Reuben Rohn sent a photo of a whimbrel taking flight over the marsh grasses at Wachapreague on the Eastern Shore. A whimbrel is a large shorebird with a long body, long neck and small head. The long, down-curved bill and striped head are key features. Whimbrels feed mostly on tidal mudflats and sandflats.
Jane Hughey got a photo of a female hummingbird visiting her feeder in the Saratoga section of Norfolk. “She visits about every 15-20 minutes,” Hughey wrote. The female lacks the ruby red throat that is characteristic of the male.
Joan Mikulas photographed a beautiful indigo bunting at her feeder in Smithfield. “I caught it two times,” Mikulas wrote. Indigo buntings can be spotted during the summer months singing from their perch on telephone lines or wooded edges.
Evan Rhodes photographed a female tiger swallowtail sipping nectar from horsemint flowers in a field in the Blackwater section of Virginia Beach. The female tiger swallowtail has two forms: one that is yellow with black stripes like the male and another that is all black. An iridescent blue can be seen on the upper side of the hindwings of both female forms.
Allen Waters noticed a spot between the front/back side windows of his SUV in the Haygood section of Virginia Beach that turned out to be a tiny common tan wave moth resting on it. “I’m finding one has to really look at things on a small scale,” Waters wrote. “There are all types of creatures to observe you’d otherwise miss.” The adult tan wave moth is only about 1/4-inch long and slender.
Allen Lawver sent a photo of a box turtle that laid eggs in his front yard lily patch in the Kempsville area of Virginia Beach. “We’ve got the spot identified with flags so as not to disturb the eggs, hoping to see little box turtles once they hatch,” Lawver wrote.
Dan Short had a great day adventuring through Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. He came across an alligator that was out enjoying the sunshine. “With its mouth wide open it appears to have been taking a moment to cool down a little bit,” Short wrote.
Evan Rhodes got a photo of a red swamp crayfish standing on guard with its claws extended near the swamp in the Blackwater section of Virginia Beach. Red swamp crayfish are large, dark red crayfish with long, narrow claws. They are native to the south-central United States and northern Mexico and have established populations throughout the United States.
Jean Broughton sent a cute photo of a mother deer and her fawn on alert at the edge of a wooded area in the Morgans Walke neighborhood in Virginia Beach. The fawn was still sporting its white spots, which last for three to four months after they are born, until they wean from their mother.
June McDaniels was looking for migrating birds at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach and spotted a coyote that came out of the Fort Story dunes and proceeded to take a nap on the beach.
Vickie Shufer, wildfood@cox.net
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If you go
What: Dolphin watching in Virginia Beach
Where: Rudee Inlet Fishing Center
When: Through October
Cost: $27 for adults (12 and older); $22 for kids (4-11); $5 for infants (3 and younger)
Information: For information on all events, times, and locations visit rudeetours.com or call 757-425-3400.
![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 […]")
