Another element to the white feather game. Swallows (especially tree swallows, but perhaps barns too) habitually decorate their nests with white feathers. Bob Paxton
On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 10:04 PM Joseph Wallace <joew...@gmail.com> wrote: > This is more about bird behavior than rarity, so apologies if it's o/t, > but I watched a swallow engage in extraordinary (to me) behavior at Croton > Point Park in Westchester today. It started when I spotted something white > drifting slowly towards the ground: a large, downy feather. Just as I > focused on it, a Barn Swallow snatched it out of the air with its beak. I > expected the bird to head off to its nest, but instead it dropped the > feather...and then circled and snatched it out of the air again. > > For the next few minutes, I watched the swallow repeatedly release the > feather, do wide loops around it--sometimes feinting in its direction--and > then pluck it out of the air. Twice it let the feather land on the grass, > retrieving it once while on the wing and once by landing beside it. Finally > the swallow did head off, I imagine to line its nest at last. > > I'd never seen swallows engage in play, but I can't see how this was > anything else. Has anyone else here ever witnessed something like this? > Thanks--Joe Wallace > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > ABA <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
