The Snowy Owl

If you have ever read the Harry Potter novels or watched the movies, then you know Harry’s faithful companion, Helwig. Well, Helwig is a Snowy Owl. She’s a female but, in the movie, the actors playing her are males. How do I know this? I have actually seen a Snowy Owl right here in Virginia; in Norfolk, actually. And, “my” owl was a male. The male Snowy Owl can be identified by his almost all white plumage. Female Snowy Owls have dark markings and are somewhat larger. Snowy Owls live in the arctic tundra, but occasionally venture very far South when their main food source, a small rodent called a lemming, becomes scarce. They are considered “magical” by many, not just Harry Potter fans. They stand apart for their beauty, intelligence and charm. But, in their bleak Arctic home it is their determination and survival skills that are so enchanting.
January 28, 2016 was my husband Joe’s birthday. We had planned to go out to a nice seafood birthday lunch at a Lynnhaven River restaurant. That changed abruptly when I read on social media that a Snowy Owl had been observed that morning in the Ocean View section of Norfolk. It was perched on the roof of someone's condo!
Fortunately Joe knew of my interest in seeing one. There had been an “irruption” of them before. Irruption is defined in ecology as a sudden increase in an animal population. I really wanted to see one and hopefully be able to be close enough to take some photos. Within about 15 minutes we were in the car and on the way to Ocean View.
My heart was racing and I thought we would never get there! But when we pulled into the condo community,  I saw someone I knew already set up with a tripod and photographing the owl. She pointed to a roof!! There is was!!! The most stunningly beautiful bird that I had ever seen. It was almost pure white. It was unbelievably close! And it was fast asleep! It looked like its eyes were sealed shut! Well, it had traveled from that arctic, a couple thousand miles! I guess it was entitled to a nap. I started shooting: so what if the eyes were closed! It was a Snowy Owl!
More photographers and birders arrived. Word travels fast on social media. Soon there were about 40 people ogling the owl. It continued to nap though. It yawned and stretched. It scratched its head. But, FINALLY it opened its eyes! And I was ready. Of the more than 200 photos I took, I only have about 12 where the eyes are open.
Oh yes, Joe saw it too. He got a Snowy Owl for his birthday. Not many folks can say that. And we did get that seafood lunch at a great place called Captain Groovy’s, not far from where a Snowy Owl caught a nap on a condo rooftop.

The sika elk at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

“Watch out!” I shouted to my husband as the deer ran in front of our SUV. Joe slammed on the brakes, as the deer disappeared into the woods. Or so I thought. But wait……it was still there peeking out from behind a tree just across the entrance road to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Joe backed up. The deer raised its pretty head. I could see the spike antlers. I raised my camera. In that split second, I realized that this was not the normal white-tailed deer I was used to seeing. It was mocha colored and appeared smaller. I made a quick adjustment to my camera’s ISO setting to adjust for the darkness of the deer against the shady woods background, and started shooting. The deer lowered its head and started browsing beneath the tree. When Joe turned off the engine, the deer jerked its head up. I snapped another few photos and then, as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into the misty forest.
“I think that was a sika deer!” I exclaimed. “Well, it’s a wildlife refuge,” Joe replied.
I had done a little homework prior to our trip to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The sika deer is actually a small, brown elk that lives in quiet marshes and forested wetlands. This small elk is a native of eastern Asia and was introduced onto Assateague Island in the mid 1920s. It’s seen quite often on neighboring Chincoteague NWR. I read that they eat the leaves of myrtle bushes, grasses, persimmons, shrubs, and other plants, including poison ivy! I was feeling very lucky to have seen and photographed this elk!
I emailed my photos for confirmation to two biologists at VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries that I know, and also to Chincoteague NWR. All three verified my sighting.
I am overjoyed that this small young, male elk will adorn my Christmas cards this year!

Hummingbird Migration

Hummingbird migration has begun. In the Hampton Roads area, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is common. Tiny yet ferocious, the Ruby-throat weighs less than a nickel and can and does, fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico. Their wings beat 60 to 80 times a second.
Most of our hummingbirds here in Hampton Roads will be gone by mid October but there are always some stragglers. I leave my feeders up until December. Leaving feeders up will not discourage hummingbirds from migrating, as they migrate in response to daylight and change of seasons, not in response to the availability of feeders. Leaving your feeders up will help these stragglers finish their journey. I use the one part sugar to 4 parts water recipe with no food coloring. You may also see hummers plucking tiny insects from the air or from spider webs. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds sometimes take insects attracted to sap wells or pick small caterpillars and aphids from leaves.
Ruby-throats are frequent victims of collisions with man-made structures such as towers, turbines, and glass windows, particularly during their yearly migrations to and from Central America. Free roaming cats are perhaps their biggest predators. Predators also include other birds, praying mantis, snakes, and bullfrogs. I use decals on my windows and I have humanely trapped free roaming cats. If I come across a praying mantis, I relocate it away from my feeder or flowers.
In spite of their diminutive size, hummingbirds can be very aggressive. I had one “bully bird” here all summer, chasing other hummers away from my feeder and also attacking Crows and Blue Jays.
The Bully is gone now, but new migrants arrive daily.  Please remember to keep your feeders clean and fresh and enjoy the migrants. They have a long trip ahead of them! Godspeed.

Tree Swallows in the Bluebird Box

It was a huge disappointment when the Eastern Bluebirds that had nested in my box the last 5 years did not return there this Spring.  Fortunately, my disappointment was short lived.
When we returned from a short vacation in Georgia, I saw a blue bird fly out of the box. But, it wasn't an Eastern Bluebird. It was a Tree Swallow! I know that they will use nest boxes but I was skeptical that they would stay as the box is right off our neighborhood golf course cart path. So I waited until I saw them both leave the area, then I checked the box. Low and behold, the nest was complete with 2 eggs in it! And it was lined with several feathers; so sweet!

Over the next several days, the adults were busy.

3 more eggs were laid, bringing the total to 5 in the beautiful, feather lined nest. The feathers reminded me of a soft, baby blanket.

After a couple of weeks, were were aware that the eggs had hatched. The parents began bringing small insects into the box and removing fecal sacks (poo).

And we finally were able to see the babes at the box entry hole.

They grew really fast.

And the insects got bigger! Here is a dragonfly for lunch!

Then, they were almost ready to go!

 Shortly after this photo was taken, they all fledged the nest.

A happy occasion for the parents, but we will miss them. Such a joy to watch and learn. Maybe they will return next year!

A Black Bear Story

Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is about 2 1/2 hours by car from Virginia Beach, in Manteo, NC. This refuge contains over 154,000 acres and is one of the last significant habitats for Black Bear along the East Coast. In fact, one of the reasons the refuge was established was to provide habitat for black bears.
I drove down there with two girlfriends this past June. We were looking specifically to see and photograph black bears. We are huge fans! This is the time of year that the females typically bring their young cubs out in the fields to feed. We were not disappointed. We saw two families of them….so very sweet.
As we were driving down a very gravelly road, we heard a vehicle honking. We came to an intersection in the refuge and saw the reason why:  A pickup truck was honking at a black bear, to move along, apparently. We were shocked! We sat there just waiting to see what would happen. Well, the young black bear came right towards us. Not much was said except, “get ready ladies, time to shoot this bear!” Or something like that.
The bear continued to approach our vehicle. It crossed the road once, then came back, approaching us on the right (passenger side). There was water on that side, so we were unsure of where the bear would go, although we had seen them swim. Now, I was shooting with a 200-500mm telephoto lens which I was beginning to realize was way too much. I quickly grabbed another camera with a smaller lens; I sure didn’t want to miss this! So, with the camera in one hand but with my finger on the passenger window switch, I managed just 2 shots. The bear was so close, we could smell its breath. Now I was wishing I was using my cell phone! But it ambled right by us, never even looking our way or even acknowledging our presence. The two shots I managed were head shots. But, oh what an experience!!!! And one I will never forget!

HK: A Brief History

I took my first photo of banded Bald Eagle “HK” in late Fall, 2011. The next several years of documenting this young eagle’s behavior through photography has changed my life!
HK is a male Bald Eagle who was hatched at the Norfolk Botanical Garden in 2009. The NBG Eagle Cam was watched by thousands of people worldwide, including me. I saw HK and his 2 siblings being fed by their parents, exercising their wings, and being banded at the nest via the eagle cam. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine coming face to face with HK only 2 years later, in the wild, in his natural habitat and territory.
On a cold November afternoon in 2011, I was reviewing some Bald Eagle photos I had taken earlier that day at Honey Bee Golf Course. I was very surprised to see that a young eagle I had photographed in flight was wearing both a silver and a purple band. This was a band I was familiar with from watching the eaglets banded at Norfolk Botanical Garden on the eagle cam two years earlier. I forwarded the photo to local expert Reese Lukei and waited. He confirmed that it was indeed an NBG banded “sub-adult.” Several weeks later, another photographer was able to capture a photo, read the purple band letters, and HK was officially identified.
The last 6 years I have faithfully visited Honey Bee and some other areas on the North Landing River. More often than not, I can locate HK somewhere. I have photographed him thousands of times. I share these observations on Facebook: Honey Beagles and More. I think I can safely say that HK is probably the most photographed Bald Eagle in the Tidewater area, and not just by me. He is often seen perched along S. Independence Blvd. in the Honey Bee area on transmission towers. It’s not unusual to see him literally stop traffic.
The single large disappointment I have experienced is HK’s failure to find a mate to share a beautiful nest with that he has built on the golf course. He has had the same long time companion for several years now, but this stunning female eagle has yet to lay eggs there. HK adds many sticks and grasses to it every year. There is much speculation whether this is an “alternate nest” or a golf course “condo.”  And HK, his companion, and other eagles are often photographed there. But, the sad fact remains, no young eaglets have fledged from this now massive nest.
As ever, I am hopeful that the next year will bring HK a stunning, perfect mate. As for me, I will be quietly watching and clicking.