Pin feather gosling

This week I have been using my phone to photograph a newborn baby rather than my long lens to photograph birds, and I can’t stop smiling.

 

Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae)
1/1600, f/8.0, ISO 800

 

Due to this week’s precious new arrival I thought I’d share another ‘baby’ I spotted recently on Phillip Island, Victoria. This downy Cape Barren Gosling is starting to develop its feathers. Two pin feathers can be clearly seen with another hidden among the fluff. When new feathers emerge from a bird’s skin they are enclosed in a keratin spike. This gosling’s pin feathers are growing nicely as the tip of the feathers can be seen sprouting from the sheaths. In order to develop, pin feathers have their own blood supply. Once the new feather has matured the blood supply stops and the bird (or its partner) will use preening to gradually remove the keratin coating and release the feather.

To my eye this image shows a Cape Barren Goose at its most attractive. The grey-brown and white down is exquisitely soft and set off beautifully by the dark eye and deep grey bill. As an adult this goose will have a bright yellow-green cere (the entire area of the upper bill, apart from the rounded tip), and will have a white head and a red eye – stunning birds but so different from the gosling stage.

And now back to gazing lovingly at images of the new baby …

Happy birding

Kim

 

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