A fine spring day, scrubbing birdfeeders, admiring the plants in bloom in my yard (unfortunately, the forsythia didn't bloom - but it is full of green leaves and house sparrows!)...
This is the weeping cherry tree in the front yard. Was even more beautiful last week before half the blooms blew off.And then I noticed this.....
Massacre.
Feathers at the base of the birdfeeder pole. No guts, no bones, no beaks....
Just feathers.
Lots of them.
I think it was a junco. But I am willing to entertain opposing points of view. Any thoughts from the more expert birders out there?
I just wish I had seen the sharpie or the red-tail who had lunch courtesy of the poor bird at my feeders.
After all, hawks have to eat, too.
Deep cleansing breath.
More yard beauty...
5 comments:
Too big to be a junco...the one on the right (pointy with irregular patterns) looks like a sapsucker tail feather.
The one on the left is stumping me.
Since you have the feathers out there, round them up and check this site:
http://www.lab.fws.gov/featheratlas/index.php
Great site for feather ID. (It's my secret weapon...people think I'm a genius.)
It's always the dilhema for us bird lovers, raptors vs. songbird. We love them all but why do some have to die so others can live? Lovely yard blooms there.
I was thinking maybe MoDo for the feather on the left. If so, it might not be so bad. Mourning Dove feathers are very loosely attached, and they can lose a lot of feathers and still get away.
Way too big for junco, that's for sure.
Where is the post on moving the duck family from last year? Mary Ann Barnett, on Facebook, needs some pointers for a mama Mallard who is on a nest at her office.
~Kathi
Hi Kathi, here is the link to the duck story....
http://mylifewithbirds.blogspot.com/2009/07/final-duck-update.html
It was a few posts long, not just this one, but by flipping through the "older posts", MaryAnn should be able to find the entire story.
Take care,
Beth
The experts have spoken, and I have to agree--too big and spotty for a junco.
Whenever I see feathers (or fur) like that, as obvious evidence of a massacre, I just say, "Some bird/bunny had a very bad day here...." But then, whenever I see a road-killed animal, I always say, "Oh look, a sack of potatoes that fell off a truck! La la la!"
I don't deal well with death.
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