I visited Mason Neck State Park today not knowing that it’s duck hunting season. With the sound of guns blasting in the background the only ‘wildlife’ I saw in the park were the plastic decoys floating near the duck blinds. So I hiked through the park to do some hunting of my own (for images).  There are still some areas with patches of ice throughout the park.  I used a 105mm lens to take the image above.

Then I came across some American Sycamore trees along the shoreline and took the photograph below of the bark of this tree. The bark is composed of layers that peel away revealing gray, green, brown and white colors, looking like a natural camouflage pattern.

Earlier today I stopped by Huntley Meadows Park to see if the ice was still covering the wetlands (it was) and this Canada Goose appeared to be making a statement about having to sit in the icy water.