It's almost spring time and our local critters are getting a head start on preparations for warmer weather. Today the 4 of us took a nice nature hike around Lake Mercer in Fairfax Station. The park service recently finished the trails on the north side of the lake and you can now hike completely around the lake, about 4 miles.
During our excursion we noticed two Cormorants sunning on tree stumps. I've never seen them at the lake before. Here is one of the pictures I took using a 500mm lens.
There were also plenty of squirrels. I caught this one raiding his winter stash.
Near the end of the hike, I managed to chase a Red Bellied Woodpecker around for a bit and got this excellent shot before he got tired of the pursuit.
It was a very nice afternoon and I cant wait for more of our local and migratory critters to come back as the weather warms.
