Biancone
to err is human
Not certain which is the most appropriate section to post this...
Is anyone able to tell me if these feathers are from a 2cy female (ie. are aged juvenile feathers) or an adult? I don't really know if that is possible. I know they are Goshawk feathers, and I assume they are from a female because they were picked up (on June 18 this year) at the foot of the nest tree where the pair's breeding attempt had evidently failed a couple of weeks ago.
I particularly want to know the female's age because it does seem that breeding pairs with one partner at 2cy tend to be less successful than more experienced pairs, and I'm clutching at straws wondering about the cause of this unhappy event. I have not seen the female that, based on calls, had been at the nest.
I'm guessing the two longer ones are outer tail feathers because of their length (275mm) and lack of emargination or fingering. These do show hints of the pale strip on each side of the bars as in the juvenile tail (especially female), but does the fact that these are not really prominent suggest the owner must have been an adult, or is this the kind of fading expected over a bird's first year? The sunlight has made the dorsal colours look more reddish brown than they do to my eye, but I haven't adjusted the image.
Thanks for any advice!
Brian
Is anyone able to tell me if these feathers are from a 2cy female (ie. are aged juvenile feathers) or an adult? I don't really know if that is possible. I know they are Goshawk feathers, and I assume they are from a female because they were picked up (on June 18 this year) at the foot of the nest tree where the pair's breeding attempt had evidently failed a couple of weeks ago.
I particularly want to know the female's age because it does seem that breeding pairs with one partner at 2cy tend to be less successful than more experienced pairs, and I'm clutching at straws wondering about the cause of this unhappy event. I have not seen the female that, based on calls, had been at the nest.
I'm guessing the two longer ones are outer tail feathers because of their length (275mm) and lack of emargination or fingering. These do show hints of the pale strip on each side of the bars as in the juvenile tail (especially female), but does the fact that these are not really prominent suggest the owner must have been an adult, or is this the kind of fading expected over a bird's first year? The sunlight has made the dorsal colours look more reddish brown than they do to my eye, but I haven't adjusted the image.
Thanks for any advice!
Brian
