Here is a much better set of photos of the leucistic chipping sparrow at Jordan Lake. I put the set out yesterday in a hurry because sometimes these oddly colored babies don’t have a long life … I wanted everybody to have a chance, if they could, to go and see it. The youngster was still there this morning so here is a brand new photo set. Hope y’all enjoy them.
Jordan Lake Visitor Assistance Center at the dam has a RARE bird. The light colored chipping sparrow fledgling is showing a leucistic pattern. Leucistic = white. Compare the youngster’s white areas to its parent’s dark plumage. This kind of plumage color abnormality occurs about 1 in 30,000 birds. I hope you can go see this cutie. Thanks Army Corps CESAW Jon Bannerman for the original sighting!
Jordan Lake Dam and Tailrace Area are Open! Please be very careful as the Haw River is flowing very fast and forceful. I would avoid going on the riprap rocks! A slip could be dangerous. I made the clip this morning and it has the Haw River, ospreys and great blue herons fishing.
This great blue heron youngster, from this year’s breeding season, has an expression that I have also seen on five-year-old humans. He seems to be saying “OK, I got here to this place. Not sure what this place is. Now, what am I supposed to do next?”
The sky leopard roared, pinned its ears back, ruffled its neck, lunged upward in anger at all of the storms that had been happening. It decided to gobble up all of the clouds and perhaps stop the blinding lightning strikes, booming echoing thunder and torrential rains.
doc ellen's journey 