In my neighborhood of Dover, I am often on the lookout for unusual birds, but that was not the case on the evening of May 1, 2026. I had come home from a long day of work and birding and just wanted to walk the dog before sunset and get myself into bed. As I rounded the corner of the Dover Baptist Church with my dog, I caught sight of something peculiar in the fading light: a white, thrush-like bird with the only color coming from a red breast—a leucistic American Robin! I rushed back to the house as fast as I could to grab my camera, but by the time I returned the sun had set and the bird was gone. Luck was on my side, however, as the next morning I relocated the robin in the same patch of grass where I had found it the night before. For the next two weeks, this little celebrity hung around my local patch in Dover. Multiple non-birders reached out to me, having incidentally spotted the bird, and asked me what it was and a few intrepid birders even came out to photograph the robin themselves.
Beautiful leucistic American Robin shows himself off to Cameron Johsnon on 5-2-2026 in Dover, NH.
The bird appears almost mystical in this photo.
Editor’s Note: The National Audubon Society has a great article about what leucism is. Check it out here.
Enjoy this field note? Check out other field notes from Spring 2026!
- Bohemian Rhapsody by Kurk Dorsey
- Lawrence’s Warbler by Tony Baldasaro
- Broad-winged Hawks on a Yard Layover by Kathy Carson
- American Herring Gull Eats a Snake by Kathryn Frieden
- Season of the Ticks by Cameron Johnson
- Orchard Oriole in Coos County—Again! by Lori Charron
- Painted Bunting—a Random Rare Sighting by Rebecca Elliott
- Short-billed Dowitchers in Dummer by Janice Landry
Want even more? Visit our “From the Field” page.