About the Author

Jess Shillaw

Guest contributor

Jess was born in Kwazulu/Natal but grew up in Cape Town. Having an innate love for all things wild but getting to spend little time in the bush while growing up, she headed straight for the Lowveld after school. She completed a guiding ...

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11 Comments

on The Feather Effect

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Thank you for your informative and colourful blog.
Thanks to Maisytoo

Jess, thank you for sharing your personal interest in birds and their feathers. I am also fascinated with birds and enjoy watching them out my backyard with my binoculars. Your feather collection is really beautiful, again thanks for sharing.

I always savor blogs that are non-big five (although those are informative, too). I have a shadow box of local (Virginia USA) bird feathers and a pottery dish with feathers gathered at Londolozi. With each visit to Londolozi I appreciate more and more South African birds.

Hi Jess, I to love feathers of different birds. I have feathers from the Spotted Eagle Owl that lived in the tree in our yard. My husband build a wooden box for them and they nested in it and had 3 chick’s. I had the privilege of watching them feed the chick’s and then teaching them how to fly as well. I picked up a few feathers around my yard and I have kept them safely. When we moved to the Kranspoort Reserve I also saw and heard a Spotted Eagle Owl and picked up 2 or 3 feathers. Maybe I should also frame the feathers I kept, you have given me a good idea.

Jess, thanks for this unique and interesting blog today. Birds are fascinating creatures and one can spend many hours observing their behavior as well as listening to their songs. I love that you have displayed your collection of feathers in frames and the shelf unit, so that even while you’re inside your apartment, you’re reminded of your feathered friends.

I’ve always been fascinated by feathers too, Jess. But what I never understood is why birds lose those feathers we find. Do they regularly replace or renew their feathers?

Yes, birds molt once or twice a year where they lose old feathers and new ones grow in their place (although they oculd lose them for other reasons, too). It’s like our hair, or sharks teeth; they replenish.

Nice feather collection and enjoyed your framing. Ever find any iridescent or LBR feathers? You’re the first feather collector we have run in to!

Thanks for this remarkable blog, Jess.
Birds and their often colorful feathers are indeed fascinating animals. I also love collecting feathers,
especially the colorful ones, of course.
For thousands of years mankind has admired the ability of birds to fly, thousands of miles when they migrate .
It’s totally fascinating.

I love this, Jess! I too am an avid feather collector–I have hundreds of them. I see many of them as spiritual messages and often feel such a sense of support and Divine guidance when I find just the right one. Maybe I will find some the there whenever I return. 🪶✨

I love feathers, too. I collected some for my grandson when I was in Africa.

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