White-tailed Buck Encounter

 This is one method that I use in photographing wildlife. It's not for everyone, but it has worked many times for me. This is about a young White-tailed buck that I encountered many weeks ago on private property adjacent to VA Beach National Golf Course. I posted the photo earlier but this is the story behind it:

I have learned a lot about wildlife from friends and family who hunt. We have a lot in common, beginning with our mutual love of Nature and our passion about the health of the environment. My deer hunting friends recently provided me with some tips about deer behavior and how they work to "get the shot." I used this information to manage this close up portrait of a White-tailed buck.

I had been stalking this deer for a number of weeks. I knew what it liked to eat, and where and when. I found its water supply. I knew it was in a small herd, mostly does, yearlings, and at least one younger buck. All my stalking took place in my SUV, as this was in VA Beach city limits. This photo took hours of preparation and I am quite pleased with the result.

So, if you think you can "sneak up" on wildlife, you are wrong. You may encounter it with a little luck and maybe just driving by, and if you do, I hope you treasure that moment and get some nice shots. But, if you want to learn about your target/subject, I suggest you use this method. Again, I waited for a couple of hours on this day, in my SUV, for the deer herd to appear to feed or to drink. They did, and this close up of the buck is one of the results.

 

Mother Eagle

Since my childhood, I have been enamored by our national bird, the Bald Eagle.  I have memories of seeing them in several zoos and notably, Busch Gardens. I watched the local WVEC Eagle Cam  from Norfolk Botanical Gardens for many years as an adult and I grieved with thousands of people worldwide when the nesting female Eagle was killed by an incoming flight at Norfolk International Airport in 2011.
Beginning in 2018, I was fortunate to be able to watch nesting Bald Eagle pairs at several local nests in Virginia Beach as a Virginia Master Naturalist volunteer for the Virginia Bird Breeding Atlas. The most visible one is located on Honey Bee Golf Course and can be viewed from a public residential street. These Bald Eagles are perhaps the most observed Bald Eagles in Virginia, thanks to social media and local media outlets. Sadly, this nest failed in 2018 when the eggs in the nest were destroyed and the female eagle was injured by an intruding Bald Eagle, while she was incubating. The eggs were just 2 weeks away from hatching.
I was told by my Bald Eagle mentor, Reese F. Lukei, Jr. of the Center for Conservation Biology at William & Mary, that a second clutch was possible, but it didn’t happen. I watch the pair at Honey Bee for about 6 weeks following the nest failure and although the male brought in a few sticks, they did not renest and eventually left the area for a time. But, it was during this time that I was able to identify the female from the male. This particular pair is quite identical!
The following year, 2019, the nest successfully fledged its first two eaglets! It was quite exciting to be a small part of this success story! The parents were great parents! It was this season that I really was able to focus on the Bald Eagle female, who I began to privately think of as “Mother Eagle.”
I believe that Mother Eagle approves the nest location and substrate. This nest had already been built by a previous resident male Bald Eagle (banded Bald Eagle “HK”), beginning in 2013 in a very large Loblolly Pine Tree, a typical site for eagle nests in Virginia. In my opinion, he never acquired a mate at that location and eggs were never laid there. That eagle was struck and killed by an automobile in 2017, leaving the nest vacant for a new pair to claim, which they did with weeks of HK’s death.
The key to identifying male from female eagles is size. The female in the Chesapeake Bay region is typically 1/3 larger than the male. This is called reverse sexual dimorphism. Additionally, their beak depth and talon length are longer. I’ve found if they are perched side by side, it is a lot easier to tell them apart!
My observations include the male bringing in most of the nest material while the female does the “arranging.” After eggs are laid, Mother Eagle does most, but not all of the incubating. She also stays on the newly hatched eaglets for about 2 weeks after hatching, as they don’t yet have enough feathers to stay warm. The male brings in food and I have seen them both do the feeding but also occasionally she has not allowed the male to feed, even blocking him from the nest! It’s clear who is in charge and it’s Mother Eagle!

Getting Up Close and Personal to a Bald Eagle

I have been fortunate to have been able to get fairly close to Bald Eagles when photographing/observing them locally. But, these eagles have all been perched in trees or above me in another type of substrate. It is quite obvious that they are well aware of my approach as they more often than not, eventually turn and face me. My wildlife lens is on the short range of the spectrum (300mm), so when I am within 50 yards, I am feeling pretty good. It is never my intent to alter their behavior whatsoever. So, when they make this turn to look at me, I discern that I am too close and I try to back away and get into some type of cover to conclude my observation or to photograph.
However, finding a Bald Eagle on the ground and acting normally is quite exciting! Exhilarating in fact! To me, they are out of their element as generally, they are either flying, on the hunt, or perched. So, when I observed one of the nesting pair that I document at Honey Bee Golf Course in VA Beach, on the ground, very late one afternoon, I was almost giddy with excitement. The golf course had closed for the day and the weather was cold and blustery. I could see the eagle, about 400 yards away, way out of range for my 300mm lens. So, I started to walk. I met an employee putting away the golf carts and asked permission to walk to course and he waved me ahead. I had a couple of friends meeting me so I contacted them to give them my location. There would be three of us “stalking” this eagle.
The ground was pretty soggy from previous rain, but the three of us maneuvered it fairly quickly.  We crossed a small bridge across the North Landing River and soon we were in the middle of a vacant fairway. The eagle was still about 100 yards from us and across a water hazard on the course. We closed the distance to about 50 yards, the big pond still separating us and the eagle. The eagle was eating a fish at the water’s edge. By then, I am sure it either saw or sensed our presence, but it finished the meal and began hopping away from us. We froze in position. It went almost up to the golf cart path with a row of houses behind it, and began looking at pine tree branches on the ground. It “mantled” over one. Mantling means it is concealing the object (usually prey) from another bird or potential predator. After a few minutes, it made its choice, and began the flight to take its prize back to the nest. We were still snapping as the Bald Eagle flew into the sunset.
This was the closest I have ever been to a wild, healthy Bald Eagle on the ground. I guess the eagle did not perceive us three humans as a threat. We did have a lot of water between us; perhaps it understood that we could not cross that obstacle. As for us, we were so thankful to have witnessed this Bald Eagle, up close and personal. And so grateful for being able to experience it as a group. Special experiences are more special if they are shared.

Angel Bird

The flash of white was dazzling! I was sitting by my breakfast table table window reading the Sunday paper (yes, we still subscribe) and drinking coffee. My bird feeding station is right outside this window and when I saw the flash, I glanced up and saw a dazzling white bird on the sunflower seed feeder. I knew immediately it was a rare bird, although I did not know the species immediately. The fact that it was white was the unique part. We have white birds in Virginia, but they are mainly, Egrets, Gulls, and Terns and this was obviously a songbird. I grabbed my camera on the way out the backdoor.
Of course, the white bird flew to a tree for shelter immediately. But, I possess the gift of patience and I settled into a deck chair to wait.
It was fortunately,  a short wait. A family of House Finches descended on the feeder within about 10 minutes. This is a common songbird species here. I have found them nesting in my hanging plants. House Finches generally nest in a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees. They also nest in or on buildings, using sites like vents, ledges, street lamps, ivy….and hanging planters! I watched them nonchalantly, until the white bird flew to join them. She landed on a perch and started begging the adult female House Finch for food. The female House Finch obliged and fed her!! So, that was white bird’s mother, I surmised. That made the white bird a House Finch! What a treat!!!
In about 15 minutes, the whole House Finch family was gone. I hoped they’d return but they didn’t, so I went inside to process my photos on my computer. It was then that I realized that the white bird was a leucistic bird rather than an albino. Leucistic means there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal—which causes white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. The white bird had all white feathers but the eyes were brown, like a classic House Finch. An albino would have shown pink or red eye color.
The next day, and then the following several days, the House Finch family including the white beauty, returned to my yard to feed. I was now referring to the leucistic House Finch as the “angel bird.” It seemed only fitting. It was white, like an angel and had angel like wings. It had appeared at a time in my life when I appreciated a small miracle. I spent countless hours in my yard, observing the House Finch family and their sweet angel bird.
When they didn’t return, I was very disappointed but happy that the entire family appeared happy and healthy during the short time they spent with me. I learned a lot about the House Finch, as a species. That it itself was a priceless experience.
But, the story does not end there. Months and now years later, I am still learning that the angel bird visited other yards in the neighborhood during the time I observed her and her family. She left an indelible impression on a lot of humans during her short visit here. We can learn a lot from our feathered friends. Godspeed, Angel Bird!

Tundra Swans

One of the prettiest Winter visitors we have in our area is the Tundra Swan, also known as the “Whistling Swan.” Tundra Swans are very large waterfowl with heavy bodies and long necks. The adult swans are all white. The bill is mostly black and usually has a yellow spot at the base. The legs and feet are black. Immature birds are gray-tinged on the wings, head, and neck. They migrate down here from their breeding grounds in the Arctic tundra, thousands of miles.  Tundra Swans form life-long pairs that remain together year round. Migrating flocks (of up to 100 or more) are made up of family groups, a scientific fact that I find very appealing. Tundra Swans can take off easily from land or water and fly with their necks extended straight out and their black legs trailing behind. I have seen these bird families many times at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in VA Beach and at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge, just over the Virginia line in Knotts Island, NC. The thrill of seeing them never gets old. It is a true sign of Winter for me.
You can often find them mainly on shallow lakes, wide slow-moving rivers, and coastal estuaries, especially those with agricultural fields nearby. They migrate as far South as South Carolina. Destruction of southern wetlands has reduced its former food sources in wintering areas, but it has adapted by shifting its habits to feeding on waste products in agricultural fields, such as corn, soybeans, and rice. They also feed on growing winter crops such as winter wheat, rye and barley. In the Chesapeake Bay Tundra Swans use their bills and feet to root up clams from the muddy bottom. When feeding on the water Tundra Swans “tip up” like dabbling ducks to reach submerged vegetation. It’s quite comical watching a bird this size do that!
So, when you are out and about and you hear some “whistling,“ look up! It just might be a family unit of Tundra Swans!

Southern Flying Squirrel

For several years, a small group of volunteers in the Backyard Bird Watchers and Nature Lovers  of West Neck have been monitoring several Bluebird boxes that we had installed on the Signature Golf Course. I am one of them.
We have had Bluebirds, Chickadees, House Wrens, and Tree Swallows nest successfully in these boxes. This year, we were excited to discover at the end of the summer, that two of them had Southern Flying Squirrels making a home in them.
Southern Flying Squirrels are common rodents in many parts of the country, but because they are nocturnal (active mainly at night), few people ever see them. I had never seen them in the wild until this experience!
Southern Flying Squirrels are native in Virginia. They are very, very cute! Only 8-10 inches long from nose to tail, they might more appropriately be called “gliding squirrels” because they aren’t capable of true powered flight like a bird is. Flying squirrels glide. They have a special membrane between their front and back legs that allows them to glide through the air between trees. When a flying squirrel wants to travel to another tree without touching the ground, it launches itself from a high branch and spreads out its limbs so the gliding membrane is exposed. It uses slight movements of the legs to steer, and the tail acts as a brake upon reaching its destination. Flying squirrels can cover more than 150 feet in a single glide.
When I went to check on these boxes, I carefully opened the side of the first one and cautiously peeked in. Two huge, beautiful brown eyes gazed back at me. Then the squirrel, I am guessing the female, jumped out of the entrance hole and scurried across the ground to the nearest tree, climbed up, and disappeared around the other side. I turned on my cell phone flashlight and looked back inside the box, observing at least one baby squirrel. I closed the box.
I walked over to the tree the adult squirrel had climbed and looked up, seeing nothing. I walked to the other side and there, seemingly frozen in place, was the adult flying squirrel. She was almost perfectly camouflaged and if I had not seen her relocate there I may have missed her. Southern flying squirrels have thick, soft, glossy grayish to olive brown fur with white underbellies, and I am certain it helps protect them from many predators. Their known predators include hawks, owls, domestic cats, snakes, raccoons, and foxes.
These squirrels mainly feed on nuts and acorns, especially those from hickory trees. They also eat berries, seeds, flowers, mushrooms, insects, bird eggs and dead mice. Each autumn, they may store up to 15,000 nuts to eat during winter, which they store underground or in tree cavities and crevices. We actually found where they were storing food in several of our Bluebird boxes last year!
We are so happy that they decided to make West Neck their home!

Bald Eagle Season

The Fall and Winter seasons of each year are an exciting time for me. I call this time “Bald Eagle Season.” It is a hunting term but the description fits: It’s because this time of year, the younger Bald Eagles are either searching for a mate or the older ones are looking to reconnect with their mate from the previous nesting season. And I, as a wildlife photographer, am out “hunting” for them! They are generally very visible here locally, if you just LOOK UP!
Where? Those very high cell phone towers or high tension power line towers around our urban areas are one of their favorite perches. For some reason, they seem to enjoy meeting up in used Osprey nests. One of the most well known places are along S. Independence Blvd. and in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach.
The Bald Eagles have outstanding 360 degree views from these perches and can see other Bald Eagles. Bald Eagles have “eagle eyes” and can easily distinguish their mate as well as other eagles that may have come into their “territory.”  Eagles use both monocular and binocular vision, meaning they can use they eyes independently or together depending on what they are looking at, and they can see great distances. I have read that an eagle can see something the size of a rabbit at more than three miles away.
When they have successfully reconnected with their mates or found a new one, nest building starts. If they are using an already established nest, the pair will begin to add sticks to it. If they are building a new one, the structure of choice locally is generally a tall, loblolly pine tree, a native tree of Virginia. Nest building intensifies in October. It is usually complete by late December, when courtship begins. The Center for Conservation Biology, a research group within The College of William and Mary and the Virginia Commonwealth University maintains a Bald Eagle nest locator: https://ccbbirds.org/maps/#eagles .
I’ve  seen courtship and mating behavior from late December through mid-January, and most local pairs have laid eggs by mid-February. Virtually all pairs in our Chesapeake  Bay region have eggs laid by the end of February.
This pre egg laying time of Bald Eagle Season can be very rewarding for both seasoned wildlife photographers and casual observers because our Bald Eagles are out and visible. I remember a time in the mid 1960’s we did not even have Bald Eagles here locally, because of the effects of the chemical DDT. They have made a fantastic rebound! When you are out and about, remember to LOOK UP!

Bald Eagles on S. Independence Blvd., VA Beach, VA.