Originally a mud pond, the viewing pond is where Jack brought home his first seven wing-clipped Canada geese in 1904 in hopes of attracting wild, migrating geese. However, it was not until the spring of 1908 that Jack watched as eleven migrating geese sailed over the pond and landed. They were protected and given a home of safety as they migrated north. The following spring, thirty-two returned, and in 1910, that number jumped to 350. The original magnificent, magnetic seven quickly turned into hundreds of thousands of migrating geese and ducks.

It was here that Jack was able to watch over migrating geese. Today visitors can feed ducks and geese with the provided barley, sometimes right out of their hands. Nearby, visitors can spot peacocks, quails, turkeys, and pheasants which are in their outdoor enclosures during the warmer months and reside in the Stadium during the colder months. The viewing pond is also home year-round to several geese who have been injured, cannot fly, or may have a nutritional deformity we call “angel wing”. Although an “angel winged” bird may look like it has been injured, it was born this way, and it is believed to be caused by inappropriate food, such as bread and popcorn which have left the bird nutrient deficient.

Grab a cup of barley from our bin, and get up close and personal to feed the birds in the viewing pond.