Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
III-D. Birding Trosper Pond
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This is a private pond at the end of Trosper Road in the 27455 Zip Code in Greensboro.
Administrator: No administrator or neighborhood association has been found. Hours of operation: There are no hours of operation to list. |
Directions
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GPS coordinates: N 36° 10.033’ W 079° 49.433’
Directions: To reach Trosper Pond from the City of Greensboro, go north on Lake Brandt Road from the intersection of Lawndale Avenue about a mile to Trosper Road, which is across from Jesse Wharton Elementary School, 5813 Lake Brandt Road, Greensboro, NC 27455. Turn right (east) onto Trosper Road and drive to the end of the road. From Lake Brandt Marina, go south 0.4 mile to Trosper Road and turn left (east). At the end of this short 0.7 mile street, the road circles the pond. |
Description
Trosper Pond is a private pond in a residential neighborhood near the Lake Brandt Marina. Guilford County birders often check the pond while birding around Lake Brandt, and it is worth a trip in late fall and winter even if the marina is closed. There are vantage points on the east and the west ends of the loop from which the pond and water edges may be viewed. With care, one can pull over well to the side of the road and see most of the pond from the car. However, remember that this is a residential area and the lake is private property, so don’t block the road and don’t park on residents’ lawns. Birders are usually welcome and we want to keep it that way.
Over the years local residents have introduced Mute Swans, Greylag-type barnyard geese, Muscovy Ducks, and white domestic ducks. Although sometimes they’re fun to watch, it is the naturally-occurring native species that usually interest birders, and visitors rarely are disappointed, especially in late fall and winter. This pond is the most reliable place in the area to see Buffleheads, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, which arrive early in November and stay all winter. Sprinkled among them often are Pied-billed Grebes. Sometimes there are small rafts of American Coots.
Artificial nest boxes and feeding by lakeside residents serve to support a sizable number of Wood Ducks, which apparently attract others of their species from time to time. (A flock of seventeen was seen one snowy winter morning.) Sometimes Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and occasional widgeons all crowd into this little pond. A careful observer usually can turn up a Great Blue Heron and sometimes a Green Heron along the edges of the pond. Semi-permanent populations of Canada Geese and Mallards are usually around even when nothing else can be seen on Trosper Pond.
It isn’t clear why this particular pond is so attractive to waterfowl; possibly it may be due to some unusual bottom configuration, although it remains unseen. Whatever the cause, some good birds have turned up over the years. For two winters in a row there was a Tundra Swan in residence, and one year there was a wayward pair of Ross’s Geese around for several weeks.
After looking over Trosper Pond, return to Lake Brandt Road. Turn left (south) to return to the city of Greensboro, or turn right (north) to continue birding around the Greensboro lakes. To continue birding, the next convenient site is the Lake Brandt Marina or Plainfield Road.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
Over the years local residents have introduced Mute Swans, Greylag-type barnyard geese, Muscovy Ducks, and white domestic ducks. Although sometimes they’re fun to watch, it is the naturally-occurring native species that usually interest birders, and visitors rarely are disappointed, especially in late fall and winter. This pond is the most reliable place in the area to see Buffleheads, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, which arrive early in November and stay all winter. Sprinkled among them often are Pied-billed Grebes. Sometimes there are small rafts of American Coots.
Artificial nest boxes and feeding by lakeside residents serve to support a sizable number of Wood Ducks, which apparently attract others of their species from time to time. (A flock of seventeen was seen one snowy winter morning.) Sometimes Ring-necked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and occasional widgeons all crowd into this little pond. A careful observer usually can turn up a Great Blue Heron and sometimes a Green Heron along the edges of the pond. Semi-permanent populations of Canada Geese and Mallards are usually around even when nothing else can be seen on Trosper Pond.
It isn’t clear why this particular pond is so attractive to waterfowl; possibly it may be due to some unusual bottom configuration, although it remains unseen. Whatever the cause, some good birds have turned up over the years. For two winters in a row there was a Tundra Swan in residence, and one year there was a wayward pair of Ross’s Geese around for several weeks.
After looking over Trosper Pond, return to Lake Brandt Road. Turn left (south) to return to the city of Greensboro, or turn right (north) to continue birding around the Greensboro lakes. To continue birding, the next convenient site is the Lake Brandt Marina or Plainfield Road.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette