An Early Summer Afternon at Hammond Pond

A hungry mallard

At about 2pm today I stopped by Hammond Pond briefly to see if there might be any spotted sandpipers feeding on the lily pads.  From the over looks at the parking lots I could not spot any sandpipers, but I was quickly greeted by the songs of a Baltimore oriole and warbling vireo while an eastern kingbird splashed down into the water right in front of me before flying off.

Visiting Hammond Pond is a mixed experience for me these days. There is a lot of construction at the shopping center, but the trees blocked most the activity from view. However, on the pond itself, there is a floating "raft" holding up a pipe that looks like it is being used to pump water out of the construction site. I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine that this particular activity is any good for the health of the pond. The company that owns Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, WS Development,  is responsible for about 25% of the land abutting Hammond Pond. The proximity of the parking lots to the water edge increases run-off and pollution and would not be up to current development standards. I am worried that they are not as concerned about the health of the pond or the residents who enjoy it as they should be. They must appreciate the pond's beauty, however, as they are also about to replace the building that currently holds City Sports with a taller building with the top floor (with an excellent view of the pond) serving as their corporate headquarters.

Red-winged Blackbird

But I pushed these thoughts from my mind and concentrated on the omnipresent blackbirds and their raucous calls. A few Canada geese floated out on the pond, and a single mallard flew over and pretended to preen; I think she really just was looking to see if I might offer her something to eat. A great blue heron flew across the pond, while a second stalked the shallows on the far shore. My last find of the day was a red-tailed hawk lazily soaring over Hammond Pond.

According to eBird data, Hammond pond and the surrounding woods (including Webster Conservation Area and Houghton Gardens) is one of the best birding locations in Newton, second only to Nahanton Park. I just hope that we can keep it that way.

Hammond Pond