April 1, 2011: In 2006 I attempted to photograph a rare bird. This white red tailed hawk had been spotted near Kingsport. I got a few shots of it, some of which I have included here. This week I was told a white hawk had been nesting for a few years only about a mile from where I had photographed in 2006. Again this bird is pretty illusive. I assume it is the same bird. I have included here the image from today. We did see the bird on the nest so I guess it is around for a while.
Leucistic birds are said to have short life spans because they lack the colors necessary to hide from predators. Assuming this is the same bird from 2006, I guess it is beating the odds….or maybe because it is a predator the color doesn’t matter as much.
April 3, 2011--After photographing this bird again today I am not so sure it is the same bird that I saw in 2006. When it flew from the perch (see photo) I got a good look at the wings. There are no dark feathers on this bird as there were on the wings of the 2006 bird. Maybe this is an offspring? Or perhaps the leucism is more pronounced with age?
If you are interested, here is a link that explains leucism:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/Albinism_Leucism.htm