The choice of what feathers swallows choose, and how they reflect local conditions, is another interesting path! Given the size of the feather I observed, and the way the mix of fields/lawns and river's edge at Croton Point Park attracts Canada Geese, I'd guess that goose down might be a popular nest-liner there.
On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 11:41 AM anneboby <anneb...@aol.com> wrote: > Further to Bob Paxton's comment about Tree Swallows' love affair with > feather lining of their nests, I have found these birds very resourceful > with their feather gathering depending on the nature of their local > habitat. For years I have monitored nest boxes in Upstate counties of > Schenectady, Saratoga, Schoharie and Montgomery. Depending on location, > these swallows gather feathers of a wide range of species, as well as in > varying quantity. Rural areas are more endowed with local fowl than are > suburban areas leading to easier gathering. > > For instance the nest boxes at the Landis Arboretum in rural Schoharie > Co. with roosters crowing in the distance had much larger gatherings of > goose, duck and chicken feathers in general than did the boxes at West > Hill, a suburban residential area in the Town of Rotterdam in Sch'dy Co > where Great Horned Owl feathers made an almost annual appearance. > > In some areas the tan body feathers of barnyard geese are very popular, > but so can be white feathers from domestic ducks. Less numerous are flank > feathers from male Mallard, Wood Duck and body feathers of Wild Turkey. > > Some of the rarer choices are from Great Blue Heron, Great Horned Owl > (body), No. Saw-whet Owl (primaries) and the strangest of all: Common > Nighthawk. One nest in Montgomery Co contained 5-6 nighthawk feathers > including flight feathers (rectrix and wing) suggesting that this swallow > had found a dead nighthawk and was harvesting feathers from it. Nighthawks > molt away from the northeastern U.S. spring nesting season. > > Feathers, flight and body, from local passerines also show up in these > nests on rare occasion. But far and away, body feathers of barnyard fowl > are the most common Tree Swallow nest lining material in these counties. > > Bob Yunick > Schenectady > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert Paxton <r...@columbia.edu> > To: Joseph Wallace <joew...@gmail.com> > Cc: NYSBIRDS <NYSbirds-L@cornell.edu> > Sent: Mon, Jun 7, 2021 8:35 am > Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Barn Swallow question > > 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:* > 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/ --
