Joe DiGeronimo sent photos of an egret rookery in the Oceanview neighborhood of Norfolk. “These beautiful great white egrets’ nesting colony is a beautiful sight presenting photo opportunities,” DiGeronimo wrote, “but unfortunately their presence has somewhat taken over a portion of this neighborhood.”

Prue Salasky got a shot of a great egret taking flight at Knitting Mill Creek in Norfolk. “I wasn’t sure if this egret was real or a lawn ornament as it allowed me within feet before taking flight,” Salasky wrote.

Nancy Norman sent photos of a great blue heron stalking along the edge of the marsh at Back Bay in Virginia Beach.

Michael Schimmel came across a pair of yellow-crowned night herons having a crab feast at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach.

Neil Rose sent photos of a yellow-crowned night heron nest with young in the nest in the Freemason District in Norfolk.

Kevin Jones sent photos of a yellow-crowned night heron at Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. “Several have made this section of the beach home,” Jones wrote.

Bill Caruso photographed a yellow-crowned night heron at the Myrtle Park area in Larchmont on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk.

Jane Hughey photographed a male house sparrow “trying to get kids to fledge from the birdhouse” in her yard in the Saratoga section of Norfolk. “Little piece of dried mealworm as incitement,” Hughey wrote.

Mike McClane sent a photo of a chickadee enjoying a snack on his deck in the Chelsea neighborhood in Virginia Beach.

Linda Glasson sent a photo of a dragonfly hanging out in the grasses at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach.

Allen Waters got a shot of an assassin beetle peeking out of a Japanese iris at the Tidewater Arboretum in Virginia Beach.

Reuben Rohn got a photo of a terrapin resting in the sand at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach. Terrapins live in brackish rivers and streams along the Chesapeake Bay and the seaside of the Eastern Shore.

Tony Silvia sent a photo of a large snapping turtle on a log with a yellow-bellied slider in the Nottoway River near Franklin. “I can’t recall ever seeing these two species hanging out together, so it was a pretty lucky shot,” Silvia wrote.

Elizabeth Weller sent photos and a video of a box turtle laying eggs in her yard at the North End in Virginia Beach. “It took her two hours to dig the nest, and 20 minutes to lay three eggs,” Weller wrote, “and after a short rest about an hour to cover them up.”

Norm Grefe sent a photo of a skink with a caterpillar in its mouth at the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk.

Connie Owen sent photos of a pair of northern water snakes enjoying the sun at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. “I value the good things snakes do for us,” Owen wrote.

Gary Williamson got a shot of a cottonmouth gaping with its mouth open while resting in poison ivy at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake.

Dan Short came upon an alligator swimming through the dark waters at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Alligators can be found throughout the coastal regions of the southeast with North Carolina being their northernmost range.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

Mike Weirich sent photos of a flock of pelicans at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. “Birds were gorging over whatever fish were on the rocks,” Weirich wrote.

William Hughes photographed a bald eagle sitting on the ground at Kempsville Greens Golf Course in Virginia Beach.

June McDaniels spotted a Wilson’s plover standing alone on the beach at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. “This bird nests on the islands off the Eastern Shore,” McDaniels wrote, “but is a rare visitor to Virginia Beach.”

Frank Elber sent photos of Canada geese enjoying the pond in the Warwick Forest Retirement Community in Newport News. “The geese enjoy taking a shower under the fountain, then preen and after that take a nap,” Elber wrote.

Stephen Horan sent a photo of a great egret that was preening itself on a branch near Topping Creek when a red-winged blackbird started diving at it. “Eventually, the egret had had enough and flew off to a different tree,” Horan wrote.

Douglas Richards sent a photo of a very wise-looking crow at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach.

Marilyn Siegel heard a tap on the window at her home in Alanton in Virginia Beach and turned around to see a gorgeous pileated woodpecker staring at her. “He obviously wanted to come in for a chat,” Siegel wrote.

Connie Owen has been enjoying watching red-bellied woodpeckers coming and going from a tree in her backyard in the Robinhood Forest area of Virginia Beach. “I would love to see baby faces, but I don’t want to spend too much time below the nest so as to not stress the parents,” Owen wrote. “The birds are grabbing seed from my birdfeeder.”

Joe DiGeronimo sent a photo of a towhee, one of his favorite returns in the bay dunes just west of First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

Reuben Rohn sent a photo of a rare Bullock’s x Baltimore oriole hybrid in his backyard in Kempsville in Virginia Beach. “The black ‘beard’/throat, the wing bars and the yellow ‘eyebrow’ are like a Bullock’s, but the dark face is like a Baltimore,” Rohn wrote.

Mike Weirich sent photos of bluebirds that were in and out of the nesting box all day feeding the young in his backyard in Great Neck Estates in Virginia Beach.

Gary Williamson got a shot of an adult canebrake rattlesnake camouflaged among the leaves in southern Chesapeake that was at least 4 feet long. “It had 14 segments on its rattle,” Williamson wrote. “The segments were the same width so that indicates an old snake. This snake could easily have been 10-15 years old.”

Michael Schimmel was alerted to the presence of a black rat snake crossing the trail at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

Mary Blunt sent a photo of an albino squirrel that was spotted at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

Dave Zerbian spotted a mink in his backyard in Riverton in Virginia Beach.

Cindy Hamilton photographed a family of nutria snuggled up among the grasses at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. Nutria are semi-aquatic rodents from South America that were imported into the United States in the early 1900s to control noxious plant species and in turn became an invasive animal species. Nutria can now be found in many swampy locations throughout Hampton Roads.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

Joe DiGeronimo photographed an osprey in flight with a shad in its talons, lifting off the bay, flying over First Landing State Park dunes in Virginia Beach. “Finally a catch, determined, heading back to the nest to share a family meal,” wrote DiGeronimo.

Linda Glasson got a photo of an osprey with a fish caught at the Oceanfront adjacent to Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach.

Vicky Gray was alerted by a neighbor to an eagle that was sitting in her front yard in the Thalia neighborhood in Virginia Beach. “Stayed for 30 minutes and took off when people and dog activity became a little too much,” wrote Gray. “We have seen eagles flying around and landing on the tops of trees but never on the ground.”

Cindy Hamilton sent a photo of American white pelicans in flight at Hog Island Wildlife Management Area in Surry. The bump on the bird’s bill is a breeding plate that forms in January and drops off after the female lays eggs.

Michael Schimmel sent a photo of a willet hanging out at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach.

Connie Owen was happy to note the return of the yellow-crowned night herons in the Robinhood Forest area of Virginia Beach. “There are at least three nests on my block beside the Lynnhaven River,” wrote Owen. “The nest restoration is underway.”

Michael Schimmel found a Killdeer at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. “He seemed as curious of me as I was of him,” wrote Schimmel.

Joe DiGeronimo photographed nonbreeding adult willets feeding along the bay shore of First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Willets are large, stocky shorebirds that display a striking black and white wing stripe when in flight.

Mike Weirich sent photos of blue-winged teal at False Cape State Park in Virginia Beach. Blue-winged teal are small dabbling ducks seen in marshes and small lakes. The males are easily identified by their bold white crescent shape in front of the eye.

Ted Hleba photographed glossy ibis at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. “Quite a treat,” wrote Hleba. From a distance, glossy ibis look almost black but at close range the maroon body and metallic green, bronze and violet tones in the wings are visible.

Bill Rogers sent a report of seeing a “real” bird feeder in his yard in Suffolk. “Looking out the dining room window during breakfast I spied a Cooper’s hawk sitting atop one of my feeders,” wrote Rogers.

Michael Schimmel sent a photo of a yellow-rumped warbler perched at the top of a Wax myrtle bush at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. The berries from the waxmyrtle are one of their favorite winter foods.

Robert Ake sent a beautiful photo of a rose-breasted grosbeak in his backyard in Norfolk. “This male or another just like it has been singing, eating sunflower seeds, and bathing for several days,” wrote Ake.

George Schmitt photographed a towhee in the Arrowhead section of Virginia Beach. “Beautiful bird,” wrote Schmitt. “This seems to be the time of year when I see them in the yard.”

Michael Riley photographed a beautiful hummingbird moth sipping nectar from flowers in his yard in the North End of Virginia Beach.

Gary Williamson came upon a red-bellied water snake at Merchants Millpond State Park in northeastern North Carolina.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

Michael Schimmel had a front row seat observing “a bald eagle and osprey have a territorial issue at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge” in Virginia Beach.

C. Herring sent photos of a mute swan and an immature bald eagle on the Western Branch Lynnhaven River in Virginia Beach.

Paul Simms sent photos of male and female red-breasted mergansers and an immature bald eagle that were spotted hanging out in the Chesapeake Bay from Cape Henry Towers in Virginia Beach.

Mike Weirich saw a few red-breasted mergansers that were still hanging around Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. He also spotted his first osprey in Rudee. “Looks like one was trying to fly to the moon,” Weirich wrote.

Allen Waters found a tree decorated with a combination of white ibis and great egrets at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore. “I’m seeing more and more white ibises in this location,” Waters wrote. “Large yards were covered with white ibises foraging around, obviously enjoying the very wet/rainy/windy weather. It looked like an ibis farm.”

John Gibbs photographed a yellow-crowned night heron that was “keeping a watchful eye on passers-by” at Willoughby Bay in Norfolk.

Steve Daniel took some photos of a pair of snowy egrets at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach. The male was displaying his breeding plumage of long, wispy feathers on his back, neck and head.

Cindy Hamilton photographed a razorbill that has been hanging out at Fort Monroe in Hampton. “Seeing this species from land is a rare treat, especially when they’re close enough to see without binoculars,” Hamilton wrote. “This species spends most of its adult life in the ocean, coming ashore only during breeding season.”

George Schmitt sent a photo of a pigeon in his backyard feeding on the ground in the Arrowhead section of Virginia Beach.

Connie Owen has enjoyed seeing the downy woodpeckers in her backyard in the Robinhood Forest area of Virginia Beach. “They are easy to see as the trees still are bare,” Owen wrote. “Spring is around the corner and so are the leaves.”

Dotty Laverdiere reported seeing groups of yellow-rumped warblers fattening up in her yard on a suet cake before beginning their journey north and west to their breeding grounds. Yellow-rumped warblers are the only warbler that is able to digest the waxing coating found on the berries of the wax myrtle shrubs.

June McDaniels spotted a beautiful white (gray) squirrel perched on a post while walking on the Cape Henry Trail in First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Albino gray squirrels are the rarest form of gray squirrel.

Mike Weirich got a surprise when he saw a nutria baring its orange front teeth on the banks of the lake at the Red Wing Lake Golf Course in Virginia Beach. “Have never seen nutria at the Red Wing Golf Course,” Weirich wrote.

Waller Whittemore photographed a cottonmouth stretched out on the branch of a tree in Carova in northeastern North Carolina. The cottonmouth had its mouth open, revealing the white cotton lining inside — a warning not to come any closer.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

___

If you go

What: Blue Goose Tram Tours

When: Through Memorial Day, the tram runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where: The tram leaves the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge parking lot at 9 a.m. and returns there at 1 p.m.

Cost: $8 per person

More information: (757) 757-426-7128; www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/false-cape-tram

Taylor Proffitt sent photos of bald eagles in a lake in the Kings Grant neighborhood in Virginia Beach. “We see them fairly often,” Proffitt wrote.

Linda Glasson sent a beautiful photo of a juvenile bald eagle at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

Michael Schimmel spotted a group of tundra swans feeding and resting at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach during the Winter Wildlife Blue Goose Tram Tour.

Joe DiGeronimo sent photos of nonbreeding adult willets, feeding along the bay shore of First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. “These beauties had nearly vanished in Virginia, for they were actively hunted as a highly sought after food source up until 1918 when market hunting of willets was outlawed,” DiGeronimo wrote.

Connie Owen had an unusual sighting of a group of white-fronted geese while visiting the Edward S. Brinkley Nature Preserve in Northampton County on the Eastern Shore. Owen “was excited to see these unusual geese among the numerous Canada geese, mallards, and buffleheads.”

Reuben Rohn got a photo of a harlequin duck at Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore. The harlequin duck is a rare sea duck in Virginia with a round head and short bill. They are usually found on rocky coastlines in the winter.

Gina Rose sent a photo of a very cooperative and beautiful great blue heron near the Pagoda in Norfolk.

Neil Rose photographed a great blue heron on the Norfolk waterfront near the battleship.

Steve Daniel sent photos of great egrets and a great blue heron at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach.

Terry Zawacki sent beautiful photos of pelicans lined up on the edge of a boat basin at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Joan Grippo had a great day at the Norfolk Botanical Garden observing and photographing pelicans. “Cherry blossoms are blooming with a beautiful fragrance,” Grippo wrote.

Mack Barefield sent a beautiful photo of a flock of cedar waxwings visiting his bird bath in Broad Bay Colony in Virginia Beach.

Terry Riley sent a photo of a male oriole in his backyard in the Three Oaks neighborhood in Virginia Beach. “Since putting this feeder out several weeks ago, we’ve had male and female orioles stop by for grape and red berry jelly almost every day,” Riley wrote.

Ruth McElroy Amundsen photographed a flock of robins that were “enjoying the only unfrozen water around” in her heated birdbath at her home in Norfolk.

Ellen Keeter photographed hummingbirds at her feeder in Birdneck Point in Virginia Beach. “I am lucky enough to normally have at least two hummingbirds year-round,” Keeter wrote.

Michael Barney photographed the largest copperhead he had ever seen sunning on the main trail at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.

Nancy Watters sent photos of a fox that has been visiting her patio each night in Broad Bay Point Greens in Virginia Beach.

Mike Weirich got a photo of a group of dolphins frolicking in the water by the boat ramp at Owl’s Creek in Virginia Beach. Pelicans were also flying over. “I assume there were fish up there,” Weirich wrote.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

Helen Pipcho got a wonderful shot of a Wilson’s snipe wading in the marsh at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. Wilson’s snipe can be found in wet meadows and marshy areas during the winter months and then go north in the spring for breeding.

Joe DiGeronimo photographed buffleheads feeding in the Chesapeake Bay just off First Landing Beach in Virginia Beach. In recent years, “a flock of bufflehead faithfully arrived from the north to enjoy a few relatively warmer months with us, before heading back north for spring breeding,” DeGeronimo wrote.  “They sure seem to enjoy diving and dining on our neighborhood fish supply.”

Cindy Hamilton had a rare sighting of a dovekie swimming and diving at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. Dovekies are tiny, black-and-white auks that are expert swimmers and dive deeply to hunt zooplankton.

Rita Elson photographed two bald eagles having lunch in a farm field in Smithfield.

Nancy Watters sent photos of a young bald eagle having a “yummy seagull” for breakfast on her pier in Broad Bay Point Greens in Virginia Beach.

Taylor Proffitt spotted a bald eagle resting on a log and hanging out with a group of mallards in a lake bordering a swamp in the Kings Grant neighborhood in Virginia Beach.

Mike Weirich spotted a pair of common loons fishing in Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. “One even got lucky and caught lunch,” Weirich wrote.

Scott Tabakin sent a photo of a black vulture that had been flying around his Middle Plantation house in Virginia Beach before choosing his dock for a resting perch.

Benjamin Gerber got a photo of a red-shouldered hawk perched on a branch in Bennett’s Creek in Suffolk.

Laura Mae got a photo of a western tanager, a rare visitor in the Eclipse neighborhood of Suffolk, feeding on cedar berries. As its name implies, the range for the western tanager is in the western part of the United States.

Monica Ramanathan sent a photo of a beautiful female cardinal perched on a lichen-covered branch at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach.

Ed Obermeyer sent photos of a tufted titmouse and a male bluebird that have been having a feeding frenzy at his feeders in the Castleton neighborhood in Virginia Beach.

Reuben Rohn photographed a blue-gray gnatcatcher at the Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area in Virginia Beach. “This bird should have migrated south a long time ago, but somehow stayed behind,” Rohn said.

Shirley Callis sent photos of brightly colored male and female Baltimore orioles nesting behind her mother’s home in Ocean Hills in Virginia Beach.

Harold Winer sent photos of a female oriole feeding on grape jelly and two mature male bluebirds feeding on mealworms in the Kings Grant neighborhood of Virginia Beach.

Connie Owen photographed a brown creeper going up a pine tree searching for insects in the Robinhood Forest area of Virginia Beach. Owen also reported seeing bluebirds, yellow-rumped warblers and the usual crows.

Carmen Scherrer sent a photo of a female oriole feeding on nectar from her camellia flowers in Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. “I see a lot of birds eating the nectar of the flowers, and for our honey bees is one of the only sources out there right now,” Scherrer wrote. “It also keeps the leaves in winter so it serves as a shelter for many birds.”

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

Mike Weirich got a photo of a squadron of pelicans flying overhead as he was paddling at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach.

Charles Kline got some shots of a great blue heron while visiting the Norfolk Botanical Garden in Norfolk. “My wife and I walked into the Japanese Garden and was surprised to see the blue heron posing for a picture on the rock at the center of the pond,” Kline wrote. “The heron stayed there for a few minutes and then flew back towards the boat basin.”

Neil Rose photographed a great blue heron that flew to the roof top near the Pagoda in Freemason Harbor in Norfolk. “Suspect it had been dining on koi at the pagoda,” Rose wrote.

Ankie Keizer got a photo of an American bittern camouflaged among the grasses at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The vertical brown stripes on its neck enable it to blend in with the surrounding grasses.

Carmen Scherrer photographed a black and white warbler, a newcomer to her yard in Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. “I had never seen him hanging out before for so many days in a row,” Scherrer wrote.

Laura Koubsky sent a photo of a beautiful meadowlark at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Meadowlarks are often seen in farm fields in the winter foraging for leftover grains and seeds and can be recognized by their bright yellow underparts and a striking black “V” across their chest.

Connie Owen sent photos of yellow-rumped warblers, also referred to as butter butts that she had been seeing in her yard and around town in the Robinhood Forest area of Virginia Beach. “They are our energetic winter visitors,” Owen wrote.

Reuben Rohn photographed a palm warbler at the Harris Teeter Retention Pond in Virginia Beach. “One of the few warblers here in the winter,” Rohn wrote. Unlike many warblers that forage in the forest canopy, the palm warbler forages on open ground or in low vegetation and can be identified by its constant tail-wagging.

Joe DiGeronimo photographed a flock of starlings perched in a tree at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “European starlings’ iridescent sparkle star-like in color are intelligent, social, devoted monogamous parents,” DiGeronimo wrote. “Unfortunately for our song birds, starlings are aggressive and territorial, earning the predator designation as an invasive species.”

Denise Maples spotted a large pod of dolphins in front of her property on the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Virginia Beach. “Obviously an abundance of fish was out there because pelicans and cormorants were feeding as well,” Maples wrote. “It looked as though they might be bubble-feeding.”

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

___

If you go

What: Winter Wildlife Festival with Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation – 2024 Photo Contest

When: Through Feb. 5

More information: Visit WinterWildlifeVB.com for full details.

Ronald Skasko spotted an immature white ibis at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. It is believed by some birders to possibly be one of the first ones ever seen at Stumpy Lake. Immature white ibis are a mix of brown and white with a pink bill and legs.

Michael Schimmel sent a beautiful photo of an American wigeon at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Male wigeons are recognized by their brownish-gray head and wide green stripe behind the eye and a white cap.

Carmen Scherrer photographed a cedar waxwing in Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. “They come in big groups, perch on the trees and then dive into the bird baths to drink, 10 at a time!” Scherrer wrote.

Connie Owen was delighted when she saw a hermit thrush having a nice bath at her birdbath in the Robinhood Forest in Virginia Beach. “He seems to be a regular winter resident at my house,” wrote Owen. Hermit thrushes can sometimes be seen in the winter foraging on the ground or in wooded yards with berries.

Harold Winer sent a photo of a male and female bluebird in the Kings Grant area of Virginia Beach. “Our resident bluebird pair noticed a chickadee go into one of their nesting boxes,” wrote Winer. “They quickly flew to the box and chased the chickadee off and then inspected the box inside and out.”

Benjamin Gerber sent a photo of a pine warbler foraging on seeds from a crepe myrtle in the Western Branch neighborhood of Chesapeake.

Reuben Rohn photographed a field sparrow at the Harris Teeter Retention Pond in Virginia Beach. Field sparrows are fairly common and can be found by looking for them in shrubby grasslands or overgrown weedy fields.

Linda Clarke photographed a mother squirrel checking on her family that she has living in a hollow tree branch in Thalia Point in Virginia Beach. Squirrels have a summer home and a winter home. During the warm seasons, their nest is often located in the fork of a tree or branch. Squirrels will also occupy an existing hole in the trunk of a tree that has been carved out by a woodpecker, usually in the fall and winter.

Michael Riley sent a photo of a gray fox that his son Corey took sitting next to the neighborhood swimming pool at Holly Dunes in Virginia Beach. “Its colors are beautiful,” Riley wrote. Gray foxes have reddish fur on their underside and a black line of fur extending down the top of their tails to the tip. Red foxes have a reddish coat and black legs.

David Shouldice got a shot of a gray fox at Red Wing Lake in Virginia Beach. “I have seen foxes at night, but this is the first in daylight,” wrote Shouldice.

Helen Pipcho got a photo of a deer munching on rose hips along the North Landing River in Virginia Beach. Somehow the deer manages to work around the sharp, dagger-like spines of the rose bushes.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

If you go

What: Winter Wildlife Festival with Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation — a monthlong celebration of coastal wildlife and nature featuring over 50 activities, excursions, tours and more.

When: Jan. 27 through Feb. 4

Where: Various sites throughout Hampton Roads

Cost: Fees vary

More information: (757) 385-2990; outdoors@VBgov.com; parks.virginiabeach.gov/events-information/special-events/winter-wildlife-festival.

Ankie Keizer photographed a beautiful bald eagle posing on a branch in a pine tree at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “First, he was flying on top of us, but fortunately he decided to sit quietly for a moment,” wrote Keizer.

Joe DiGeronimo photographed a flock of tundra swans at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “On occasion, Open Roads events are in place wherein the refuge roads, normally closed to vehicles, are open to automobile traffic,” wrote DiGeronimo. “A unique opportunity.”

Reuben Rohn had a rare sighting of a long-billed curlew at Box Tree Marsh in Northampton County. The long-billed curlew is a long-legged shorebird with a very long, thin-curved bill. The curlew is a visitor from the western part of the country where they breed in the summer months and winter along the coast and interior Mexico.

Connie Owen photographed a lesser scaup at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The lesser scaup is a medium-sized diving duck that spends the winter along the coast in bays, rivers, and wetlands. They often mix with other diving ducks including greater scaup, redheads, and ring-necked ducks.

Laura Koubsky got a photo of a flock of redhead ducks taking flight at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Redhead ducks are medium-sized diving ducks that can be distinguished from other ducks by their cinnamon-red head. They often form large rafts with other diving birds.

Mike Weirich got some photos of black scoters at Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach. Scoters are black, velvety sea ducks with a bright orange knob at the base of the bill. They form large flocks in the winter along the coastline where they forage for mussels.

June McDaniels sent a photo of a barred owl that she and Andrew Baldelli spotted on Nanney’s Creek Road in Virginia Beach. “He was visible from the bridge,” wrote McDaniels.

Tom Houser had a pair of orioles show up in his yard in the Carolanne Farms neighborhood in Virginia Beach. “They were very skittish when they first started hitting our feeders,” wrote Houser.  “One of my favorite visitors!”

Pam Woody was delighted to see an oriole in her yard in Windsor. “Gorgeous birds!” wrote Woody. Orioles are often seen during the winter months as they are migrating south and can be lured to feeders with fruits and nectar.

Hummingbirds are still around. Nylia Laney looked out her kitchen window and received a surprise birthday greeting from a hummingbird coming to the feeder in the Castleton area of Virginia Beach.

Gary Williamson spotted a beautiful ribbon snake camouflaged amongst the leaf litter at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Ribbon snakes resemble garter snakes but have lateral yellow stripes against a dark background.

Steve Daniel spotted a gray fox while hiking the trail at Pleasure House Point in Virginia Beach. “I was thrilled to see a gray fox there for the first time on Friday,” wrote Daniel. “We had a stare-off for about a minute before it bounded back into the woods.”

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

___

If you go

What: Two-hour whale watching

When: December-February; 1 p.m.

Where: 200 Winston Salem Ave., Virginia Beach

Cost: $35/adults, ages 12-and-older; $33/military; $28/children 4-11; $5/toddlers 3 and younger

More information: (757) 425-3400; rudeeangler@gmail.com; www.rudeetours.com/whale-watching.

Connie Owen had a lovely day at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “Many of the usual subjects, and a few exciting ones,” wrote Owen. “The kingfisher was cooperative in having his picture taken,” wrote Owen.

Laura Koubsky sent a close-up photo of a blue-winged teal at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Blue-winged teal are easily recognized by the white crescent shape behind the bill.

Michael Schimmel photographed a colorful American wigeon at Witt Park in Virginia Beach. Wigeons can be found during the fall and winter in wetlands, ponds, and agricultural fields. Males are recognized by the metallic green eye patch and white crown.

Morgan Aspinwall sent a photo of “Elon,” the Muscovy duck that is behind the First Colonial Inn in Virginia Beach. “He’s so beautiful but so far out of his typical territory,” wrote Aspinwall.

Robert Joyner spotted an impressive red-tailed hawk perched on a mailbox at Bennett’s Creek Landing in Suffolk.

Terese Beatty photographed a Cooper’s hawk in Governor Square in Virginia Beach. Cooper’s hawks are frequently seen around backyard bird feeders where they prey on songbirds.

Amresh Vaidya was rewarded with a beautiful sighting of an American kestrel at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge Open Roads Day in North Carolina. “The kestrel was hanging around a few trees by the Knapp gravesite,” wrote Vaidya. “I guess it was looking for its morning breakfast.”

James Walton got an interesting photo of a turkey vulture in the Grafton section of York County. The vulture was “sitting on a fence spreading its wings with sun rays coming from different directions,” wrote Walton.

Benjamin Gerber sent a photo of a common grackle perched on a branch in the Western Branch neighborhood in Chesapeake. From a distance, grackles look like blackbirds but up close their colors shine. The head is glossy purple with bronze iridescent bodies.

Reuben Rohn sent a photo of a fox sparrow, a winter migrant here, at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. “It is one of the largest sparrows and one of the prettiest with its bright red/brown plumage,” wrote Rohn.

Steve Daniel got a photo of a yellow-rumped warbler perched on a maple branch at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. Yellow-rumped warblers are a winter resident and arrive about the time the wax myrtle berries ripen, one of their favorite foods.

Harold Winer photographed cedar waxwings that have made their fall appearance at his bird bath in the Kings Grant neighborhood in Virginia Beach. They arrive in the fall for the juniper and holly berry harvest.

Norm Grefe sent a photo of a beautiful eastern mud snake taking advantage of a warm day to sun itself at the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Suffolk. Mud snakes have a reputation of poking one with their tail rather than biting when picked up.

Mike Weirich sent photos of nutria that was one of three families that he passed while paddling on the Upper North Landing River in Virginia Beach.

Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net

___

If you go

What: Two-hour whale watching

When: December-February; 1 p.m.

Where: 200 Winston Salem Ave., Virginia Beach

Cost: $35/adults and ages 12+; $33/military; $28/children 4-11; $5/toddlers 3 and younger

More information: (757) 425-3400; rudeeangler@gmail.com; www.rudeetours.com/whale-watching.