Jan Eaton got an Easter Weekend gift!

This  hummingbird.
It is the first hummer up in the northern part of Virginia Beach that has been reported  to me
Eaton lives on Lake Smith in the northwest part of the city..
So if you didn’t put your feeders up 10 days ago when Jane Brumley saw one on Knotts Island, do it now!

    Farmer John Cromwell in Virginia Beach is master of his own private wildlife refuge.

In winter he keeps an eye on ducks of many species feeding in 25 acres of reclaimed wetlands in his “front yard.”

And this time of year, as the ducks leave, long-legged waders come flying in to feed on marsh grass seeds, insects and crustaceans in the wetlands.

Neo-Nazi William A. White was just dealt a major blow in his attempt to set aside a $545,000 civil verdict against him. The Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports that a panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied his appeal.

       
 
Chesapeake fishing buddies Steve Andrews and Joe Benkert have seen their share of whales off Cape Henry this year when they went fishing in Benkert’s boat.

“But we don’t really take the time to watch them,” Andrews wrote, “so last Monday we decided to go just to see the whales.”

 
Fishermen joke about hooking a whale, but this year it’s no joke.

Because menhaden and other baitfish are plentiful in the ocean this warm winter, fishers of all descriptions are out on the water.

Striped bass, the fishermen’s quest, as well as humpback whales, dolphin, gannets and pelicans are all feasting on menhaden.

Town Center STATION? Looks like the bring-light-rail-to-Virginia-Beach-at-any-cost crowd got the naming rights to the little strip mall next to Town Center.    

Well what do you know. It looks like the mayor of Virginia Beach has been counting noses. When he couldn't get to six on City Council, he hastily pulled the plug on that $109 million boondoggle of a convention center hotel project. "The deal that is in front of us now just does not have the support of council," said Sessoms. Hallelujah.

Good morning good-government wonks.  Yes, you who have learned to tremble every time the Virginia Beach City Council becomes hypnotized by some new shiny object.

A handsome loggerhead shrike is visiting the area around Ashville Road off Princess Anne Road in Virginia Beach, reports Steve Coari of the Virginia Beach Audubon Society.
This bird is out of its range here in the coastal area of Virginia.

Local bird watchers, like Coari who took this photo, have been trekking out to see it.