Michelle Prysby of the Virginia Master Naturalists Banshee Reeks Chapter sent this email around recently. It looks like a nice resource for us in our nature explorations.
Michelle writes:
I came across this neat new resource that I wanted to share with Master Naturalists. It is an online database for bird feather ID. http://www.lab.fws.gov/featheratlas/ They have scanned in flight feathers for 100+ species of North American birds and you can browse through them or look up individual species. I often see feathers on the trail while I’m hiking and I’m excited to use this tool to help me identify them.
Remember, of course, that without a permit we are not permitted to collect feathers due to state and federal laws, so a good field sketch or a digital photo is the way to go. See http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/education/wildlife-laws-educators.pdf for more details.