Friends,
I was working this week in eastern WA. On 10 June, I was south of
Ritzville, drving past the NE corner of T16N R33E Sec. 11, the
intersection of Nelson Rd and Philips Rd. I saw a "gull" perched on a
traffic sign, where no gull should have been. When I backed up, I saw
that it was actually an albino raven. I didn't see eye color, but all
the feathers were white. I watched for several minutes while the bird
flew into the trees at on old farmstead on the corner, then perched on
the roof of the barn. I suspect it's nesting in the area, so for the
next couple weeks, it may remain there. On the other hand, this means
it would be pretty susceptible to disturbance. So if you go, behave
yourself.

I took some pictures but my camera was zoomed to the max, and the raven
isn't really recognizable as such.

John Fleckenstein, zoologist
Natural Heritage Program
Washington Department of Natural Resources
John.Fleckenstein at dnr.wa.gov