Black-headed Gulls and Razorbills

These 2 rare Black-headed Gulls, seen on Jan 27, are being seen regularly near Little Creek, in Norfolk, usually at low tide, often in the company of the similar, slightly smaller Bonaparte's Gulls. A little farther south on the coast, at Little Island Park and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge in VA Beach, Razorbills, another rare species, are being seen, mostly in early morning and often streaming by rapidly, low on the waves, in groups of 5-20, among thousands of Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets...194 were counted on Jan 27 at the 2 sites.
Brian Taber

Short-eared Owl

Snowy Owls have been stealing all the headlines this winter...and rightly so... but another seldom-seen winter visitor from the far north is the very handsome Short-eared Owl...this bird was in coastal Virginia last week, in an area not open to the public. The low light conditions make its buffy-orange plumage pattern even more colorful.
Brian Taber