Duck nesting basket and duck board

So here we have it – one duck nesting basket and duck board!

The idea of the duck boards is to provide a simple ramp to encourage the ducks onto the banks of our pond. At the moment, the ducks fly onto the pond but do not venture out onto the banks, this is because they like a ‘beaching’ area and the pond is heavily surrounded by pretty dense vegetation.

I plan to clear some areas to open the area up a bit whilst leaving most of it ‘wild’ for their safety.

I used three long willow rods that were about 1cm at the butt end for the frame and simply stuck them into a large planter filled with earth to hold them steady for the weaving. Using any left over osier willow and trimmings from the trees in my garden that included hazel, cherry and weeping willow, I simply wove sticks in and out to form a simple ramp.

I am not sure how long this will last, but hopefully it will survive the season and being made from completely natural materials will not cause any toxicity to the pond or wildlife. The ramps should easily be revamped and replaced for next spring.

The nesting basket was started off very much in the same way. I used twelve osier willow withies, 1cm at the butt end and placed in a circle around the edge of the planter. The withies were tied at the top as if I were making a garden obelisk, but I made a continuous weave to create a ‘basket’.

Not wanting to use precious stocks of my top grade osier willow, I decided to use left overs and glean what I could from the garden. The weeping willow was excellent but a little floppy; by twisting together, this made a superb infill. I used the stiffer cherry branches and some hazel to give the basket structure and strength. I even utilised some of the discarded Christmas tree and am delighted that I have recycled this is such a unique way!

I am very pleased with the end result and it just goes to show that you really can create useful objects and weave virtually anything. Obviously the osier willow is far superior for weaving, its long straight form, pliability and strength make it a joy to work with, but if this is in short supply, then weeping willow makes a good alternative although I had some splitting and a weaker weave.

I have collected some long dry grass from a neighboring field to line the basket and I cannot wait to find a suitable location for it at the pond.

Watch this space to find out more about how I chose a suitable spot for the ducks to nest and how I secured the basket into position.