Close Encounters: Immature, mature white ibis spotted in Virginia Beach

A mature and immature white ibis stand side by side on a branch at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Linda Glasson

By Vickie Shufer | Virginian-Pilot Correspondent

PUBLISHED: November 6, 2023 at 2:59 p.m.

Linda Glasson got a photo of an immature and a mature white ibis at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Immature white ibis have a patchwork of white and brown with a pink bill and legs.

Joseph Robbins sent a photo of a great blue heron that was surveying a spot on the James River for opportunities to find a freshwater meal.

A great blue heron surveys a spot on the James River for a freshwater meal. Courtesy of Joseph Robbins

Ted Hleba photographed a great blue heron taking flight at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach.

Frank Daman got a photo of a great blue heron flying over the Kempsville Golf Course in Virginia Beach.

Bill Caruso sent a beautiful photo of a great blue heron on the Jamestown Crescent Tidal Pond in Larchmont in Norfolk with flaming red sumac leaves in the foreground.

Jonathan Snyder photographed a snowy egret at Stumpy Lake in Virginia Beach. The small size, black bill, and black legs distinguish the snowy egret from other egrets.

Evan Rhodes spotted blue-winged teal at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach.

Mike McClane sent a photo of a beautiful red-shouldered hawk in his yard in the Chelsea neighborhood in Virginia Beach. “We watched as he ate a small snake,” wrote McClane. “A rather incredible sight.”

A red-shouldered hawk searches for prey in the Chelsea neighborhood of Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Mike McClane

Connie Owen photographed a cute little downy woodpecker probing for insects on a pine tree in Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. Downy woodpeckers are a permanent resident and are a familiar sight at backyard bird feeders.

A downy woodpecker probes for insects on a pine tree in Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore. Courtesy of Connie Owen

Beth Workman happened to catch a goldfinch giving her the eye from his perch on an oak branch in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake. “He was waiting for another goldfinch to leave the feeder in my yard,” wrote Workman.

Carmen Scherrer was excited to see her first female oriole arrive at her feeder in Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. “I put grape jelly out and mealworms,” wrote Scherrer. “She seems to get along with the bluebirds that are my regular all year-long mealworm customers.”

A female oriole arrives at a feeder in Chic's Beach in Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Carmen Scherrer — A female oriole arrives at a feeder in Chic’s Beach in Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Carmen Scherrer

Tammy Woodell sent photos of yellow-rumped warblers in Pocahontas Village in Virginia Beach. “I was standing in my backyard two days ago when, out of nowhere, came many cute little birds flying around,” wrote Woodell. “They were enjoying a quick shower at my bird bath.”

A yellow-rumped warbler visits a backyard feeder in Pocahontas Village in Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Tammy Woodell

Sharon Cummings photographed a praying mantis that has been hanging around for four days at Colonial Place in Norfolk. “I don’t see too many of them anymore,” wrote Cummings. Late summer and early fall are excellent times to see praying mantises when the adults have finished mating and the females are out and laying their egg cases.

Mike McClane photographed an interesting looking spiny-backed orb-weaver, sometimes called a crab spider, in his yard in the Chelsea neighborhood in Virginia Beach. Fall is the peak season for spiders which begins in late summer and goes through the fall.

Joe DiGeronimo watched as surprised autumn haul-netters hauled in a five-foot shark not more than a hundred yards off the bay beach. The shark was “promptly and tenderly released back into the shallow bay surf just west of First Landing State Beach in Virginia Beach,” wrote DiGeronimo.

Mike Weirich spotted a large male deer at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach while doing his last ride through the refuge before it closes on November first for the waterfowl season. “I’ve seen a lot of deer in Back Bay and False Cape but this is the biggest I’ve seen,” wrote Weirich.

A male deer emerges from the marsh grasses at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach. Courtesy of Mike Weirich

Rich Thiesfeld photographed a black bear at Alligator National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. “Another one of the ‘Coastal Giants’ that roam the refuge,” wrote Thiesfeld.