PROVO, Utah — Wildlife groups are building henhouses on Utah Lake to help increase duck populations.
The project by the Provo Bay Delta Waterfowl chapter, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Lake Authority started last summer.
"It’s been fun to be able to come out and see how we can improve the habitat for waterfowl,” said Robby Edgel, a habitat restoration biologist with DWR.
"I was raised here on the south end of Utah county, around Utah Lake my whole life. I want my kids and other people’s kids to get to experience the things that I’ve experienced growing up in this area,” said Dallis Davis, the chairman of the Provo Bay Delta Waterfowl chapter. “What we do is put up a 12-inch round nest that is suspended above the water. It’s got two layers of wire with hay in between for protection."
Hens fly into the house and build their nest. Davis said the project, which is in its second year now, has been successful so far.
"Statistically from Delta Waterfowl, it takes 3-5 years for a nest to be used the first time," Davis explained. "The fact that we had 26 out of 30 in our second year and 7 out of 12 in our first year, was remarkable. We came back out 30 days later, and we're able to check the nests again — 11 of the 26 nests got used a second time. A second hen moved in and laid a second nest of eggs."
He added that they are building these structures and maintaining them with volunteers and donated funds. Their goal is to double the number of henhouses for next year by having 30 more by 2025.
"We can see by the high use of the nests that there definitely has been a need for structures like this to avoid predation,” said Edgel. “Predation has been a serious problem long Utah Lake."
But, they do need the public's help.
"We’ve had issues out here with some vandalism. We've had about a dozen nests get vandalized and destroyed,” said Davis.
"As people come out here on the lake and they see these nest platforms, we ask that they leave them alone, and stay a good distance away so that they don't disturb the nesting ducks,” said Edgel.
You can learn more about the henhouses and get involved with Delta Waterfowl here: deltawaterfowl.org/hen-houses.
