By Robin Hebrock Pahrump Valley Times
June 18, 2026 - 5:00 am
Pahrump nonmigratory Tom Ferguson whitethorn not beryllium a nonrecreational photographer, but helium is an avid enthusiast of the activity, and helium precocious captured images of thing some uncommon and intriguing – a raven that is not the emblematic glossy achromatic but instead, an eye-catching white.
Known arsenic leucism, this achromatic coloration is simply a familial information caused by a nonaccomplishment of pigmentation owed to an lack of the cells that nutrient melanin.
“This information is sometimes confused with albinism, which is simply a familial mutation wherever the carnal is calved without the enzyme indispensable to nutrient melanin,” an nonfiction from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states, adding that leucism does not impact oculus colour arsenic albinism does. “A vertebrate has a astir 1 successful 30,000 accidental of being calved with the condition. This makes the achromatic raven a existent oddity of the entity and worthy of the pomp and condition shown to them.”
Ferguson surely thinks the achromatic raven roaming Pahrump’s skies is owed immoderate recognition. While helium did not supply an nonstop determination for the corvid, arsenic helium does not privation the birds to beryllium driven disconnected by accrued postulation oregon harassed successful immoderate way, helium did taxable respective photographs to the Pahrump Valley Times to stock the show with his chap assemblage members.
“My son-in-law lives successful the southwest country of Pahrump. He was walking his canine aboriginal 1 greeting and spotted the achromatic raven,” Ferguson explained successful an email erstwhile asked what had drawn his attraction to the bird. “He called maine and I waited until aboriginal the adjacent greeting to spot if I could spot it. He gave maine a wide determination betwixt a mates of large streets and I was successful the country astir 5:30 a.m. oregon so.”
Ferguson said helium archetypal rolled down his windows and utilized his ears to search, listening for the sounds of raven calls. He ended up spying a radical of ravens successful the region and made his mode over, uncovering that the radical was made up of 4 achromatic ravens and 1 achromatic raven. Over the people of the adjacent 4 oregon truthful days, helium continued to question retired that achromatic raven and has taken dozens upon dozens of pictures of her.
“I accidental ‘her’ due to the fact that it seemed arsenic if the different ravens deferred to her astir immoderate food,” Ferguson said. “They would fto her enactment it implicit earlier they got involved. I person ne'er seen that benignant of raven enactment before. Usually, they combat implicit each scrap of food. Her mates conscionable gathered astir and didn’t fuss her astatine all.”
The 87-year-old Ferguson’s emotion of photography began galore years ago, erstwhile helium was young antheral successful the U.S. Marine Corps serving during the Vietnam War.
“I served successful 1st Force Recon Co., FMF Pacific. My occupation was radio/telegraph operator,” Ferguson detailed. “I spent months aboard submarine SS-313 Perch connected missions on the full West Coast and Alaska. Along with my different equipment, I person a 35mm camera to instrumentality photos of immoderate and everything that the orders were funny in. So, I conjecture it each started backmost then.”
That emotion was reinforced passim his 35-year vocation arsenic a commercialized diver and has ne'er waned, pursuing him into retirement. And his existent passionateness extends acold beyond ravens. He is simply a heavy admirer of an assortment of raptors and different birds and critters, too.
“Goshawks, Cooper hawks and sharp-shinned hawks, flickers, flycatchers, occidental bluebirds and cedar waxwings were a favourite erstwhile I was surviving successful Alturas, California. Moving to Arkansas, it was cardinals and moving to Montana, it was the Canadian geese and duck populations,” Ferguson said. “Here successful Pahrump since 2025 I believe, it’s been chiefly burrowing owls, reddish process hawks and present I’m aft kestrel hawks. If it flies oregon runs, I’m aft it!”
When it comes to tips Ferguson would connection different amateur wildlife photographers, helium said it’s truly not complicated.
“You simply request a decent camera and mostly, the clip to freely walk outside,” helium concluded. “I bash counsel folks to instrumentality your camera, adjacent to the market store, due to the fact that you ne'er cognize what you volition spot until it is close successful beforehand of you. Carry oregon person disposable a bully vertebrate and/or wildlife notation source, they are adjuvant successful telling you what you see. Oh yeah, and you request tons of patience!”
Contact newsman Robin Hebrock astatine rhebrock@pvtimes.com
English (US)·