Bill Rogers sent a photo of a bald eagle perched on the top of a dead sycamore tree on the banks of the Nansemond River in Chuckatuck. “What a present for Christmas,” Rogers wrote.
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
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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.
