Hi,
i have an island (30ft diameter) in a lake and it is overgrown with dense vegetation and 8metre trees. I was thinking of clearing it to allow a safe sanctuary for birds and to try and encourage more birds into the lake. Any advice on this or if it is worth trying?
Thanks.
For mallards, nesting and sheltering young would need some form of cover, marginal vegetation as well as vegetation on the island itself, which is what it already has. If you wanted to provide a grazing or loafing area for them then short grass would be OK for that purpose alone. A shingle island with a few tunnels may attract in terns and possibly waders.
I would be tempted to say leave the island as it is and think about creating another one or two as a number of islands (or rafts) offering different habitats is going to increase the diversity of birds and other wildlife on the lake.
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Hi arobb1,
Islands can provide shelter from predators, nesting opportunities and safe loafing spots for many species of bird. However, different types of islands offer different benefits and many species may already be taking refuge on the well vegetated island. Before you go ahead with any clearance, you should try to find out which species are already using it and for what purpose. If the island already shelters many species then I would consider leaving it be, however if it has limited wildlife value, you could look at managing it for nesting terns or wildfowl.
Obviously any nesting birds on the island would be afforded protection so any clearance work that you do go ahead with would have to carried out at the right time of year, early spring and autumn for example. As the main breeding season for most birds covers March to August, you would need to stay off the island throughout this period.
We have some information about creating and managing islands on our website linked here as well as some information about creating rafts for birds which may be an option for you to consider.
thanks very much for your reply. if the island has nothing on it would clearing the island to a short grass state be best for ducks which is one of my main target species? thanks.
I think if it was mallards, they would prefer plenty of cover, even if it is an island. Whatever the vegetation is, let it grow and wither, and see what happens and what birds you get.
Seriously thinking about trying harder!
Thanks alot for your help, i think il hold off on clearing all the vegetation on the island and may consider a nest raft.
Here's an alternative to a raft. I built mallard nest boxes once, and put one on top of a lidless plastic dustbin, which I stood in the water with some old bricks in the bottom to hold it down. I built the box on a platform which I then fastened to the top edge of the bin. Another quick idea is to anchor the box on top of a small mound of sand bags. Not pretty but functional! A mallard took to it but the clutch failed.
Good luck with your plans!
:-)
Andy