Close Encounters

Photo ops Kathy Burns sent over a couple of photos of a young alligator seen in the Lynnhaven River near Virginia Beach Boulevard and the railroad trestle in the London Bridge area. The photos were taken by Jack Moore during Lynnhaven River NOW's regular river cleanup day.

Vivan Slezak sent a photo of a bald eagle perched on a dock in South Shores Estates off Upton Drive. There's an eagle nest in the Red Wing area, so that may have been father on a mission to bring home the bacon.

Thomas Brewster sent photos of a female kingfisher perched on a piling on the river in Thalia.

Eagle family eggs-pecting The female eagle at Norfolk Botanical Garden laid the first egg of her second clutch last Sunday afternoon, said eagle expert Reese Lukei. If all goes well and no other eagles interrupt the domestic scene, the egg should hatch around April 20. Go to www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org and click on Eagle Cam to see the mother on the nest.

First Landing trauma Lukei reports that it appears the eagle's nest tree at First Landing State Park was blown down in one of the recent wind storms. The nest tree was gone. There was no sign of a new nest, and the adult pair was perched in the vicinity.

Surprise! Rick Woolard, who lives on Lake Smith, was cleaning out his wood duck boxes over the weekend. As he was about to open the first one, "I felt a small tap on my finger. This was quickly followed by an owl face in the opening staring at me with what seemed a rather indignant expression," Woolard said.Screech owls regularly take to nesting in wood duck boxes, so Woolard might have owlets rather than ducklings before too long.

Bunny time Baby rabbits are usually fed by their mothers only once a day, so don't "rescue" them when you find a nest of babies all alone, said wildlife rehabiltator Connie Moore. Instead, keep dogs and cats (and lawn mowers) away and let them grow up, which takes only about three weeks.

Rufous hummingbird The rufous hummingbird that has been visiting Peggy Jackson's Hilltop yard since January is still there. "Now it comes to the window to greet me," Jackson said.

What surprises or puzzles have you come across in nature, or do you have a tidbit of local lore? Send e-mail to barrow1@cox.net. Include your name, neighborhood and city.