FRIENDS OF JAMAICA POND and
FRIENDS OF OLMSTED PARK
36 Perkins St., PO Box 300040, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-0030
Gerry Wright, Founder and President
Telephone: 617-524-7070
Email: FrederickLawOlmsted@yahoo.com
TTY/MA RELAY 800-439-2370
"Let it be not for present use and delight alone, but let it be of such a work that our descendents will thank us for it."
Frederick Law Olmsted
Nature's
Class Room:Environmental
Education
ProjectsEmerald Necklace Fungi (Coming Soon)
Fall and Winter Park Visitors
There are many different species of ducks and waterfowl that visit the Emerald Necklace each fall and winter. Jamaica Pond's 54 foot depth of warmer waters rotate with the colder surface waters to keep it clear of ice deep into the winter. This also makes the pond very unsafe for skating. The ice free waters are a magnet to migrating ducks.
On any given day there can be a new waterfowl species from the common diving American Coots and Ruddy Ducks to the dynamic looking Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks. Rarer visits of American Widgeons, Redhead Ducks, Ring Necked Ducks, Lesser Scups, Bufflehead, Canvasback, Common Mergansers, Green Winged Teal, Northern Shoveler and accidental Long-Tailed sea ducks have joined the regular visitors of Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks and wild Mute Swans.
Pied Billed Grebe
The secretive Wood Ducks prefer the wood lined banks of Scarboro Pond in Franklin Park and islands of Leverett Pond in Olmsted Park. Pied Billed Grebes regularly fish on Jamaica Pond, Leverett Pond and Scarboro Pond. The Hooded Mergansers have been seen from Scarboro Pond to the Muddy River near Wheelock College to the Charles River. Large flocks of Ruddy Ducks will stay on the ponds till they freeze.
Wood Duck: “Summer Duck,” “Tree Duck,” “Carolina Duck,” “Squealer,” “U-Tut-Ne,” and “Aix sponsa” are other names for Wood Ducks given for habitat, range, its song, plus Native American Yahi and Latin names. The last translates to “waterbird in bridal dress.” Additional details and links HERE
Red Breasted Merganser
Waterfowl also winter in Boston Harbor... Red Breasted Mergansers, Common and Red Throated Loons, Brent Geese, and Common Elder can often be spotted on trips along the Boston Harbor walk and excursions to the Boston Harbor Islands.
by Stephen H. Baird
Alerts:
December 2020: Western Grebe visited Jamaica Pond.
November 2021: Redhead Duck pair visited Jamaica Pond
Contact and Email Information FRIENDS OF JAMAICA POND 36 Perkins St., PO Box 300040, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-0030
Gerry Wright, Founder and President
Telephone: 617-524-7070
Email: FrederickLawOlmsted@yahoo.com
TTY/MA RELAY 800-439-2370
Copyright © 1999-2021 by Stephen Baird