SPOTTED TURTLE-DOVE (Streptopelia chinensis)

Last year I picked up 3 tiny feathers from my apartment balcony tiles.

They were fluffy and soft like those from the under-feathers of a newly born chick.  I tucked them gently into a box in my desk drawer and forgot about them, but one day I imagined actually photographing them in some interesting creative manner that might appeal to fellow nature lovers or bloggers.

It never happened.

Until last night when I was peering intently at the 9″ digital screen on my microscope.  I’d re-discovered the feathers while cleaning out the drawer and was keen to see them ‘up close & personal.’

I was fascinated to see that the spots on the neck feathers of a Spotted Turtle-dove were actually pure white as though someone had randomly painted spots on the bird’s feather(s) or bleached circles of white.

IMAGE MADE USING THE 3mp IN-HOUSE CAMERA ON MY DIGITAL MICROSCOPE

I don’t know quite what I expected to see.  Separate white feathers?  Do we generally think about the patterns on a bird’s feathers?  Probably not!

What could I expect to see in the detail of the soft downy chick’s feather.  I don’t think this microscope is designed to see 3-dimensional specimens that have this  thickness and width.

To be honest, it was very hard for me (with thick glasses) to get a really sharp focus on these fine feathers.   I’ve done much better with more solid flat subjects recently.

The feathers (and glass slide which I’d thoroughly cleaned with isopropyl alcohol wipes I use on my glasses) were surprisingly dirty.   I erased the worst of the obvious spots in the background after I transferred them to my iMac.

……and what details showed up on the tiny feather.  Not much more than what was visible to the naked eye, but I was interested to see that the end of the feather (below) looked like it had been cut straight with a pair of scissors.   It was a natural shape, not made by me.

ONE OF THE FRIENDLY SPOTTED TURTLE-DOVES WHICH VISITED MY BALCONY ON THE NORTH-EAST SIDE OF MELBOURNE

BACK IN 2015/2016 I COULD SEE A COUPLE OF DOVES ON THE ROOFTOP OF THE WAREHOUSE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY LANEWAY

DOVES RUFFLING THEIR FEATHERS TO GET WARM IN THE COLD WINTER.

2 SPOTTED TURTLE-DOVES IN FROGS HOLLOW NATURE RESERVE BEHIND MY CURRENT HOME IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS OF MELBOURNE

ANOTHER ONE ON A LOW STUMP IN FROGS HOLLOW NATURE RESERVE

I NEARLY ALWAYS SEE A BIRD OR TWO ON THIS SIGN WHEN I WENT FOR A WALK. THIS DAY IT WAS A DOVE.

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