Like I said this is only a possible sighting, I'm not an avid bird watcher, but have an interest. I saw a mostly white bird as I walked the dogs along Jacques Court (On the Headland Hartlepool) at the end of the bushes between the walk and the tennis courts. It was quite close 10-15ft away at the most and it was a mainly white bird with bits black-grey in it. Now looking in the RSPB book the only thing near to what I saw was a Siberian Stonechat.
Now is that possible (unsure so not posted in the sightings etc) or is it more likely to be a part albino sparrow which to my eye would be about the same size and shape to what I saw and there are lots of sparrows along that pathway. Or maybe it is the Snow bunting I saw a few weeks earlier now in it's winter plumage but it was nothing like the picture of a winter plumage Snow Bunting in the RSPB book I have and the shape was a little different.
Hopefully someone with a bit more experience can go along and ID it correctly and share the credit with me :)
Hi Ratbiter,
I saw a leucistic (a defect in melanin production) House Sparrow in the same location earlier this week. I suspect this was your bird. It was with a flock of normal-looking spuggies. It was particularly striking but unfortunately not something rare.
Best wishes,
Gary
Was it this bird Ratbiter?
and in the field....
Yes it looks like the bird in the field, the one in hand I'd have said it had alot more white, even the one in the field seems to have more brown than what I saw but I saw it from the other side. But Happy to agree it's the same bird. ;D