Feathers

Did you know that this is the time of year when birds molt? That's right. They lose their feathers right about now. And do you know how I know that? You may be thinking that it's from all the years I spent volunteering at bird rehabilitation clinics. It's true. I did that. I even raised ducks for awhile and released them into the wild...but that was after all their feathers came in. They weren't around long enough for feathers to fall out.

Nope. I know that birds are molting because I have a little girl who is obsessed with feathers. In fact, on our recent trip to Shoreline Park with AK and Spencer (see previous post) I think Mam picked up enough feathers to make her own goose out of cardboard, toothpicks and her massive collection.

It turns out that Canada geese are champions at losing feathers in the spring. Apart from all of the pathways at the park being liberally coated in goose poop, they were coated in big, black feathers (which, likely as not, were also coated with goose poop). This particular goose looks a little concerned that perhaps Mam is making off with one of her offspring.

So, what, you might ask, are we doing with our stroller-full of feathers? Well, they're currently sitting on the patio table, waiting for a strong gust of wind to blow them away while I pretend to collect cardboard and toothpicks...