Ashby Pond Conservancy Site is a 4-acre park consisting of a natural pond with a 0.3-mile walking trail around it. It was purchased in 2004 as open space area. Because the park is so small, waterfowl and herons frequently can be watched without binoculars. The pond has water circulators in the north end that prevent a total freeze over in winter and low oxygen conditions in summer. The park is tiny, birds come and go, so some days birding is excellent but less so on other days.
Hooded Mergansers are the highlight of winter, varying from a few to as many as 30 by spring migration. They dive for minnows, court and display with their loud, frog-like croaks, and sometimes interact with Mallards and American Black Ducks that may be around.
During both spring and fall migration, the early sun hitting trees by the outflow channel (the wooden bridge to the right when approaching the pond) offers good conditions for warblers and a variety of other passerines. Thrushes, flycatchers, Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers and waterthrushes are more likely to be found by walking around the pond. Uncommon birds for Ashby Pond that have been seen only once or twice include Bufflehead, Great Egret, Double-crested Cormorant, Mississippi Kite, and Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Between summer 2013 and summer 2019, about 23 species of birds have been confirmed as breeding at or near Ashby. All years have had a Canada Goose nest and a Mallard nest, and some years a Wood Duck brood. Green Herons nest nearby and bring their downy young to the pond as did kingfishers in a recent year. Five species of woodpeckers nest here—Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, and flicker. A Pileated Woodpecker nests nearby and brings young into the pond area. Most years Northern Rough-winged Swallows nest here, and Eastern Phoebes and Eastern Wood-Pewees are also regular nesters. The most abundant nesting birds are Carolina Wrens, House Wrens (in the yards that back up to the pond), Gray Catbirds, and Northern Cardinals. One Red-winged Blackbird pair nests here each year.
Black-crowned Night Herons are a frequent summer visitor, though numbers vary from year to year, while Yellow–crowned Night Herons are rare visitors. Great Blue Herons and Green Herons are summer regulars. After trout are stocked for a kids’ “Fishing Derby” in early April, an Osprey becomes a regular for a time.
Accessibility: Ashby Pond is in a suburban neighborhood and can be reached by car by taking Estel Road from Main Street and turning left on Ashby Road; the pond is on your left. There are two parking areas provided and you can also park along the road. There is a 0.7 mile handicapped-accessible paved path to the pond edge and a number of benches for sitting and enjoying.
Owner/Manager: The City of Fairfax
eBird Hotspot: Ashby Pond Conservancy Site
—Paul and Joan Woodward
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