Dennis,

Could diet be involved? I recall one summer when a whole bunch of
California Gulls in the Bay Area showed bright orange legs. It proved a
temporary, if widespread aberration.

Gene.

On Mon, 24 Oct 1994, Dennis Paulson wrote:

> Just to put it on the record (for Gene? Russell? the Keeper of databases in
> the sky?), Gil McDonald wrote that he too had an albino black-capped
> chickadee at his feeder recently, also with a largely white cap and white
> back. He lives at 62nd St. and 7th Ave. NW, I guess out of range of Rachel
> Lawson's (Queen Anne), David Chelimer's (south side), and Fred Bird's and
> my (Maple Leaf) birds. It is really astounding that all these birds have
> appeared (is increased UV radiation bleaching the backs of our chickadees?
> global warming dissolving their pigments? a prankster with a paint gun? a
> virus-carried mutation?). Or is it merely the *communication* that WOSNEWS
> and Tweeters provide that has facilitated our learning about the widespread
> nature of this phenomenon? What really amazes me is how similar the
> descriptions are of these birds. Typically the crown, back, and/or tail are
> white. No reports yet of white-throated, white-sided, or white-winged
> chickadees, no reports of albinistic chestnut-backs (but this species is
> much less common in Seattle). Anything to report from outside of Seattle?
>
> My considered scientific opinion, based on years of ornithological
> training, is that this is really far out!
>
>
> Dennis Paulson phone: (206) 756-3798
> Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
> University of Puget Sound email: dpaulson at ups.edu
> Tacoma, WA 98416
>
>
>