Douglas Pond, Palmyra, Maine: Focus Your Binoculars on Black Terns

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Douglas Pond, Palmyra, Maine: Focus Your Binoculars on Black Terns

Peace and Tranquility on Douglas Pond in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine


Douglas Pond is set in the Belgrade Lakes Region towns of Palmyra and Pittsfield, Maine. Lakefront property owners enjoy this impoundment along the Sebasticook River.


Encompassing 445 acres, Douglas Pond has a 7.2 mile perimeter well worth exploring by kayak or canoe. Birders especially like its proximity to the Madawaska Marsh Game Management Area, where among other waterfowl and birds, they spot the Black Tern, endangered in Maine.
According to a report by the State, “Despite its history of water quality problems and perhaps toxics (having received detritus from the tannery in Hartland in past years), it provides very good Inland Wading Bird and Waterfowl Habitat. Black terns nest here and, in recent years, Douglas Pond has had the largest nesting population in the state. Least bittern, a rare bird in Maine, finds excellent nesting cover in the cattail marshes. Other rare wading birds recorded from Douglas Pond include the common moorhen and American coot. Bald eagles have been documented nesting along Douglas Pond and a freshwater mussel, the rare tidewater mucket, has been documented in the southern portion of the Pond. Douglas Pond also supports important fisheries including smallmouth bass, blacknose dace, white sucker and creek chub.” Best management practices including improving or creating buffer zones and replacing improperly sized culverts are being implemented to improve and protect the water quality.
No invasive aquatic species have been reported. To keep invasive plants out of the pond, please be sure to check your boat before you float.
Rolling hills and farmland dominate the landscape around the pond. Hilltop views include the Presidential Mountain Range to the west and Mount Katahdin to the north. Trails in the area provide great opportunities for hikers, mountain bikers and snowmobilers to get out and play.
While Palmyra is a quiet small town, you can still enjoy easy access to surrounding communities.
Pittsfield is home to the annual Central Maine Egg Festival, a celebration of all things brown egg. The festival includes The Big Parade, a carnival, food, street dance, contests and live entertainment. A bit larger than Palmyra, Pittsfield has all the amenities to meet your needs, including the Sebasticook Valley Hospital and Pittsfield Municipal Airport.
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While at your waterfront property, you might want to hit a golf ball at the 18-hole Palmyra Golf Course and Campground or JW Parks Golf Course, a nine-hole facility. And Douglas Pond is not far from Lakewood Theater, Skowhegan State Fairgrounds and the Senator Margaret Chase Smith Library.
Douglas Pond is located near I95 and it’s only a short trip to Bangor, Waterville, Moosehead Lake, Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin.
Stay at your lakefront property and focus on wildlife, swimming, fishing, hunting, biking, hiking, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. You can do it all right out your front door when you own a classic Maine cabin, camp or cottage on Douglas Pond.
To view lakefront property listings for sale on Douglas Pond, click on the green box above.
To learn more about other bodies of water nearby, click on the blog links below.
Sebasticook Lake, Newport, Maine: Gateway to the Moosehead Lake Region
Morrill Pond, Hartland, Maine: Where the Forest Meets the Pond

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