Dec 08

A “Snowy” Forecast

By Brian Cunningham Bird Irruption, Birds, Rare Occurrences in Nature, Snowy Owl 1 Comment »

It seems to be a snowy beginning to December. I am not talking about snow flakes or Frosty the Snowman. I am talking about the big, beautiful and very white Snowy Owl.

Saturday morning found me doing the normal, relaxed Saturday routine. However, by Noon, my girls and I were out the door. We were chasing down a Snowy Owl that was only a half-hour drive away. What an opportunity!

We packed up the birding gear and headed to the local municipal airport. We arrived to a small group of 10 people all looking in the same direction. The owl was atop one of the hangers with only the shoulder and head being visible. Since we forgot the camera, I ended up using my iPhone to snap a picture through the spotting scope. What a cool sight!

Bird listservs are buzzing with Snowy Owl sightings throughout the northern half of the United States. Right now, Snowies are as far south as Kansas. This is lower than their usual wintering range of lower Canada; which means it is an irruption year for Snowy Owls!

Snowy Owls breed in the arctic. It seems there were a lot of young born this year and the food supply, primarily lemmings, is not sufficient. This combination may be causing the Southward irruption for the Snowies to find food. Whatever the reason, it is an opportunity for many to see a unique bird.

Check out eBird.org link for recent Snowy Owl sightings.

Have you seen a Snowy Owl or other interesting birds recently?

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Feb 07

Paint-by-Number Birds

By Brian Cunningham Birds, Rare Occurrences in Nature, Woodpeckers 2 Comments »

Photo courtesy of Bill Stewart

Photo courtesy of Bill Stewart

We have been fielding a number of questions regarding some strangely colored (or lack thereof) birds. The birds are all white, shades of gray or have odd patches of white amongst what would otherwise be normal coloration. It is almost like they are an unfinished paint-by-number art project. So, what is going on with these birds?

A feather’s color is determined by its genetic structure and pigments deposited as the feather grows. Pigments come from various foods, like fruits and insects. This is similar to how we use pigment dyes to color our clothes.

Genetics and certain dietary pigments create certain colors. Here are some examples.

• Red, orange, and yellow to violet colors come from carotenoid pigments.
• Black, brown, gray and related tints come from melanin and porphyrin pigments.
• Greens come from carotenoid and melanin pigments combined with structural feather elements.
• Blue and white colors are not created by pigments but by reflections of light off the structural elements of a feather.

Scientists generally agree that an albino bird is all white lacking pigment in its body and feathers. Then there are other scenarios where a bird has shades of gray or odd patches of white or gray among patches of normal coloration. These are often called leucistic pied birds.

The trouble is there are many variations and complications. Scientists are still working out exactly how to classify all these variations of bird colorations. Learn more from our Cornell Lab of Ornithology partner’s article, Plumage variations: Albinism or Leucism?

No matter what you call it, it is uncommon to find a leucistic pied bird. It is even rarer to find a true albino bird.

So what do we call these unfinished, paint-by-number birds? We will let scientists figure that out. In the meantime, the more important question is…Are you enjoying the glimpse at such a unique bird and did you get pictures?

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