The beautiful wood duck is a common and enjoyable sight along Louisiana’s bayous; however, they weren’t always so abundant. Fifty years ago, wood duck numbers were low due to a lack of nesting habitat. Now, artificial nesting boxes have enabled the wood duck population to rebound and have ensured their viability for all to enjoy. The best part of this success story is that anyone living near a wooded waterway can help continue the wood duck’s legacy. It’s really not that hard to raise wood ducks yourself. All you need is water, brood cover, and a proper nesting box. If you’d like to learn how to rear wood ducks and help ensure that these majestic ducks remain a common sight in Louisiana’s waterways, come join The TECHE Project at their annual Wood Duck Management Workshop.
This year’s workshop will take place at the Shadows-on-the-Teche Visitor Center (across the street from the historic home) in New Iberia, from 9:30 a.m.-noon on Sat., Jan. 31, 2026. The workshop is held just in time to get your wood duck nest boxes installed for the spring nesting season, and the location in New Iberia is optimal as there is ample habitat in the area for wood duck nesting. The workshop will start with a general ecology discussion of wood ducks by Patti Holland, TECHE Project director and retired biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Council member Brent Miller will discuss his firsthand experience and guidance from many years of rearing wood ducks on the banks of Bayou Teche. Also, TECHE Project Wood Duck Nest Box Program participant Scott Albarado will share his technical knowledge on how to set up cameras that film wood duck nesting inside the box and the chicks fledging on jump day!
Wood duck boxes will be available for purchase. If you live on Bayou Teche, you can join our group of over 60 participants from mile one to mile 132 that are doing their part to raise wood duck numbers. Last year alone, we reared more than 700 wood duck chicks on the bayou. Participants in our Wood Duck Nest Box Program also get a free Bayou Teche Paddle Trail sign for their wood duck box, displaying the mileage of their spot on the bayou.
According to Holland “This workshop is a great opportunity for those living near Bayou Teche to be part of the ecological improvement of the watershed, and watching wood ducks throughout the nesting process is an added bonus.”
Bayou Teche property owners are the target audience, but anyone who is interested in raising wood ducks will benefit from this workshop. If you are a TECHE Project member, the workshop is free; for others, there is a charge of $10.
Also, if you would like to help support The TECHE Project and all of the great things happening on the bayou, you can choose to apply your admission fee to the purchase of a TECHE Project membership. Together, we are doing great things on the bayou!
