Pilling's Pond facts for kids
Pilling's Pond is a private nature area in North Seattle, Washington. It's a special home and breeding ground for many kinds of waterfowl (water birds). Charles A. Pilling, who lived in Seattle his whole life, created this pond. It has been a popular spot for birds and a cool place to see since the 1920s.
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The Story of Pilling's Pond
In 1909, James and Marietta Pilling bought a property in Seattle. They turned it into a dairy farm. In 1924, their son, Charles A. Pilling, was just twelve years old. He dug a small pond to help three injured mallard ducks. This was the start of his lifelong passion for raising and breeding water birds.
Over the years, Charles made the pond much bigger. It grew to be about 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. The pond gets fresh water from nearby Licton Springs. It's surrounded by tall bamboo plants, but you can still see it from North 90th Street. This makes it a unique part of Seattle's city landscape. In the 1950s, Charles even built a special system to control water levels.
Amazing Bird Breeding Achievements
Charles Pilling became famous around the world for his work with birds. In 1955, he was the first person to successfully breed the hooded merganser duck in captivity. He had found an injured female merganser, helped her get better, and then found a male partner.
He received more awards for breeding other rare ducks. In 1964, he was recognized for breeding the bufflehead. In 1977, he was the first to breed the harlequin duck. He also received the Grand Master Breeder Award. His biggest honor was being added to the International Wild Waterfowl Association's Hall of Fame in 1990. All these amazing things happened right at Pilling's Pond!
Sharing Knowledge with Others
As Charles Pilling became well-known, many people wanted to learn from him. In 1972, Paul Dye moved to Seattle just to learn how to breed birds from Charles. Charles taught Paul, who then started his own duck reserve. It was called Northwest Waterfowl Farm.
Pilling's Pond Today
In May 2001, a video documentary was made about Pilling's Pond. It showed many different kinds of birds living there. These included green-winged teals, wood ducks, mandarins, and even exotic Siberian geese and black swans. At its busiest time in autumn, the pond has been home to over 100 water birds!
Charles Pilling passed away in October 2001. In 2005, a neighbor named David Kunkle bought the property. He wanted to make sure the pond would continue to be a special place. Now, family members and neighbors help take care of the pond. They are part of a group called the Pilling's Pond Preservation Society. They work to keep the pond as a place for learning and nature. A local store, Puget Consumers Coop, has even donated lettuce for the birds for over ten years.
Pilling's Pond is still a unique and important place. It helps people learn about nature and the history of the Licton Springs neighborhood.
