Rare piebald fawn delights Whidbey photographer
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 21, 2026
A rare piebald deer stopped a Whidbey wildlife photographer in her tracks last week.
On July 13, while following a group of transient orcas through Penn Cove toward the Wharf in Coupeville, Oak Harbor photographer Rachel Haight came across three fawns — including a piebald — and an adult deer standing near a curve on Madrona Way. The unexpected encounter became the highlight of her day.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officer Ralph Downes said piebald deer are much more common on Whidbey than elsewhere because the island’s relatively isolated deer population has allowed the recessive gene to persist. This year, however, he said he’s seen a record number of piebald fawns.
Its distinctive white coat is often mistaken for albinism, but piebald coloring is caused by a recessive gene inherited from both parents, Downes said. Deer carrying the gene don’t always have white coats; some instead have spotted or cream-colored markings.
Haight posted her pictures of the fawns in front of blooming flowers to Facebook, garnering more than 1,500 reactions.
“So cute my heart just melted,” somebody commented.
The encounter was memorable for the photographer as well.
“I don’t often see all white ones so this was an unexpected treat,” she told the News-Times. “Deer are one of my favorite animals so I love seeing them in Coupeville. The fawns especially are so cute, so spending time with this beauty totally made my day.”
Haight had been tracking seven orcas hunting near the Penn Cove mussel rafts. When the whales began moving east toward the Coupeville Wharf, she headed in the same direction. That’s when the trio of fawns caught her attention. Realizing other whale watchers would likely be traveling the same stretch of road, she chose to stay and wave at drivers to slow down to help keep the animals safe.
“Some marveled and photographed the white fawn as well. Eventually they all disappeared into a yard safely away from the road, so we continued following the orcas,” Haight said.
Though piebald deer are not especially rare on Whidbey, the encounter was a memorable reminder for Haight that the island’s natural wonders extend far beyond its shoreline. During the past 15 years, she has photographed wildlife across Whidbey, from marine mammals to owls, elk and elephant seals.
“We are graced with so many species of creatures: the great horned owls that live in my backyard; the pair of barred owls I observed three seasons in a row raising their young; gray whales feeding in the shallows along Hidden Beach; watching orcas hunting and socializing from the shores of Whidbey; spending time with the celebrity elk Bruiser; watching our growing elephant seal family,” she marveled. “It is an incredible place to live with no shortage of wildlife and I consider myself so fortunate to live here.”
