C.M. Crockett Park

C. M. Crockett Park sits along the shores of Germantown Lake, a 109-acre lake which is the result of a flooded quarry built by the area’s original German settlers. Although little remains other than the lake, this was the first German settlement in Virginia. Any trip to the park should involve a quick scan of the lake. Canada geese are found year-round and numerous other waterfowl can drop in from time to time, including pied-billed grebes, American coots, and the occasional tundra swan. Ring-billed gulls flock to the lake in winter and early spring and are sometimes joined by other gulls, such as Bonaparte’s gull.

In addition to the lake, the park has 100 acres of rolling hills and woodland with plenty of amenities. While walking through the woods, look for woodland birds such as eastern phoebes, northern cardinals and red-billed woodpeckers. In the winter American robins, cedar waxwings and white-throated sparrows also make an appearance. On warm, calm days the lakeshore is a great place to search for dragonflies such as widow and slaty skimmers, eastern amberwing and black saddlebags. This doesn’t include the occasional twelve-spotted or Halloween pennants that appear from time to time.