The little leucistic chipping sparrow is getting very good at finding food! John Gerwin ornithologist at the NC Museum of Natural Science answered a couple of questions about this leucistic bird for me. I was concerned that maybe it was a hybrid: it is not, it is all chipping sparrow. The first item that told John this was a chipping sparrow was the shape of its bill! Just thought I’d pass that along to all of y’all as we learn together.

leucistic immature chipping sparrow

The Rangers of Jordan Lake State Park discovered an injured bald eagle. Rangers Gibson, Sharpe, Davis and Baxter, working as a team, were able to safely get the bald eagle captured and into a dog crate. Park Supervisor Martin had called me asking how to safely catch the bald eagle and what were steps needed to get the bird to medical care. The bird needed to go to the Carolina Raptor Center for care and hopefully rehab. Dr. David Knox met me at the lake. The crated eagle went into his car and we drove to Huntersville NC. In 2nd photo the eagle was being examined by the staff at the Carolina Raptor Center. The staff is cautious about the eagles’s ability to recover. Recovery, in part, depends on results of the avian influenza bird flu test. If test is negative then the possibility of eventual release are good. If positive for the bird flu a lot of thought will go into the eagle’s future . If you would like to support the Carolina Raptor Center’s work, I have included the Jordan Lake bald eagle’s patient number and a QR code where you can learn about the Eagle and, if you would like, make donations to help the work at the center continue. On average it costs $1000 to recover a bird. I will pass along info at the beginning of next week on how the bald eagle is doing.

adult bald eagle that was rescued
first exam at Carolina Raptor Center

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.

portrait
parent feeding the youngster
feeding the youngster
feeding the youngster
parent looking for food
have they both spotted a bug?

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!

leucistic chipping sparrow