Now’s the season to hit the road and start putting in a few miles to take off some of that over winter layer of insulation one tends to put on when the snows cover the ground. It’s also a good time to find feathers. I like to pick them up and add the prettier ones to my kayak hat to show off to tourists during the summer.
In my walk today I came across a large specimen but could only guess at what bird may have left it. Thanks to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service I won’t get laughed off the lake when I strut around the shoreline with my magnificent new addition. According to the experts, it’s definitely an eagle feather. You can check your own finds at the Fish and Wildlife’s handy feather identification website. Here
I think keeping some feathers is illegal (believe it or not).
A woman who used feathers she had found made some kind of feather arrangement and sent it to her idol (or unrequited love), Hillary Clinton, who turned it over to some gov’t agency who then arrested the woman.
(not making this up)
mortem tyrannis
izlamo delenda est …
The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).
Unless you’re Native American so Fauxcahontas can have as many as she wants.
Interestingly, I consider myself Native American having been born right here in the U.S.
As said above:
Feathers from any Birds of Prey are illegal to own unless you are native American.
Ergo, possession of eagle feathers are forbidden.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not be happy with your new addition. Just ask them.
Did I tell you I’m 1/1,000,000 parts Native American? My great-grandma Shannon was a Cherokee princess, had the cheek bones and everything.
She was a real equity advocate, way before her time. She’d tell us great-grandkids “Buy a n-word person for what they’re worth, sell’em for what they think they’re worth, you’d have a fortune”, only she’d actually use the n-word. Ah, that Grandma Shannon, she was one in a million, like me I’m one in one million parts Native American.
Tim and all,
Yeah, if you are on a walk and spot a feather, don’t touch. It’s illegal to move a feather from any wild bird, unless you are (legally) hunting. If you pick up a feather and bring it home, you have broken the law. All in the name of preventing people from killing birds to collect feathers. Of course, Siberian-americans are exempt from this law, as they need to kill birds to make their hats.
Our tax dollars at work…..
Well, gee, those professionally taken photos on the Feather Atlas sure don’t look like they exist in their natural habitat. Laws for thee..
Yeah, keeping feathers from any migratory bird is a illegal. I was using feathers for book marks in my bird book & got a warning from the wildlife guy.
HAHA, I have a friend who uses all kinds of nature (leaves, rocks, feathers) in his artwork. He has a pile of “eagle” feathers … turkey feathers he spray paints to look just like eagle feathers.
I can’t tell you how many times he’s been confronted by irate customers who complain that he can’t use them, “How dare you kill eagles!” He so politely tells them that they are turkey feathers. They spit and sputter, then walk away.
He doesn’t care that he ‘lost’ a customer. He kind of likes to piss people off that are so woke. He often asks them in they are so concerned with harming eagles, why don’t they complain about the eagle-killing turbines. That’s when they usually run away.
I’ve got quite a collection of turkey feathers, crow, turkey vulture, scrub jays, Canadian geese, pheasant. I gave some to my friend whose grandson is a boy scout and uses them to make fishing lures. Tim – FJB is correct about owning eagle feathers and some other types of birds of prey. Amazing what you see/find on woodland hikes. Saw a decapitated mole yesterday. Head was gone and the body was left…..
Ah, Turkey Feathers on that I say!
I used the winter wisely & hit the weights frequently;-#7 more to reach optimum weight.
@ Goldenfoxx
Turkey vultures are birds of prey and Canadian geese are migratory birds. Both are no-no.
Have a local Mockingbird who pesters me at the kitchen window (I give him suet during winter)& on nicer days chats through the window screen. Funny thing about the visiting birds is that they don’t poop on our clothesline OR car .
Leave the feathers to us it’s legal for us redskins.