I found the prettiest yellow feather

[Siwsan]

It was caught up in the grass I cleaned off of the rider mower. It's about 4" long so it seems a bit big for a yellow finch, which is the ONLY yellow bird I've seen, here. The other side is almost uniformly black but the rachis is bright yellow on both sides.

I always associate finding interesting feathers with a visit from my dad, related to a story I've told numerous times, on DU, about the day he died, and shortly after. I had opened the window of his hospice room and saw some beautiful birds at a pond. He LOVED birds so I suggested he go out and see them. A few minutes later, he died. Then, a few days after that, a big, beautiful plume feather floated down in front of me, as I was taking a walk. I looked up, and didn't see any birds. I figured it was Dad letting me know he was fine.

[imaginary girl]

1. Pretty!

Could have been from a yellow shafted flicker

[ShazamIam]

6. Yes, thanks, we had both red shafted and yellow shafted flickers in our almond orchard.

The yellow were less common than the reds (closer to orange) ones.

[hlthe2b]

2. Pretty. It does seem a bit large for a finch, but that said I'm over the moon the past several years

that little yellow finches have rebounded in Colorado. For more than a decade I hardly ever saw them (likely wiped out by West Nile Virus), but they have rebounded after presumedly developing some natural immunity.

Love the little guys.

[Demovictory9]

3. Pretty

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Yellow-shafted or gilded flicker ? nt

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feather.php?Bird=YSFL_tail_adult_ventral#

[jpak]

5. Yellow shafted flicker

[multigraincracker]

7. Have you ever been to Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge Michigan?

GF is taking her wheel chair and oxygen dependent friend there this week birding. I think they are doing the drive thru tour.

[magicarpet]

8. Wonderful life story,.... Your Dad taught you the love of birds and environs.

[Binkie The Clown]

9. Be careful. Owning the feathers of a wild bird can be a criminal offense.

https://icatchshadows.com/did-you-know-its-illegal-to-possess-most-bird-feathers/

If you find feathers in nature, please appreciate, study, photograph them, and leave them where you found them. Under federal law, it is illegal to take them home.” ... “The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).Mar 14, 2020

[Harker]

10. I always pick them up and bring them home.

I could be sent away for decades, probably.

[XanaDUer2]

11. Beautiful nt

[abqtommy]

12. K&R