There are several ponds around the site ranging from the man made, to natural and seasonal ponds. The main ponds of interest are Thorpe Wood pond, Pickard's Meadow bomb crater pond, Pickard’s Meadow large pond, Pickard’s Meadow seasonal pond, Tilery Wood pond and the Arboretum Field pond.

The two newest and the oldest ponds are all on Pickard’s Meadow. The seasonal pond was created in 2003, and then the large pond in 2004. The third pond on the meadow was originally a bomb crater left over from the Second World War, when the Germans tried to bomb the railway line that is now the main walkway.

There are three species of newt that live in our ponds these being the common smooth newt, palmate newt and great-crested newt. Nearly all of our ponds have good healthy colonies of dragonfly and damsel fly. There are also a great number of species that live on or in the ponds such as diving beetles, water boatmen, leeches, coots, mallard ducks and even kingfishers.

Occasionally we run pond-dipping events for the public or school groups. This is strictly as a ranger led activity only and we always use our own nets and equipment. This is so that no water born diseases can be transfer in to our ponds and affect the wildlife. The public are strongly requested not to bring their own nets to the park for use in the ponds as there is a strong likelihood of you inadvertently killing our pond dwelling wildlife.

One of the most frequently asked questions is can I fish in the pond or are there any fish in the pond. The only fish that might be found in any of the ponds are sticklebacks and fishing is not allowed in any form – pond dipping with nets included!

Three natural watercourses pass through the park, these being: Brierley Beck flowing through Brierley Wood and emptying into the lake on Wynyard Estate, Thorpe Beck flowing through Thorpe Wood where it emerges and meets Whitton Beck which flows through the south side of the park. In turn the lake at Wynyard and Whitton Beck eventually join Billingham Beck which flows into the Tees. These freshwater sources are home to much of the same wildlife that can be found in the ponds and the same rules apply with respect to fishing or dipping with nets.