A white feather

 

A white feather

We have many birds, large and small, flying over our garden, or settling onto branches to pick off insects or developing fruit. Sometimes we find a broken eggshell on the ground, but we have rarely seen a dead bird, apart from a starling that had been caught by a sparrowhawk and another starling that had flown into the patio doors and killed itself.

Similarly, we do not often see feathers, and those we have found have come from wood pigeons or magpies. I found the feather above on the path this week. It’s small, only 5 cms (just under 2")     

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I was interested in looking at the intricate structure of the feather. I knew of the quill, of course, but didn’t know the names of any of the other parts. I don’t think the quill of this feather could be used for writing by anyone other than a fairy.

During the First World War (1914-1918) men in Britain who had not enlisted were given a white feather to imply cowardice. This was in an attempt to make them sign up through shame rather than patriotism. Shockingly, from the perspective of the 21^st century, the suffragette movement promoted the white feather movement.

Serving soldiers sometimes found themselves being presented with a white feather when they were home on leave. Other men, who had volunteered but been rejected on grounds of ill-health or disability, were similarly discriminated against.

A white feather to denote lack of bravery originated in the late 1700s, though in that case it was more to indicate a lack of proper breeding,

From Wikipedia: 

The OED cites A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), in which lexicographer Francis Grose wrote "White feather, he has a white feather, he is a coward, an allusion to a game cock, where having a white feather, is a proof he is not of the true game breed". This was in the context of cockfighting, a common entertainment in Georgian England.

The white feather was used again in the Second World War (1939-1945) for the same purpose.

However, the white feather has also been used to symbolise excellence, and is used in the United States armed forces to recognise extreme bravery.

It is also worn as a mark of resistance without violence. In the late nineteenth century, it was used by the Maori spiritual leader, Te Whiti o Rongomai III (c1832-1907)

There is an unverified story from 1775 that a tribe of warring Indians confronted a group of Quakers, in a New York Friends’ meeting house. The Quakers did not attempt to run away, but sat quietly. When the Indian chief entered the meeting and discovered that the Quakers had no weapons, he claimed them as friends. As he left, he took a white feather from an arrow in his quiver and put it on the door as a sign that the building and its occupants were not to be harmed.

Poetry Jam Songs for the Dead

Poetry Jam can be found here

Screaming in on scimitar wings, 

They settled and squabbled and fed, 

Then fled as one noisy squadron,

But one of their number lay dead.

A young inexperienced starling

Found that glass was harder than head,

His short earthly life was completed,

For Morpheus beckoned instead.

ABC Wednesday - S is for Strike

Thanks go to Denise Nesbitt and her Stalwart Squad who organise and host this weekly meme. Click here for more Ss.

Just resting?

One day last week a starling flew into our patio door. It’s unusual at this time of year – generally it’s young, inexperienced spring birds that misjudge the angle at which they need to fly to clear the house.

Bird strike feather imprint on patio glass. I've enhanced it to make the print clearer

Often the birds are just stunned and after twenty minutes, sometimes longer, they have regained their senses and fly off to join their cacophonous friends and relations. Sadly this bird died instantly. We didn’t clear it away immediately and the dogs took no notice of it at all. The next morning the little corpse had disappeared – a ready meal for a passing fox, no doubt.

This morning we had two bird strikes. The first was a woodpigeon that hit the glass and rebounded with no harm but hurt pride and a sense of foolishness. The second was a starling. It, too, bounced off the door and landed on the garden bench where it lay motionless. It’s common for birds to be dazed and take time to recover but this was not to be the case for this little creature. No more would it peck hungrily at the fat cakes or drink from the pond or squabble like a small child with the rest of its flock. No longer would the sun catch its glossy feathers or silhouette it against the sky as it flew swiftly away.

Wing feathers

This is an adult in spotted winter plumage. The feathers are edged in orange-buff 

The blue-based bill indicates that it is a male. Females' bills are pink-based.

Just look at his smart feathery knee breeches . . . 

. . . and his beautiful square tail

It's sad to think that this young fellow will not glory in his green and purple sheened black spring apparel.

Starlings are not exotic but for me they have a beauty and fascination all their own. They are entertaining, gregarious, busy birds and I delight in their antics and their noisy conversations. 

ABC Wednesday W is for Wondering and Worrying

Thank you to Denise Nesbitt and her Willing Workers Who organise and host this Weekly meme. To see more Ws please click here.

Since early Monday morning this Scottish racing pigeon has been feeding and drinking several times a day in our garden.

She seems undisturbed by the presence of other birds. This young starling is drinking, lifting its beak to swallow. Pigeons and doves don't need to do this and so they can drink continuously.

One foot in, one foot out! Our dogs do this with their food bowls to stop them slipping. Perhaps she's doing the same thing.

I think Woodpigeons are handsome birds but I have to admit they'd come second in a beauty contest with a homing pigeon.

I've read that stray racing pigeons Will feed and rest and then resume their journey after a couple of days. This pigeon is Worrying me now. She has been here for three days. She has eaten heartily and drunk the fresh water I put out daily for the birds. I know she can fly and I saw her preening her feathers this afternoon. The advice is to capture strays and put them in a safe container, like a cat carrier, but this bird sits on our roof  and basks in the sun and When she's feeding she's looking around Warily every few seconds, though she seems less Worried With each passing day. What is really Worrying me, though, is that the Woodpigeons are getting bolder. Last evening two of them were tentatively pecking at her as all three gobbled seed. She didn't seem concerned, didn't attempt to retaliate and calmly carried on eating.

If she's still about tomorrow I'll contact the Pigeon Fancy and ask for advice. Maybe she's decided she likes it here - free food and no races!

Camera Critters - Woodpecker sees off Starling

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are frequently hugely outnumbered by flocks of Starlings and cannot compete in the clamorous feeding frenzy. No sooner have they seen off two or three Starlings than another six join in the fracas so they usually fly away and return when it's quieter. Occasionally and not often for long there may be just one or two Starlings on the feeder and then the Woodpecker can hold his own. Here a Woodpecker has pecked at a young Starling, removing a downy feather. The juvenile has decided that discretion is the better part of valour and is departing the scene.

Left in peace the Woodpecker drops the feather in order to feed.


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Thank you to Misty Dawn for organising this meme.