A family revealed their excitement at discovering an extremely rare albino blackbird while feeding a nest of baby blackbirds they found in their garden hedge.
The all-white fledging - which features tell-tale red eyes and legs - was glimpsed by Natasha Covell, 31, when it first popped out of the hedge in her front garden in Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, last Thursday.
Natasha and kids Adam, 12, and Maisie, nine, had been feeding a family of blackbirds nesting in the hedge when the white one emerged to their surprise.
Bird experts say that a genuine albino blackbird is extremely rare, with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) getting a couple of reports a year at most.
Natasha said: 'It was really surprising - it shocked us all, really.
'We had been watching the mother going in and out and feeding her young, and then we went out to leave them some fat balls, and suddenly this white one appeared.
'I was absolutely stunned. I'd never seen one before and was mesmerised.
'At first I thought it might be a dove but after googling it, I discovered it was an albino blackbird - and I realised just how rare it was.
'We feel really privileged to have it in our garden and are told that it is extremely rare.'
Natasha added that her daughter Maisie has nicknamed the albino bird 'Chalky' - and goes out into the garden early in the morning to look for it.
She said: 'Now my children and I have kind of adopted the bird and are making sure that it and its family are fed regularly.
'Blackbirds always nest in the hedge and we make sure that we put some food like bird feed and mealworms for them.
'On this occasion there are about four black chicks and this white one.'
Natasha said that the family have even had neighbours coming round to their garden to try and catch a glimpse of the rare albino bird.
She said: 'Quite a few people have come down to try and see it.
'This one 82-year-old man came over with binoculars and said he had been bird-watching since he was six years old, but had never managed to see an albino blackbird.
'Sadly, it was over in the neighbour's garden that day, I think, so he didn't get to see it.
'But it was very special. It's quite strange having people just turn up.'
The family have grown quite attached to the bird, and Natasha says she is worried about what may happen to it - as its poor eyesight means it cannot fly as well as its siblings.
She said: 'The other chicks are all flying around the garden and in and out of the nest, but the white one can't fly very well.
'At the moment the mother is still bringing it food - but I worry that it might get left behind eventually, and be more vulnerable to predators.
'If that happens, we would definitely take it in and look after it.'
Bird experts say that blackbirds can be found which feature some white parts because of a loss of pigmentation and are known as leucistic.
However their legs and beaks remain black, unlike those of a true albino where the eyes, legs and beak will be red.
Paul Stancliffe of the BTO said: 'It is extremely rare to see an albino blackbird.
'Very, very occasionally there will be white, leuticstic birds, but they are not truly albino.
'We would expect to get just one report annually of an albino blackbird in this region.'
Mr Stancliffe estimated the bird was around ten days old but said that its albino look made it vulnerable to predators.
He said: 'The problem is that it stands out and that makes it more at risk from predators.
'Also there is a theory that albinos have poorer eyesight which would also make it vulnerable.'
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Source: Daily Mail
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The all-white fledging - which features tell-tale red eyes and legs - was glimpsed by Natasha Covell, 31, when it first popped out of the hedge in her front garden in Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, last Thursday.
Natasha and kids Adam, 12, and Maisie, nine, had been feeding a family of blackbirds nesting in the hedge when the white one emerged to their surprise.
Bird experts say that a genuine albino blackbird is extremely rare, with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) getting a couple of reports a year at most.
Natasha said: 'It was really surprising - it shocked us all, really.
'We had been watching the mother going in and out and feeding her young, and then we went out to leave them some fat balls, and suddenly this white one appeared.
'I was absolutely stunned. I'd never seen one before and was mesmerised.
'At first I thought it might be a dove but after googling it, I discovered it was an albino blackbird - and I realised just how rare it was.
'We feel really privileged to have it in our garden and are told that it is extremely rare.'
Natasha added that her daughter Maisie has nicknamed the albino bird 'Chalky' - and goes out into the garden early in the morning to look for it.
She said: 'Now my children and I have kind of adopted the bird and are making sure that it and its family are fed regularly.
'Blackbirds always nest in the hedge and we make sure that we put some food like bird feed and mealworms for them.
'On this occasion there are about four black chicks and this white one.'
Natasha said that the family have even had neighbours coming round to their garden to try and catch a glimpse of the rare albino bird.
She said: 'Quite a few people have come down to try and see it.
'This one 82-year-old man came over with binoculars and said he had been bird-watching since he was six years old, but had never managed to see an albino blackbird.
'Sadly, it was over in the neighbour's garden that day, I think, so he didn't get to see it.
'But it was very special. It's quite strange having people just turn up.'
The family have grown quite attached to the bird, and Natasha says she is worried about what may happen to it - as its poor eyesight means it cannot fly as well as its siblings.
She said: 'The other chicks are all flying around the garden and in and out of the nest, but the white one can't fly very well.
'At the moment the mother is still bringing it food - but I worry that it might get left behind eventually, and be more vulnerable to predators.
'If that happens, we would definitely take it in and look after it.'
Bird experts say that blackbirds can be found which feature some white parts because of a loss of pigmentation and are known as leucistic.
However their legs and beaks remain black, unlike those of a true albino where the eyes, legs and beak will be red.
Paul Stancliffe of the BTO said: 'It is extremely rare to see an albino blackbird.
'Very, very occasionally there will be white, leuticstic birds, but they are not truly albino.
'We would expect to get just one report annually of an albino blackbird in this region.'
Mr Stancliffe estimated the bird was around ten days old but said that its albino look made it vulnerable to predators.
He said: 'The problem is that it stands out and that makes it more at risk from predators.
'Also there is a theory that albinos have poorer eyesight which would also make it vulnerable.'
Source: Daily Mail
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
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