Field Notes: Leucistic Wild Turkey

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:08 GMT

Leucistic Wild Turkey. Photograph by Chris Williams.

Leucism generally doesn't have a negative impact on the health of the individual. Albinism, on the other hand, prevents the production of melanin in all tissues, including that which is essential for the structural integrity of feathers, and the lack of melanin in the eye leads to ultraviolet radiation damage resulting in poor eyesight. Because of this, few albino individuals in the wild make it to adulthood.

Both conditions can also have a negative impact on the biological fitness of an individual by increasing the chances of it being caught by a predator. An albino or leucistic individual in a flock would be more easily singled out. Birds that use camouflage as a means of defense are especially at risk as their behaviors will remain the same but their ability to blend in does not. Picture an all-white woodcock standing in place to hide from a predator, not ideal!

The ‘all-white meat' turkey in the accompanying photo was seen on Cape Cod in the Yarmouth area around Thanksgiving. Most, if not all, of the feathers appear completely white, the skin is pale, and even the nails are white. The eye, however, appears dark, which would suggest that this bird is leucistic rather than albino.

With luck this one will be able to live out a long and prosperous life, and many people will get to enjoy the oddity. As for me, I'll take the dark meat for now.

Field Notes: Deer, Flies, and Eastern Phoebes

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 00:00:07 GMT

Over several years of careful observation, I discovered an unexpected connection between them. In some of my photos of the deer, a phoebe can also be seen. Surely, this was just a coincidence, I thought, given that both creatures simply enjoy visiting the orchard. It was not until I witnessed a phoebe flying directly at a deer that I started wondering about a connection between the two. The deer did not seem to mind this dive-bombing attention. Was the phoebe perhaps catching insects off the deer? I hoped to capture this behavior with my camera.

My photo opportunity came this past August when I noticed a phoebe and a deer together again. I shot through a window to avoid disrupting the occasion. The phoebe made several flights right at the deer. I also observed that the deer closed its eyes as the bird got close to it. It certainly looked like a cooperative endeavor. After five or so encounters, the deer seemed to give the phoebe a look as if to say "Thank you very much," and walked away.

So, it looks as if the draw of the orchard includes more than the fruit for the deer, but an opportunity for the flycatchers as well.

February 2020

Field Notes: Leucistic Wild Turkey

Field Notes: Deer, Flies, and Eastern Phoebes