Leucistic – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

My Leucistic Song Sparrow Sighting

By Mia McPherson|2023-10-15T04:15:48-05:00October 15th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Leucistic, Song Sparrows, Utah|Tags: aberrant plumage, adult, autumn, fall, leucism, leucistic, marsh, Melospiza melodia, morning, normal, perched, phragmites, phrags, pigment issues, plumage, plumage issue, Song Sparrow, sparrow, sparrows, Utah, wetlands|

My second gobsmack in a week occurred when I spotted a stunning leucistic Song Sparrow while driving slowly along the road at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago.

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Leucistic American Coot Photos

By Mia McPherson|2023-08-07T03:23:19-05:00April 13th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Great-tailed Grackles, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, back view, coot, coots, dirt, face, foraging, Fulica americana, grackle, grackles, grass, Great-tailed Grackle, leucism, leucistic, male, morning, plumage aberration, preening, profile view, Quiscalus mexicanus, Salt Lake County, spring, staring, swimming, tail, tree trunk, urban, Utah, water|

Over the past four months I wanted closer, better photos of the leucistic American Coot that I found on January 2nd. My patience and persistence paid off.

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Gadwall Drake Resting In Snow

By Mia McPherson|2023-03-12T04:18:55-05:00January 4th, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, coot, coots, dabbling ducks, drake, duck, ducks, foraging, Fulica americana, Gadwall, gadwalls, leucism, leucistic, male, Mareca strepera, plumage aberration, pond, resting, snow, tree, trunk, urban, water, winter|

This morning I'm sharing photos of a Gadwall drake resting in snow plus a bonus photo of the leucistic American Coot taken yesterday in afternoon light.

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Leucistic American Coot In Salt Lake County

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-03T03:43:28-06:00January 3rd, 2023|Categories: American Coots, Birds, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Coot, cloudy, coot, coots, Fulica americana, leucism, leucistic, low light, plumage aberration, pond, urban, water, winter|

After shoveling more snow I wanted to go to my local pond to see what was there. My jaw dropped when I found a foraging leucistic American Coot.

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Leucistic Canada Goose

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-13T19:29:36-06:00January 26th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Canada Geese, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, Branta canadensis, Canada Geese, Canada Goose, geese, goose, head, leucism, leucistic, odd plumage, partial leucism, Partially leucistic, plumage variation, pond, water, waterfowl, white head, white-headed, winter|

I didn't see any American Robins feeding on crabapples yesterday but I did find a leucistic Canada Goose at my local pond.

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Adult American Robin Gobbling Down A Crabapple – Thanksgiving 2020

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-10T12:39:08-05:00November 26th, 2020|Categories: American Robins, Birds, Leucistic, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: adult, American Robin, crabapple, crabapples, eating, food, gobble, gobbling, leucism, leucistic, open bill, robin, robins, snow, thrush, thrushes, tree, tree trunk, Turdus migratorius, white tail feather, winter|

You might wonder why I decided to use an American Robin photo on my Thanksgiving post today and I will explain how I picked this image.

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Looking Back On Photographing A Rare Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk

By Mia McPherson|2023-05-05T10:10:15-05:00November 16th, 2020|Categories: Birds, Leucistic, Rarities, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: adult, back lit, birds, birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, flight, flying, hawks, Hawks of Utah, leucism, leucistic, lift off, lifting off, perched, power pole, rare, Red-tailed Hawk, take off, taking off, tree|

Even though it is now four years later I still look for this striking leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in Tooele County and hope to find and photograph it again one day.

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Second Winter Bald Eagle With Leucism On Its Forehead, Crown And Throat

By Mia McPherson|2024-02-06T06:31:48-06:00February 2nd, 2020|Categories: Bald Eagles, Birds, Leucistic, Summit County, Utah, Wasatch Mountains|Tags: Bald Eagle, branch, crown, eagle, eagles, forehead, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, immature, leucism, leucistic, mountains, perched, pigment issues, resting, second winter, snag, snow, sub-adult, throat, tree, Wasatch Mountains, winter, young|

Yesterday morning I spent some time up in the Wasatch Mountains and I am so glad that I did because I found a second winter Bald Eagle with leucism.

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Water Dance of Leucistic Eared Grebes on the Great Salt Lake

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-03T02:36:51-06:00July 22nd, 2017|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Davis County, Eared Grebes, Leucistic, Utah|Tags: abnormal pigmentation, brine flies, brine shrimp, Eared Grebe, Great Salt Lake, grebe, grebes, hypersaline lake, leucism, leucistic, Partially leucistic, pigment issues, Podiceps nigricollis, rare, saline lake, water dance|

I will probably never see and photograph so many leucistic Eared Grebes again in my life time as I did yesterday on the Great Salt Lake.

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Looking at 2016 in the Rear View Mirror or My Photographic Year in Review

By Mia McPherson|2024-03-27T06:20:55-05:00December 31st, 2016|Categories: American Bitterns, American Pipits, Bald Eagles, Barn Owls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Belted Kingfishers, Birds, Box Elder County, Burrowing Owls, Centennial Valley, Clark County, Davis County, Double-crested Cormorants, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Great Horned Owls, High Uintas, Hybrid Geese, Idaho, Leucistic, Montana, Peregrine Falcons, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Red-naped Sapsuckers, Red-tailed Hawks, Salt Lake County, Short-eared Owls, Summit County, Targhee National Forest, Tooele County, Turkey Vultures, Utah, Wayne County, Western Bluebirds, Wilson's Phalaropes, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, Yellow-bellied Marmots|Tags: American Bittern, American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, Aphelocoma woodhouseii, Asio flammeus, Athene cunicularia, Bald Eagle, Barn Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Botaurus lentiginosus, Bubo virginianus, Burrowing Owl, Buteo jamaicensis, Canada x Snow Goose, Cathartes aura, Double-crested Cormorant, Falco peregrinus, Great Horned Owl, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, hybrid, Marmota flaviventris, Megaceryle alcyon, Nannopterum auritus, Peregrine Falcon, Phalaropus tricolor, Red-naped Sapsucker, Red-tailed Hawk, Short-eared Owl, Sialia mexicana, Sphyrapicus nuchalis, Turkey Vulture, Tyto alba, Western Bluebird, Wilson's Phalarope, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, Yellow-bellied Marmot|

Wow, today is the last day of the year 2016. This is my photographic year in review from Utah, Idaho and Montana!

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Partially Leucistic Adult Red-tailed Hawk in Flight – A Rare and Wonderful Sight!

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-03T03:08:03-06:00November 15th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Leucistic, Rarities, Red-tailed Hawks, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: birds of prey, Buteo jamaicensis, Buteos, feather wear, flight, flying, hawk, hawks, leucism, leucistic, molt, molting, partial albino, Partially leucistic, raptors, rare, rarity, red tailed hawks, Red-tailed Hawk|

When the partially leucistic Red-tailed Hawk lifted off from the power pole I was able to capture photos of it in flight and I was stunned by the beauty of the hawk, pictures do not do this bird justice.

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Partially Leucistic Black-billed Magpie

By Mia McPherson|2023-01-03T02:38:35-06:00March 20th, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Birds, Black-billed Magpies, Leucistic, Utah|Tags: "piebald" effect, bird photography, Black-billed Magpie, bush, Davis County, flight, flying, landing, leucism, leucistic, magpie, magpies, Partially leucistic, Pica hudsonia, pied, pigment issues|

Last week I photographed some Black-billed Magpies on Antelope Island State Park and one of them was partially leucistic

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Pinto Bean Laughing Gulls

By Mia McPherson|2023-10-16T03:03:33-05:00September 8th, 2010|Categories: Bird ID, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Laughing Gulls, Leucistic, Pinellas County|Tags: bird ID, gulls, Laughing Gull, leucistic, Leucophaeus atricilla, odd, pigment issues, strange|

On several occasions I have seen and photographed Laughing Gulls that have strange colored markings on their bills and legs. I have assumed that they are partially leucistic though I could be wrong.

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