Who done it?

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Do you know the name Roxie Laybourne? She was an American ornithologist who pioneered forensic ornithology. Her specialty was identifying dead birds from their feathers to learn the types of birds that collided with planes. Laybourne died in 2003 at the age of 92. However fourteen year prior to her passing, she taught Carla Dove “everything she knew about her career-long obsession: matching feathers to the birds they came from.” So Laybourne legacy continues on.

On Tuesday, Jeanne and I once again took off for the grasslands. As soon as we stepped out of the car, the high scree notes were pouring out of the nearby oaks. The Cedar Waxwings were devouring the mistletoe berries. And the mistletoes were loaded!

The waxwings barely made a dent in the berries. Most flew off as we left. And no birds were there went we returned to the car later that afternoon. And there were still berries left for another day.

We started our walkabout by heading down into the ditch. Of course we did. LOL

We had not gone far when we saw the first pile of feathers.

Who done it? And whose were these white feathers?

Beautiful!

A close up did not give us any further clues. And there was no evidence except for the feathers.

Then we saw another pile of feathers. This time they were dark. A few of these had a slight sheen to one edge. Plus the large feather on the left has what is called a tegmen. Tegmen: a shiny or waxy-looking patch along the shaft on the underside of primaries of waterfowl and some gamebirds, gulls, and owl. If obvious, usually indicates that a feather is from waterfowl. Hence, this looks like a duck.

Yet another pile! And this pile had a few bones.

A close of one of the above feathers.

More piles!

Here are some of the only feathers I could later ID. These are from a Canvasback. These are secondary feathers.

This feather from the mantle clinched its ID as a Canvasback.

In total there were four or five different piles of feathers. Did a hunter wound these birds? Thus allowing the birds to fly to the woods before dying? Did another critter finish eating them? I certainly wouldn’t think a hunter would have plucked them in the woods, but definitely not sure. We could only guess what happened. Furthermore, I was only able to ID the Canvasback with any certainty using my feather book, Bird Feathers by Scott and McFarland.

This Ancient Creature Is a Bizarre Hybrid of Dinosaur And Bird

Keep looking!

The more you know, the more you see and the more you see, the more you know

9 Comments

  1. Glad you answered the question I had in my mind. Hunters? But in the woods doesn’t make sense. Ok Mary, you left us wondering. I’m assuming the spot in the woods is not where a hunter can see them flying into a pond otherwise they may have been using the woods as a blind. Piles of feathers this big sure makes me think hunters except the location.

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    1. That is what doesn’t make any sense…the location. It was in the woods and no where near a pond where a hunter would have setup. So why the piles of feathers were there is a total mystery.

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  2. I was going to suggest the Bird Feathers book by Scott and McFarland, if you didn’t already have it. Should have known you would! Haven’t found any better, yet.

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  3. Hi, Mary, I have been told that owls will take ducks at night from their roosts and carry them to a spot to eat them; one after another. I have observed this same……..piles of feathers from ducks in one spot just off our country-ish road in the woods. What do you think?

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  4. Maybe a big raptor got disturbed while eating? Something else came upon it? Would explain why several spots. A duck is probably a big prize and raptors are known for feather piles.

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  5. I missed seeing this post earlier – glad I found it! So interesting! The owl explanation is totally feasible – I know owls eat chickens.

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