Jonathan Snyder got a beautiful photo of a brown pelican in flight at Kiptopeke State Park in Northampton County on the Eastern Shore.
Steve Daniel sent a photo of a pair of great egrets performing a dance at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach.
Mike Earp sent a photo of a great egret that was congregating with other egrets at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. “Egrets are sometimes thought to bring good luck,” wrote Earp. “Their lifespan is 15-20 years and they often live in large colonies.”
Geese are on the move. Reuben Rohn had a rare sighting of a white-fronted goose at the Edward S. Brinkley Nature Preserve in Cape Charles. “These waterfowl are rarely seen on the East coast,” wrote Rohn. The white-fronted goose is found mostly west of the Mississippi.
Kristin West spotted turkey vultures on the rooftop of the home across the street in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach. “There were actually five buzzards all sunning themselves in the morning sun,” wrote West.
Katherine Byrd photographed a turkey vulture with its wings outstretched on a light post in the Estabrook neighborhood of Norfolk. “This bird flew over me very low and at first I thought it was a hawk but then it circled and landed on a light post,” wrote Byrd. “Apparently it was dining on a squirrel that had been hit by a car in Estabrook.”
Nancy Gorry got a photo of a hummingbird in the Kings Grant area of Virginia Beach. “I had just put out what I thought would be the last of the nectar for this year when this female showed up,” wrote Gorry. “Not sure if this is one bird who is sticking around, or a parade of birds on their travels.”
Connie Owen was in her front yard in Robinhood Forest in Virginia Beach when she saw a question mark butterfly go by and land on the underside of a hydrangea leaf. “It has the most perfect camouflage in a leafy world,” wrote Owen. “I never would have found it if it hadn’t flown right by me.”
Rich Thiesfeld got a close-up photo of a black rat snake using his forked tongue to sense his surroundings at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles that take advantage of warm, sunny days to bask in the sun.
Stephen Restaino sent a photo of a close encounter with a 10-foot-long alligator at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is one of the northernmost homes for alligators that burrow beneath the surface of the mucky waters.
Benjamin Gerber photographed a squirrel peeking out from a tree branch in the Western Branch neighborhood of Chesapeake.
Jeff Lewis took a photo of a juvenile red wolf at the Alligator National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “This is a young wolf that has not been collared yet,” wrote Lewis. The Alligator National Wildlife Refuge is the only place in the world where red wolves exist in the wild.
Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net
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If you go
What: Winter Wildlife & History Tram Tour
When: 1-5 p.m. Nov. 19 and 25
Where: False Cape State Park, 4001 Sandpiper Road, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Parking Lot, Virginia Beach
Cost: $8 per person
More information: Reservations are required. Call 757-426-7128.
![A nearly century-old Oklahoma company that supplies stock for rodeos had as many as 70 horses die a week ago after receiving what an owner believes was tainted feed. Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. near Elk City, told KFOR-TV that the horses died shortly […]](https://www.pilotonline.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2023/04/14/3X2JI5FLARG3XCZMNVHACWQSAA.jpg?w=535 "A nearly century-old Oklahoma company that supplies stock for rodeos had as many as 70 horses die a week ago after receiving what an owner believes was tainted feed. Rhett Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo Co. near Elk City, told KFOR-TV that the horses died shortly […]")