[Scolopax]

I wonder whether anyone would be able to help me.  I am trying to obtain some pin-feathers - not Woodcock - as I have a lot of those (I use them to paint with).  But I am after some Golden Plover and a couple of other species.

Last year I painted snipe and other game birds and it has started a trend, American Woodcock for example.

Now I would like to expand that further with a mad quest to paint ALL the game birds with their own feather.

In fact I would be very interested in obtaining the pin-feathers of any species of bird. As far as I have been able to see all birds so far examined have a pin-feather, from a Siskin to Golden Eagle and Flamingo (see attached image).

If anyone needs help finding this feather (there is only one on each wing) let me know and I will offer assistance.

Thanks in advance
Colin

[Eddie Sinclair]

Colin,
I have a golden plover in my freezer at home. If you let me know which are the pin feathers then you are welcome to them as I do not think that I will need those for fly tying.

Eddie.

[Rob Brownfield]

Cant wait until you get a commision to paint a Dodo or Ostrich!

Fasinated in what you are doing by the way. I really really like the concept.

[Sandy Nelson]

Hi Colin

What a novel idea (if you tick like this, flytying will be consuming )

I've a few wings here if any are any use?

Black Grouse (female)
Red grouse (male)
English Partridge (male)
Coot
Moorhen
Jay
Snipe
Starling

let me know and i can remove the feather and send them down Like eddie, i can't see any reason i would need them

Sandy

[Scolopax]

Colin,
I have a golden plover in my freezer at home. If you let me know which are the pin feathers then you are welcome to them as I do not think that I will need those for fly tying.

Eddie.

THANKS - great stuff you are a star  been asking loads of people for Golden Plover, the trouble is I will need about 6 -10 as in my experience only one in 10 are of any use to paint with :-((

Here is how to remove.  Locate feather and grab it at its base and pull it and the (very) small bone it is attached to away from the other wing feathers outwards - (you can just wrench that whole piece off and send that if you like).  But, with the feather now sticking out a little - grasp between finger and thumb (above and below the feather) and pull firmly towards you and away from the wing.  LATEX gloves make this a doddle.
Image below shows where the feather is on the wing edge, it is not the Alula or 'bastard wing' that often gets confused for it, it lies directly on top of the quill of the 1st primary on the very leading edge of the wing.

I will be very appreciative of these feathers )     ANyone else willing to do the same would be most welcome too

Colin Woolf Wildlife Paintings
Ardbeg
2 Blairhill View
Blackridge
West Lothian
EH48 3TR

[Scolopax]

Hi Colin

What a novel idea (if you tick like this, flytying will be consuming )

I've a few wings here if any are any use?

Black Grouse (female)
Red grouse (male)
English Partridge (male)
Coot
Moorhen
Jay
Snipe
Starling

let me know and i can remove the feather and send them down Like eddie, i can't see any reason i would need them

Sandy

MAGIC,  thanks Spiderman - see reply to Edfish above - I bet I can guess what a starling pin-feather looks like - if you manage to get that out, I will be well impressed.  It may only be 5mm long - just a warning  - look at the first image I posted and you will see at middle top, a Song Thrush and a Siskin's feather.

Have fun
and thanks again
Colin

[Sandy Nelson]

Colin

I've had a go and it was surprising, The starling feathers were quite big especially as the partridge ones were so small, i wonder if there is an age related factor? The snipe feathers were quite big too.



Hopefully i've pulled the right ones, i only had 1 Jay feather the other one must have come out previously with the blues

if i've got the right ones, i'll pop them in the post

Sandy

[Scolopax]

WOW !  Impressive  and thanks

I have tried with all the woodcock I have (over10,000 pin-feathers), to see if there ia any variation according to sex, age etc or even geographic variation.  I have been unable to match anything up.

I am not even sure that an older feather (in terms of the bird's age) would make a stronger or better one.  I have been given some that are well over 150 years old and surprisingly they made excellent paintings.  Now we do have a variable here - was it just me being careful in its use and thus it lasted longer ??

My next quest is across the pond - Wild Turkey anyone ??
Colin

[Eddie Sinclair]

Colin,
I can get wild Turkey from my colleagues across the pond. I will be there in early March.

Eddie.

[Scolopax]

Colin,
I can get wild Turkey from my colleagues across the pond. I will be there in early March.

Eddie.

I am in your debt already - thanks - Sage & Ruffed Grouse maybe ?

)

[Scolopax]

Thanks Spiderman, got the feathers - some are really tiny !  They will be a challenge - Oh and the flies were a real surprise - still awaiting a delivery of tying materials, but itching to start.

Thanks

[Sandy Nelson]

Did I pull the right ones then?

I was worried some seemed pretty small, but I triple checked and reckoned I had got them correct, they seem to have a different quill? To many other feathers.

Cheers

Sandy

[Scolopax]

Hi Sandy - apologies for the Delay - Will has been round showing me his skills - wow !  I will post about that on Poor Man's Vice . . .

Yes, all the feathers you sent me are pin-feathers as far as I can tell (without seeing them on the bird) the quills of some as you say look different and seem to come out at an angle from the bottom of the feather - but, so do some of my woodcock ones.

If you get any more interesting species that would be good - I am sure someone must have a full Golden pheasant skin - Latex gloves make pulling out the feathers easy by the way . . .

Great feathers deserve something in return, so a sketch from me sounds about right

Here is a snap of a few from Portugal.
Cheers
C

[Eddie Sinclair]

Colin,
I have been away overseas but I am back now. I will get the Golden Plover feathers tomorrow and put them in the post.

Sorry about the delay.

Eddie.