A Mystery at the Pond {Homeschool Pond Study}

There’s something wonderfully grounding about returning to the same place week after week. Our one year pond study has a rhythm has become familiar, walk the perimeter, listen to the birds, photograph changes, and excitedly report discoveries back and forth. That’s why, when we arrived at the pond this week, we weren’t expecting anything unusual at all. This week we had a mystery at the pond and discovered new life in our pond.

Find out more! If you’d like to know more about why we decided to do a year long pond study, this is the post for you!

At first glance, everything felt the same. The sounds were familiar, the plants unchanged, the water calm. Then came a squeal, an unmistakable, joy-filled squeal, from my youngest twin.

Read about our very own pond ecosystem as well as our examination of the pond water

She may be my loudest child (I’m forever reminding her to lower her volume), but this time I was grateful for every decibel. One look at her face told me she’d found something special.

Pond pollution is one thing that would affect the number and variety of plants and trees in our UK pond. Read about it here and see what we found.

I have written a post about Moorhen chicks and have included a follow up to show their growth from eggs to chick to fledgling teen-agers!

A nest.

Tucked beneath layers of growth, partially hidden from view, was a carefully built bird’s nest. It wasn’t easy to photograph, but it was unmistakably there, new life waiting to be discovered.

Fancy doing some pond art? Read here for our bark rubbings and leave hammering

Who Did the Nest Belong To?

Part of the joy of a homeschool pond study is becoming familiar with the wildlife well enough to ask real scientific questions. We knew quite a bit about our pond’s regular residents by this point:

• The Moorhens had already hatched three chicks earlier in the season

• Mallard ducks were past mating season, the males now molted and camouflaged like the females
• A Mandarin duck had been spotted elsewhere with a mate
• The Heron was solitary, and the nest far too small

• Canada Geese hadn’t been seen for some time

Click here to read about the animals and plants we have found around our pond

So who, exactly, had built this nest?

We kept walking, eyes peeled for clues. To be honest, we weren’t entirely sure what we were looking for, but nature didn’t keep us waiting long. In the undergrowth, we spotted a tiny chick alongside its mother.

We’ve done a whole study on the heron which you can read here!

A Moorhen… and one very small chick.

Take a peek at our Ash Tree Study which we began right at the start of our pond study and its extension Ash Tree and Lichen

A Mystery at the Pond Solved! A Second Set of Chicks?!

Confusion quickly turned into amazement. Surely the Moorhens had just had chicks? We were certain we’d seen the original three earlier that same walk. After a closer look, we found them, not tiny anymore, but noticeably bigger, confidently navigating the pond.

Read More! We learnt all about the variety of pond birds in the UK and the summer pond fauna

That’s when the questions started rolling in. Had we misunderstood what we’d seen before? Were those earlier “chicks” actually a different species? They’d grown so fast it almost felt impossible.

But then we noticed something we’d learned earlier in our study: Moorhens don’t have webbed feet, an unusual trait for a water bird. Watching closely, we saw it clearly. These growing youngsters were absolutely Moorhens.

Which meant only one thing.

Not only had the first chicks survived, but their remarkably capable parents had done it again. A second chick. A second nest. Clever mummy and daddy!

Why This Matters in a Homeschool Pond Study

This moment might sound ordinary, birds doing what birds do, but context makes it extraordinary. My own mum has lived near this pond for many years and had never noticed chicks before. And here we were, witnessing two broods in a single season.

This is the quiet power of long-term nature study. When children return to the same place consistently, they begin to notice patterns, changes, and rare moments others might miss. Our One year pond study isn’t just about learning facts, it’s about forming relationships with a place and its wildlife.

And yes, I was tempted to make a joke about waiting ages for a bus and then several turning up at once… but I’ll restrain myself. Mostly.

Way to go, little Moorhens.

(We absolutely cheered.)

Reflection Questions for Children

Use these to encourage observation, critical thinking, and connection and perhaps they may be fortunate and have a mystery at the pond all of their own:

1. What clues helped us identify the nest’s owner?
2. Why do you think the nest was hidden so carefully?
3. How did returning to the same pond each week help us notice this event?
4. What challenges do you think baby Moorhens face as they grow?
5. How might the pond ecosystem change because of new chicks?

Hands-On Activities to Extend a Mystery at the Pond

Nature Journaling
Have children sketch the nest, chicks, or pond layout. Encourage labeling and dated entries to track changes over time.

Bird Comparison Study
Research Moorhens alongside ducks or geese. Compare feet, nesting habits, diet, and parenting styles.

Build a Nest Challenge
Using natural materials (grass, twigs, leaves), challenge children to build a “nest” and test how well it holds small objects.

Lifecycle Timeline
Create a visual timeline of a Moorhen’s life, from egg to adult, based on observations and research.

Quiet Observation Session
Sit silently near the pond for 10 minutes and record every sound, movement, or interaction noticed.