HOOGERWERF A (1974) Short announcements: An albinistic specimen of the Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus L. at Vlieland. LIMOSA 47 (3): 147-147.

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus In April 1972, June 1973, and again in April, June and July 1974 an albinistic specimen of the common Oystercatcber Haematopus ostralegus L. was recorded along the wad-side of the Dutch Waddenisland Vlieland, and almost without exception at about the same locality. Although there is no certain proof that in all these cases the same bird was involved, the similarity in plumage and in the colour of the unfeathered parts was so striking that the author is quite convinced that this indeed is the case. During 1973 and 1974 the presence of this bird was also established by Drs. G. C. Boere, a biologist working in VIieland, and he informed me that in the last days of January 1970 a similar Oystercatcher was seen by him in the island of Terschelling. Mr. A. Timmerman of the Rijksinstituut voor Natuurbeheer at Leersum wrote to me having recorded an albino Oystercatcher in the sixties in the island of Schiermonnikoog. The question whether the bird earlier seen in Schiermonnikoog and Terschelling is the same as the one now present in Vlieland must remain unanswered since the bird is not banded and apparently shows no other characters to prove it.

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