Well, this was a most interesting quiz. Almost everyone got it wrong.
Including me. Including my Brother Matt near San Jose CA.
His response:
*I've had more people bring me a Barn Owl feather and ask me what it is,
than any other feather by a factor of 5.**I've always guessed that that is
due to Barn Owls shedding their feathers in flight? I say this because
they turn up everywhere. Places where it is unlikely that the owl had
perched to groom. And there are comparatively a lot of them around here*.
My response could have been the same as Matt's. Exactly the same. I've
found many such feathers over many decades. No brainer. Barn Owl. But I
knew that this feather was found at my son Chris' place and that he had a
Great Horned Owl family around. In spite of Chris' answer, I 'knew' that
it couldn't be a Great Horned Owl, because I already knew that it was from
a Barn Owl. Plus Great Horned Owls are gray, not tan.
My son Chris insisted. This time he had backup. See attached. This
particular author seems to be pretty reliable (Ha!) and he has an image of
this exact feather on his Great Horned Owl page, along with a flight
feather. By the way, his new book (pub 2020), which Chris found in the
Estacada Library, is\, as expected, a great book. A must read.
Bob OBrien (Living & Learning in) Carver OR
PS Another son Pat from Ann Arbor MI said he knew it was _not_ a Barn Owl,
but thought perhaps a Cooper's Hawk.
PPS (This is a body feather about 4" long, not a Flight or Tail feather,
as indicated by the fuzzy barbs near the base.)
On Sat, Jul 24, 2021 at 12:06 AM Robert O'Brien <baro@xxxxxxx> wrote:
This seems to be a feather that should be easy to identify. Irritatingly
easy. But..................................?
This one I don't know myself. Yet, anyhow.
My son's place in Eagle Creek, Clackamas County
Bob OBrien Carver OR
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WhatItsLikeToBeABird.jpg
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