Mary Jane Hall had a surprise visitor from a bald eagle behind her Larchmont house in Norfolk on the Lafayette River. “Its wingspan was at least seven feet,” wrote Hall.
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.
