloud nine,&#8221; he said. &#8220;To find younger people who have the interest and dedication to do this is fantastic.&#8221;</p><p>The group checked 10 nest boxes and nine had nests, made by either wood ducks or hooded mergansers. When Avery opened the door on the first box, the presence of down feathers told him there was a nest inside.</p><p>As he removed the contents, he showed the trio from Delta Waterfowl had to determine if the nest was successful by counting the membranes left behind when each duckling hatched out of its egg.</p><p>Avery also showed them the cap from each eggs, which is a circular shaped part of the shell left when the duckling breaks out.</p><p>&#8220;Bob has been accumulating this knowledge for more than 30 years and being out in the field with him is the best way to learn,&#8221; Schappert said. &#8220;Bob brought us in on this so we can get more done together.&#8221;</p><p>While Avery is a member of Ducks Unlimited and Schappert, Sterling and Jones are with Delta Waterfowl, the two groups found a common bond when it comes to improving things for ducks.</p><p>&#8220;We all want to put more ducks out there, and it&#8217;s easier to work together for a common goal,&#8221; Schappert said.</p><p>&#8220;Bob is giving us an opportunity to learn something every time we come up here,&#8221; Jones added.</p><p>As the group walked along Upper Bean from box to box, Avery showed them how to identify the plants that ducks like, such as duck potato, smartweed and button bush.</p><p>Improving the habitat, Avery said, is the most important aspect when it comes to helping the duck population on SGL 57.</p><p>&#8220;Things have been done to reduce the acidity in the water up here and now the there is more micro-nutrients in the ponds, which hopefully will result in bigger broods and more for the ducks to eat,&#8221; Avery said. &#8220;This is about habitat enhancement as well as maintaining wood duck boxes.&#8221;</p><p>Still, the most thrilling part for Avery, even after 30-plus years, is walking up to a nest box in the summer to see what&#8217;s inside. That&#8217;s the surest way to determine if all his hard work is producing results.</p><p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t wait to see what hatched out,&#8221; Avery said. &#8220;You&#8217;ve done the work and now you get to see the result.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bob Avery, right, hands membranes from wood duck eggs to Bill Sterling. The membranes are an indicator that ducklings successfully hatched in the nest. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bob Avery, right, hands membranes from wood duck eggs to Bill Sterling. The membranes are an indicator that ducklings successfully hatched in the nest. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tom Venesky | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bob Avery holds shavings, down feathers and eggshells removed from a wood duck nest box on State Game Lands 57. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Bob Avery holds shavings, down feathers and eggshells removed from a wood duck nest box on State Game Lands 57. </caption1><photoCredit1>Tom Venesky | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Devin Schappert of Delta Waterfowl reaches inside a wood duck box to check for egg shells &#8212; a sign that the nest was successful. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_woodduck3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Devin Schappert of Delta Waterfowl reaches inside a wood duck box to check for egg shells &#8212; a sign that the nest was successful. </caption2><photoCredit2>Tom Venesky | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Members of Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl partner to aid wood ducks</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>VIDEO </strong></p><p>To see video of the inside of a wood duck box, read the online version of this story at timesleader.com.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">tirizAe4-Ts</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tirizAe4-Ts</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;"></p><p>Members of Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl check wood duck nest boxes on Game Land 57</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Tom Venesky | Times Leader</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl members work together to improve waterfowl habitat