This was going to be just about foxes, of which more in a moment, but earlier this evening I came across a juvenile crow at Rottingdean Beach which takes pride of place in today's blog. I've seen crows sporting one or two white feathers, but never one with such extensive white feathering as this youngster.
White crow
As for the foxes, things have suddenly become active again. I caught some great activity on the trail cam overnight. There are four foxes in it. First up is 'Stumpy' the male fox with a truncated brush. He stayed for about 8 minutes grazing on peanuts and sultanas. Later, Bold showed up with two of her cubs. They had something of a riotous time, staying in the garden for around an hour. The clips give a flavour of their activities. Of course, being between 5.00am and 6.00am, I saw none of this.
I did see Bold tonight though. She stopped by for about half an hour (without cubs). She seems to have picked up an injury to her left eye (you can also notice it in the video if you look carefully). She also encountered a hedgehog, and took a close look at the trail cam (it's the first time she's seen me place it out there). She was calm, unbothered by the injury, and seemingly just looking for a bit of peace and quiet.
Relaxing
The bold vixen with a hedgehog
Investigating the trail cam
Close up of her injured eye
It's impossible to know how she got the injury, but foxes are more than mildly accident prone. She wasn't worrying it or scratching (good sign), and in this shot it appears to be the lid that is swollen. In all other respects she looked well, and her brush is beginning the thicken out again.
Camera note: crow photos taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens. All the fox pictures were taken with the EF 24-105 F4L IS USM lens.
anonymous
17 Jul 2009Lucky writes:
I remember reading somewhere that crows can get white feathers from a bad diet, scavenging junk food and such. I have no idea how it causes such result though.
gdare
17 Jul 2009I must admit I was confused. White crows!? Never heard before. All our crows are completely black, or with some greenish-black reflection, but never black.
I am glad her injury is not serious :up:
Words
17 Jul 2009Darko, ours are all black as well (usually). In searching I've found examples of pure white crows (rare), but the occasional white feather does show up.
Words
17 Jul 2009Lucky, I'll need to check out more about the white feathers, but diet's an interesting idea. Thanks!
Flying Red Fox Blog
17 Jul 2009Lovelly photos, the last one of the crw it looks like its smiling 😛 Hopefully the Vixens eye will get better soon. 😀
What a storm we had last night! did you get it?
Ukwildlife
17 Jul 2009great photos of the crow, especially in flight. And the fox close up is excellent too.
SittingFox
17 Jul 2009Almost a magpie! I haven't heard about a diet link – I always presumed it was just a form of leucism, like that which causes so-called white tigers.
That does look like an uncomfortable cut on her eye. Maybe she bumped into a wall or something :confused:
Words
17 Jul 2009Adele, isn't it just. A crow in magpie disguise. It would be interesting to pin down what causes the white feathers, whether it's diet or something else. The patterning is quite distinctive on this one.
The vixen could have caught her eye on anything, from a fence to thorns, or an over-playful cub. With luck it will clear up. I remember the old dog fox turned up a while back with a similar looking injury. I haven't seen any limping yet this year… but there's time.
Words
17 Jul 2009Mark, thanks. You're right, it does look like the crow's got a smile on its face. 😀 Hopefully her eye will heal up quickly. And yes, we got the storm too. It knocked out our internet connection for a couple of hours or so 🙁
Words
17 Jul 2009Neil, thanks! I was quite taken with the crow.
Cynthia23
23 Jul 2009WOW! First time for me seeing a crow with white feathers – awesome! Hmmmm …. Interesting as to why. Please write when you find the hypothesis as to why this occurs.
The fox and hedgehog, ah, so very cool!
Words
23 Jul 2009Cynthia, I've seen it there again since I took those shots. I suspect it's probably a genetic thing. Some more information over here.
Words
26 Jul 2009Louise, thanks. I tend to keep an eye on fox injuries, but generally they seem to have a remarkable ability to recover. Many older foxes have been found to have had broken bones which healed naturally. I've no idea what happened to Stumpy. He's a new fox as far as I can tell, but he seems healthy (if sensibly very cautious).
anonymous
26 Jul 2009Louise writes:
This video is just so heartwarming! Poor Bold – is there any natural antibiotics for foxes to heal with? Bless, I hope she feels better soon. What happened to Stumpy's tail?
Thanks so much for these videos and pictures, they sure brighten up a rainy day 😀
anonymous
25 Aug 2011Anonymous writes:
We have a black and white crow here in Sanquhar,Scotland.Never thought that was possible in these birds, until i read the comments on this website.
anonymous
19 Jul 2012Diane writes:
We have been feeding some crows for the last 2 years on bread, bird seeds and leftover meats. This year I have had two crows which visit my garden every day and the majority of their wing feathers are white. I really hope that the food I am feeding them isn't causing any problems as I have never had a white crow in my garden previously.
Words
19 Jul 2012Hi Diane, the condition is called 'leucism' and is a genetic variant/disorder which reduces pigmentation in the wings. It's not uncommon in corvids though it sounds like yours have it as a very dominant feature. It won't be anything to do with what you've been feeding them, so don't worry! Just enjoy their visits.
serola
14 Jan 2013Somehow that crow looks majestic 🙂
Words
14 Jan 2013Sami, I think this was quite a young crow. It did look fabulous!