A Feather Quiz

I went in search of owls this afternoon in the woods and wetlands behind our house. Kodi joined me as we tramped across frozen wetlands and beneath tall white pines. I was impressed that he went all the way and back again because we did encounter coyote sign. And you know by now how Kodi feels about coyotes.

Our afternoon trek was prompted by the owls that we heard on our predawn walk this morning. For the first time in our neighborhood we heard the deep hooting of a great horned owl. Two actually. The second one hooted in response, but more softly. Then two barred owls called to each other, perhaps in response to the hoots of their bigger cousins.Great horned owls are likely nesting by now so I was keen on searching for some sign of a nesting pair.

Alas, I did not see any owls or owl sign. There was lots and lots of deer scat, some coyote scat, and one bird that was no more. Which brings me to the title of this blog post: a feather quiz. Here is the pile of feathers that I found on my walk through the white pine forest with Kodi. Take a look and see if you can identify the bird. It is a common bird and has one feature somewhat in common with the great horned owl.

I'll post the answer tomorrow. Extra points if you know what feature I am referring to.