Have you seen extraordinarily coloured animals this year?

There are white deer in the fields below Eggardon Hillfort - Dorset.

Yes, last October, some ducklings were hatched on our local ponds, and they've grown into the most beautiful unique set of quackers... Not your average colour mallards, but black & white drakes and very pale almost washed out coloured females? And the fact there are more females to males?? I believe this isn't common!



They're still on the pond as a family unit, their mother has been seen with a white duck and a regular mallard, but there's nothing can explain her kids unique colouring?



Now:

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/4639580041_c0816b5cf6_b.jpg

Last October:

https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/4037703888_65f8edeae7_b.jpg



Either way, we're proud here of their uniqueness :-)

We've seen a blackbird with a white spotted head a lot recently (W.Mids) - keep meaning to get a photo!

I've seen a partially white greenfinch! He/She has been around the area since the beginning of winter. It was white on its head but green everywhere else :) I guess it was one of those melanoma lacking thingy ma bobs!



Also only today saw a raven with white wings. It may have been the same one I saw a couple of years ago, but perhaps it was offspring?

Have had two leucistic (mostly white) starlings feeding over the last two weeks or so in the back garden.



I believe they are quite rare, are they?



Will download some video footage shortly.

We have had a strange coloured frog in our pond! its a pinky orangecolour!

take a look...

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/35076059@N02/4663863343/%5D

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/35076059@N02/4664486616/%5D



Amy

xxx

We have two carrion crows who regularly visit our garden. They both have white/off white wing feathers. Earlier this year they were mobbed by other birds but now they seem to have been accepted.

They don't seem to be rearing young as they haven't been collecting food.

I've put a photo on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/46393263@N03/4674311060/

and in the Springwatch Flickr Group. You can search for it by name: 'White wing 1'

I have seen a white fox twice now,is that rare ???

I have seen a few blackbird with white patches, and herd quite a few reports of these, are they getting more common?

We often see a Black Fox in Pyrford, either on Pyrford common or in the surrounding streets, The fox has been around for a number of years.

I live in Aberdeen city centre [Personal details removed by Moderator] and have seen badger was in my front garden!

two white pheasents in cramlington , ther is supposed to be a white deer also but i have not seen it yet

Whilst on holiday in Cornwall at the beginning of May this year (2010) we saw a bird about the size of a crow which was all black apart from a bright orange band around its middle

this year i seen a bright red frog , bt no photos sadly :( ...penicuik scotland xx

I managed to photograph a grey/silver colour morph of a Red Fox earlier in the year.It is on the Springwatch Flickr page.

Silver/Grey Fox photo is here.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-warburton/4660788207/

I photographed a blackbird with white patches on it's cheeks:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnedymond/4659946190/



And also a Mallard hybrid of which there seems to be quite a lot about, in varying colours.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnedymond/4664776306/

i have seen a a bright red fly at pen-lee point in Cornwall, never seen one before so no picks and no name for it sorry,

I have recently seen a black squirrel, I believe that there is quite a large population!!

also saw LOADS of blue/blackish pheasants :D

My son's school is in the village of Iwade near Sittingbourne in Kent. One morning whilst driving him to school we spotted a white blackbird, it was almost completely white with a few specks of black on him. I spoke to one of the children's mums who lives near to where I saw him and she said that there are a few blackbirds in the village with varying amounts of white on them (probably all related).

There is a black and white blackbird or thrush always around Stanley Barracks, Bovington, Dorset

We have a black and white black bird in our garden- leucistic I think it's called. I think he's beautiful! Southampton, Hants.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/bemused26/3625617681/in/pool-bbcspringwatch

We found a leucistic Willow Warbler. He's a male, mated with a 'normal' coloured female, and they're raising a brood in a nest on a river bank.

https://www.lizworld.com/Leucistic/Leucistic_WW.html

https://www.lizworld.com/Leucistic/Leucistic_WW_2.html

https://www.flickr.com/photos/50817098@N08/4661216508

I have had a black and white starling visit my garden, in Bedfont, Middlesex, since February this year.

I have seen wild rabbits in Nr Cranwell in Lincholshire that are Ginger in colour living in the same warren as normal coloured rabbits

my previous pics didnt work, gonna try again

https://www.flickr.com/photos/35076059@N02/4664486616/in/photostream/



https://www.flickr.com/photos/35076059@N02/4663863343/in/photostream/

black pheasants around the countryside of holwell and scalford near melton mowbray leicestershire

I've seen a White red deer stag around the Grantham area it looked magnificent, also around the settle area I've seen a pure white crow which is a resident in some local cliffs so I'm told.

Not that amazing but i was surprised to see an Egyptian Goose with a white head https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4679841566_d250cae2b7_b.jpg

whilst out and about in the Norfolk area I Se a black pheasant

Sadly in February my dear Grandad past away and as a mark of respect I decided to hand dig my grandads grave!! It was a cold frosty morning and has I was digging at about 2ft deep I dug up what i can only describe has black and white bees!! They were alive but very docile. I took some pictures of them, but I haven't been able to identify them!!

While walking down at Abbotsbury in Dorset at the start of the Fleet lagoon we came accross two very dark coloured 'black' Adders. They were basking in the late winter sun and didn't seem all too bothered by our presence. I have also seen a dark Adder in the gardens of the Priory Hotel in Wareham. There is also a vast number of white Sika Deer at Holton Lee near Wareham.

I am sending a photo taken in my garden in Moulton, Linconshire, of a white blackbird.

a friend of mine said he saw a white crow while on holiday in England is this possible?

Just to let you know what we saw.

We were staying at the Travel Lodge Long Sutton Norfolk!

It was Sunday evening 16th May and the room was looking over fields and woods.

We watched for at least an hour a fully grown hare who was pure white.

It struck me that he was just short of a waistcoat and bow tie!!!!

I have never even seen a hare before and was shocked at how big he was.

It felt like a great privelege and we watched him until dusk prevented viewing.

Sorry no photos.

Trish and Norman

There is a white starling resident in north abingdon. I reported it in the last two big garden bird watches. It regularily uses the feeders in the garden and is totally at home with its normal coloured brothers.

We have a regular visitor to our garden in North East Lincolnshire of a starling with predominantly white back feathers. See photo.

We have a black or almost black Munjac living near the house whhich when seen in the half light sneaking along the hedgerow, could well be mistaken for something else.....good job it has no long tail !

I saw a albino starling flying with 50+ black starlings, which was very striking and a first for me. there are couple of shot by clicking the links below. Not the greatest of shot because of distant and light but hope you agree a great capture.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spazbone/4678763715/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/spazbone/4679342092/in/photostream/

During the course of last summer,a couple of mates and i,saw a pure white pheasant.The only colour was the red face.Has anybody seen this before...?

I frequently see what appears to be an albino blackbird in Droitwich, Worcestershire. Will try and get a photo!

hello

near my home in Lincolnshire i often see a blackbird with a pure white head,he looks like his head has been dipped in white paint.

We have seen a white blackbird in the garden in the East Midlands the last few days.



I've put a photo on the springwatch flickr gallery:



https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4679850276_4f37f00b5d_b.jpg

A regular sight by the road near Heriot in the Scottish Borders is a group of dark blue pheasants, I think it could be a breeding programme.

Theres a pale yellowish white fox i have seen in my village in bishops waltham i think that it feeds at a house

We have a black or very dark Munjac deer living near the house

We had an Albino squirrel visiting our bird table in Loose, Kent.



https://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n14/SteveandJan/Squirrel-1.jpg



Also, what's happened to Chris's Blade Runner tee shirts?



Steve and Jan

I saw a totally White Blackbird in my back garden March this year, I have added a photo of it to your flickr group.

We have wild black rabbits around the village of Doddington in Kent.

Last week my parents both witnessed a black squirrel on a bird table in the rear of their garden,in North Dorset.

We have a very unusual blackbird living near to us in the trees next to a local playing field. It is almost totally white and has been in the area for a number of weeks now. It is often seen with "normal" blackbirds. See pictures on the photo site

There is an albino magpie visiting my garden in Carharrack, Cornwall. Apparently there has been one seen locally for many years in this area, so a family gene continues?



Further to another writer from Cornwall who has not seen many bumble bees - I have lots of them visiting my garden!

In our garden a few years ago we had a male Blackbird with a large white patch on it's rump. It did have a female it used to go about with, so I think it must have bred.

Now there is a male Blackbird which is piebald, it is about 50% black and 50% white with patches evenly distributed over it's body, like a harlequin pattern, I wonder if it is an offspring of the orininal white patched Blackbird? I'm not sure about colour inheritance, can someone enlighten me?

It's very attractive although other Blackbirds of either sex don't like it at all, and for the last 3 or 4 years we have seen it, it dosn't appear to have had a mate. I will try and get a picture.

Dear Kate, Chris & Simon



Last week in South Cheshire we saw a blackbird with no feathers at all on it's head and neck - looked like a mini vulture. Have you any idea what would have caused this bird to lose it's feather in this way ? Parasites ? Not exactly extraordinarily coloured but unusual ?



Love the show !!



Barbara & Steve Cliff

I have seen a white moorhen in Shiptonthorpe near York had to look it up on the internet as I have never seen one before and didnt know what it was unfourtunately didnt have a camera so no pics sorry

we have seen a black squirrel

in Staffordshire.

we ave a black headed blackbird in the village

Last week after a burst of rain, as usual the starlings flocked down to the field where I work to find worms. Amongst them was a pure white starling - it was magnificent

This albino squirrel is often in our garden. There a few of them around Gullane, Scotland.



https://s771.photobucket.com/albums/xx357/mcgregorsgirl/?action=view&current=013.jpg

On the 26/05/10 we spotted a white deer while driving along the A590 between Gilpin Bridge and the Lindale Roundabout

we have yellow/orange frog who sometimes seems to change colour a bit! very very smooth skin, red veins, black eyes.

There are two White squirrels living in my local park. See them everyday on the way to work. There celebs as they appeared in a student film made just for them!

We are in Derbyshire and have a regular garden visitor in the form of an erythristic (or ginger) Badger. We couldn't believe it at first as we did not realise there was such an animal.

THis albino squirrel is often in our garden. There's a few of them around Gullane, East Scotland. (his name is Wilfred)



Rachel Coll

We had a white pheasant who initially visited our garden (Harwell, Oxon), mated with Mr. Pheasant and then nested and laid 13 eggs. 9 chicks hatched and after a couple of days the happy family disappeared - presumably back into local fields for protection.

This albino squirrel is often around our garden. There's a few of them in Gullane, East Scotland. (His name is Wilfred)



https://s771.photobucket.com/albums/xx357/mcgregorsgirl/?action=view&current=013.jpg



Rachel Coll

We saw a White Red Kite in Wales last week on holiday (we were on holiday - not the kite - or maybe it was!)



https://www.flickr.com/photos/32734168@N04/4680008318/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32734168@N04/4679376285/

Though I've not visited recently there was a badger sett which contained brown and white (leucistic) badgers a few miles west of Oulton Park racing circuit, Cheshire.

While biking at Woburn Sands on Saturday we saw a black squirrel, thought at first it was a stoat or weasel because it was in the grass but as we approached it ran to the nearest tree and started to climb. We all got a good view but not long enough to take a photo. This seemed unusual, is it?

White starling often visits my birdtable.Photos on springwatch Flickr gallery.

There are black rabbits living about 100 yards down the road,North of Boston, Lincs. Have not got photos yet.

My friend Ad took this photo of an Albino Squirrel in his Garden in Surrey



https://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_is_great/4679957434/in/pool-bbcspringwatch

I have photographed a lucistic Jackdaw at Bradgate Park.

On Saturday evening in a small flock of Starlings at Earls Barton, Northants, there was a pale cream coloured starling.

We have had a White Blackbird in our garden this year, he is absoloutely beautiful. Unfortunatly he has not been around for a couple of months but here are some pics of him in the snow at the beginning of the year.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/50929397@N02/4679393731/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/50929397@N02/4679408759/in/photostream/

In May this year we were on holiday in Scotland and I was there to photograph Otters, one day in a spot I'd seen Otters this chap popped up and was hunting in the rocks along the sea loch. I managed to get some decent shots in the rocks and swimming in the sea.

we've seen a white squirrel in Edinburgh, apparently there's a colony of them!

We have a couple of white (erythristic) badgers visiting our garden (Essex) regularly.

An albino squirrel has visited our garden often in the last two weeks. We live in Otford, near Sevenoaks, Kent.

Black rabbits

For several years there have been black rabbits living and breeding on Ditchling Common in Sussex

saw a BLACK rabbit in a field in Burton,Christchurch,Dorset,it was amongst other wild brown rabbits. ?????????{ 1st week in june}

Shefield - seen last two days intermittently in back yard- usually with sparrows - very pale sandy brown above, white below - very prettypossible albino sparrow or some other albino, (or escape canary) so far only got blurry photo

Saturday 5th June. A black male pigeon, sitting on slope of roof and flying across the garden to neighbour's roof. As black as a crow till lit by the sun. Then the thick neck area turned brown. I've never seen one before.

Saw a ladybird with white spots on pale orange in Sherwood 28th October 2009. Have foto.

I have a question I have seen on a couple of occasions a bird which looks exactly like a magpie same shape, size, and long tail and markings but it is brown all over, is this a female, young magpie or something else.

During this last winter there was a white pheasant wandering about our 4 acre garden. We see pheasants every day of various natural shades but this was pure white. I have photo's but they are indistinct because I couldn't get close.

Regards,

Bill Holmes

Hi there. My interest in Black Sports was sparked about 5 years ago when we had a black common lizard in our garden. Part of a colony of common lizards, I only saw it a couple of times. So I keep an eye out now. Last year there was a pure black squirrel on Woburn golf course. Seemed to be common knowledge among the members. Cheers. Phil, Fawkham, Kent.

hi, a few weeks ago i photographed what i think is a black and white blackbird at west raynham in norfolk, only a few minutes from pensthorpe!



https://www.flickr.com/photos/50934928@N06

I have photographed a white deer on Eggardon Hill

12 years' ago in the summer of 1998 I watched a badgers' sett in a wood near the village of Keston, within the London Borough of Bromley. One individual - which often seemed to forage alone but appeared perfectly healthy - was a semi-albino (not a complete albino with NO stripes, and not erythristic either). I cannot return there to see whether it or a descendant is still around with similar coloration - which would suggest that a particular gene variation was still present. I can supply more exact directions to the location (but suspect that the land is privately owned).

Also, BBC Midlands have filmed an erythristic badger in Ironbridge in 2010 (NB not caused by reddish soil linked to the sandstone that occurs in parts of the western Midlands). See https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidgregory/2010/06/the_agony_and_joy_of_badgers_i.html and https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/10237088.stm

Leucistic Red Kite from Gigrin, Wales ...

https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4673574403_cb1726bafa_b.jpg



Leucistic Collard Dove ...

https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1275/4679520589_4d4214a7f2_b.jpg



Abberant Stonechat from Rainham RSPB ...

https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4679520277_7d37a973f1_b.jpg



Leucistic Woodpigeon from Crossness, London ...

https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4680152346_1931f5ff62_b.jpg



Thanks for looking



Mick..

On 16 June 2009 Guernsey commercial fisherman Adrian Brache caught a xanthic three-bearded rockling, Gaidropsarus vulgaris. The fish was photographed, https://tinyurl.com/299cnqj and https://tinyurl.com/2cuojqj and a DNA tissue sample was collected before the fish was returned to the sea. It also featured on the local evening news: https://tinyurl.com/2flsvbo

I spotted a white fox coming out of some woods into a field just west of Puddletown in Dorset.



Can you tell me what creature is causing 3 to 4foot stretches of roadside hedgerow to be stripped bare and then covered with gossama threads. Would it be caterpillas or perhaps baby spiders. These patches can be seen along the A354 both east and west of Milborne St Andrew and many side lanes too in Dorset.

Janet Allen.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Pied Blackbird – a few of our local male blackbirds have white feathers – this fella has been resident in our garden for a couple of years, and his pied plumage seems to be getting more intense.

Not seen him of late but think he loses the white as the year warms up



Image uploaded to Photo Group

Whilst pond dipping with my nieces Liberty & Matilda in the back garden, we found a very pale tadpole quite unlike any of the black ones - it looked more like the green mottled colour of an adult frog. It was very difficult to get a picture of it.

This last weekend I took a short video of an albino blackbird with the most amazing, beautiful plumage at Rufford Abbey in Nottinghamshire. It was totally unphasewd by us as we got out of our car in the car park, and even more surprisingly, not bothered at all by our dog. We watched it for about 5 mins.



Brian Walters

On holiday in Scotland this year I was waiting in a good spot to photograph

Otter's and this Albino Mink popped up. He continued hunting in the rocks along a sea loch. I managed to get many shots of him hunting and swimming in the loch.





https://www.flickr.com/photos/50933397@N03/4680160896