Mason Neck State Park January 2009
duck blind in Belmont Bay
With the new year I decided to check out a new place to hike, someplace local. There is this peninsula jetting out to the Potomac River in southeast Fairfax Country. This little peninsula is a wealth of wilderness in an otherwise densely populated county. On this little piece of land, about 8,000 acres, 5,000+ of those acres are for parks and wildlife refuge: Mason Neck State Park, Mason Neck Wildlife Refuge, Gunston Hall, and Pohick Bay Regional Park. There are probably others, these are just the ones I know of.
Surprisingly enough, I have never been to any of these parks after living in the area for 30 years. So I decided to start with the Mason Neck State Park. From some quick research online it is a good place to see bald eagles. However, I could not have picked a worse day or season for my first bald eagle hike. The weather turned out to be below freezing, windy, and over cast all morning into the afternoon. I later found a guide to bald eagle activities in the park and during Jan/Feb the resident birds are rebuilding their nests, so not a lot of activity. I will have to return in spring and summer when nature comes alive in the park.
small bird
On this day I hiked the Bay View Trail and Eagle Spur Trail. When I spoke to the nice young lady at the park entrance she said the Bay View was the best trail if I wanted to see the bald eagles. I didn’t see any on my hike, I couldn’t even find a nest in a tree. I have a feeling the weather played a part in me not spotting any bald eagles. I also think most of the bald eagles are deeper in the forest and wildlife refuge. If I was a bald eagle that is where I would be, furthest away from noisy people. But I look forward to trying again when the weather warms up.
The Bay View Trail was a nice mile long circuit hike. It takes you along the coast line, over a couple marshes and through the hardwood forest. Farthest away on the trail is a small bird blind that over looks a big marsh and pond area. I would imagine that when migratory birds are passing through this area comes alive with activity. But today it was not much, mostly small birds that stick around for the winter. I couldn’t even enjoy the peace and quite walking through the woods. The constant and sometimes gusting wind made all sorts of noise through the trees.
full of holes
Being a little disappointed with the Bay View Trail and plenty of daylight left I hiked a second trail, Eagle Spur. This is a 1.25 mile out and back trail right in the middle of the woods. When you reach the end there is another blind that over looks a bigger pond. Here I was able to see about two dozen ducks swimming around looking for food. Being the adventurous type I hike off the trail into the marsh land. Here flying high above me I think I spotted my first bald eagle. Standing on a log looking straight up proved difficult in getting a good look, or a good pictures. Even with my 300mm lens I could barely see anything, let alone have enough time to focus properly and get a good shot. But if asked, I will say I did see a bald eagle that day.
One word of caution about this trail, it is not clearly marked. The markers are silver and don’t provide a good contrast to the drab forest background in winter. They are also spaced far apart and don’t provide any indication when the trail turns back on itself. With all the leaves on the ground I couldn’t just follow the worn foot pathl, so the markers were that much more important. Sometimes the only indication of a trail I could find were small foot bridges in low valleys. Fortunately with my ninja like skills I found the blind at the end of the trail and the road on my way back to my truck.
bald eagle...I think
My first impression is I like the park. It is close to my house and provides several miles of hiking trails with great scenery of Belmont Bay and the natural forest available in Norther Virginia. There is plenty of benches and grills for summer bbq along with a good sized play area for the kids. Next time I will plan a better time of year to hike around to get a better look at the bald eagles that inhabit this small parcel of land so close to my house.
