i pick up feathers when i find them. i have a nice collection now. this photo is a just a sampling. i happen to live in the community that i grew up in. i was a tomboy. i spent hours upon hours outdoors. building forts and generally staying out from under the surveillance of adults. i can say with certainty that we didn’t have any of the large birds i see so abundantly today–no turkeys, no owls, few hawks, few herons, few pheasant, and believe it or not, hardly any geese. and absolutely for sure, no swans. and here we are, 40 years later, and these birds are regular and visible residents and neighbors. about 40 years ago or so, the US finally banned the use of DDT. i wonder…

found feathers from large birds: goose, eagle, hawk, owl, fowl, pheasant, heron, turkey

all from minnesota except the fowl (pintade) feather which is from france