BAM! Turkey glamour KNOCKS me out in 1 photo

This stunner paraded by 20 minutes ago...

*swoon!*

Can't resist 2 more.

Never caught it perfectly focused, etc.,
but that back turns to orange/copper FIRE w/the right angle.

An embarrassment of riches, for sure.

xoxobb

hawk puzzle -- how DO I get that tasty morsel?

Moments ago, a hawk landed on something outside the garden,

but then danced around the fence for SO LONG,

I thought it might be stuck.

I want to EAT you!

bb dragged away in handcuffs?

Ah, apparently not.

This feather, that I collected (from the ground by my gym)

for the amusement of my (indoor) kitties, is not, I repeat,

not from a species protected by the migratory bird treaty act (MBTA).

Phew!

A kind facebook reader of my babblings had gently pointed out that

by collecting said feather I was breaking the law which,

oh-so-conveniently, I'd COMPLETELY forgotten about. 

Despite being a biologist. Yeah. A professional. Paid to know these things. Oops.

See, we're not allowed to have parts of any birds or their nests, etc.,

if they're protected by the MBTA. You, me, et al.

And most birds you'll see are on that list.

However, just figured out that this feather (and the others like it)

comes from a TURKEY!

You can see those feathers when the males drag their wings

in full display-to-the-ladies mode.

amazing photo by Yathin S Krishnappa

And turkeys are a) not native to this part of the U.S. and b) not migratory.

Though heaven knows I'd love to see them try.

So I did not break the law.

By total chance.

Which is fortunate, 'cause since then I forgot again,

and collected another big fatty from my neighborhood for the kitties.

So, I solemnly swear I'll be more aware of environmental laws in future,

and not allow my love for amused kitties to blind me.

=)

xobb

a mystery Easter decorator strikes again...

Discovered yesterday while fetching my sneakers...

How sweet is that?

So, now that's one good thing I can say about

the "stick-tight" burs we get around here.

They can append brilliant plumage to sneakers.

Who knew?

=)

bb

molting update: feathery explosions then shiny new bird

 
I've shown you this already, from Christmas day:

Fanny, our Rhode Island red had not molted in 2 years. Then she molted in just about one day.

Reminder of the coop-feather explosion.

In contrast, our barred-rock hen has been molting gradually for MONTHS, it seems. I wish she'd gotten it done so she'd be warmer now.

Anyhow, now that Fanny's got lots of new, beautiful feathers, check her out! The lighting is a little bizarre as it was early a.m. so I had to tweak it a bit. Look at how dense the feathers are at the very base of her tail, where she was totally bald in the 1st photo. AWESOME!

Isn't she gorgeous? Yow. Those long neck feathers are metallic shimmery green. GORGEOUS.

And last, a more typical chicken photo:

=)

bb

Phriday photo quiz answer

 

This generated many guesses re: what those white things were. Thank you for all for your guesses--makes it WAY more fun for me. =) Cindy's was the closest guess--pretty much spot on.

Happily, the answer is something that is NOT an affliction

A little lesson on feathers, from peteducation.com:

"A blood feather starts out with a waxy keratin sheath that protects it while it grows. When the feather is mature, the blood supply will recede and the waxy sheath will be removed by the bird."

This is the sound of biobabbler learning.

So, apparently they are simply waxy keratin sheaths.

They are NOT quills (or calamus, apparently, same thing as quill), as I'd been calling them--the quill is the smooth, unpigmented part of the feather that attaches the feather to the feather follicle, NOT the part that is shed once the feather has emerged.

So, now we know. =)

Doncha feel extra smart, now?

xoxo

biobabbler