I once saw a pure white Eared Grebe on Mono Lake.

Gene Hunn.

On Thu, 16 Nov 1995, Janet Hardin wrote:

> Russell Rogers, in the latest west-side RBA, reported:
>
> >An albino "mystery bird", probably a species of Grebe, has been hanging
> >out at the Winslow ferry terminal on Bainbridge Island. If you care to
> >take a gander at identifying this bird, please let us know what your
> >opinion is.
>
> Thank Goodness!! I, too, have seen this bird, and at the time I was
> scratching my head and wondering if my eyeballs were on the blink. I saw it
> on Saturday, 28 October, on the 9:25 am sailing of the ferry _Spokane_ from
> Winslow, on my way to the book fair in Seattle. It was just outside (east)
> of Eagle Harbour, with two Red-necked Grebes. My rattled brain was just
> discarding "Pekin duck" when the first RNGR dived. The albino dove
> immediately afterward, and finally the third "typical" RNGR. The albino was
> all-white, with a yellow bill. As I mulled over what I'd seen, I decided it
> must have been another RNGR, based on its close association with them, its
> behavior, and its being the same size.
>
> I'm relieved to hear that others have also seen this bird, and will be
> interested in hearing any other "opinions." At the Pacific Seabird Group
> meeting in Victoria this last week, I asked a couple other biologists if
> they'd ever seen or heard of such a bird, and all I got were blank looks.
>
> Thank you for easing my aging brain, and I look forward to other reports.
>
> -- Janet Hardin
> (with apologies to domestic waterfowl)
> Port Townsend, WA
> wings at olympus.net
>
>
>