Wood Ducks, Aix sponsa (Anseriformes: Anatidae), and Black- 

 water Impoundments in Southeastern North Carolina 



Craig A. Harper 1 , 

 James F. Parnell, and 

 Eric G. Bolen 

 Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Wilming- 

 ton, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 



ABSTRACT— Three small (<2.0 ha) newly constructed, wooded 

 impoundments located on first-order blackwater streams were exam- 

 ined for suitability as habitat for wood ducks (Aix sponsa). We evalu- 

 ated brood and roosting cover as well as availability of mast and inver- 

 tebrate foods. Wood ducks used the new impoundments for nesting, 

 brood rearing, feeding, and roosting. Feeding was heaviest on 

 impoundments with dense cover where water oak (Quercus nigra) 

 acorns were abundant. Brood rearing was restricted to sites with dense 

 low cover. Roosting activity was highest where live, dense, woody 

 cover was available. All sites were used by wood ducks throughout 

 much of the year. Management recommendations include drawdown 

 prescriptions designed to ensure live, woody shrub cover and continued 

 mast production. We conclude that construction and active manage- 

 ment of small blackwater impoundments offer a means of improving 

 habitat for wood ducks and other wetland wildlife in the Coastal Plain 

 of North Carolina. 



Bottomland wetlands and other sites suitable for wood ducks have 

 declined across North America (Dugger and Fredrickson 1992). North Carolina 

 has been no exception, with alteration of more than 50% of the state's palustrine 

 wetlands (Cashin et al. 1992). Thus, the creation of new wetlands is potential- 

 ly significant in ameliorating the problem of wetland drainage, and is potential- 

 ly significant to wood ducks. Three blackwater creeks at Camp Lejeune were 

 impounded by the Environmental Management Division in October 1990, creat- 

 ing small (<2.0 ha) wetlands to be managed primarily for wood ducks. Although 

 much is known about wood ducks elsewhere (Bellrose and Holm 1994), the use- 

 fulness of creating small impoundments as wood duck habitat is questionable. 



Present Address: Department of Forest Resources, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634. 



80 



