Albino Swainson's Hawk

Photo taken in northern Colorado south of Wyoming: North Park, Arapaho NWR, Walden, Jackson County, Colorado.  Photo taken by Mark Lanier/USFWS of a partial albino on 8/18/06

"It was approached very close (5 feet), across an open field. Even at the close distance, I had to move my hands a bit to get it to turn around as I was trying get a good look all the way around it looking for any non-white coloration. It just didn't seem as wary as an adult should be. I've seen it fly 3 times, and it never was more than maybe 30 feet in the air, and for the most part flapping. When it did soar for brief periods, the wings were held slightly up like a Swainson's instead of the flatter profile of a Redtail. I have only noted one "parent" - at a time anyway - and it seems distressed and circles when I am out of the vehicle, and when I moved in for the pictures. Last Friday, the albino, and an adult Swainson's were on the ground less than 10 feet from each other on a sage hillside when I was driving by. There has been another(?) family group of Swainson's about 1/2 mile north of where I have seen this bird consisting of at least 3 juveniles and 1-2 adults, but I have not seen this bird, nor has anyone reported seeing it with more than one other Swainson's. Yesterday afternoon I encountered it again on the sagebrush hillside. I parked about 50 yards away and it walked on the ground, and jumped from sagebrush to sagebrush uphill about 20 yards further. It then flew in an arc around me at about the same altitude - 15-20 feet - and lit on the same sagebrush hillside but about 100 yards further south. The adult Swainson's was apparently not in the area when I first arrived, but did show up a few minutes later, circling me and calling continuously, and the albino was calling back from the ground. Can't recall much more right now, but my impressions were: not much fear of me, still seemed to be finding its wings and little uncomfortable flying, and an adult bird seemingly agitated with my presence - point to a juvenile." Mark Lanier, 8/2006

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