As you walk around the six villages, you may well walk past some quite large feathers. The two in the picture are (in real life) 27 and 30cm long. These are not actually red, despite the name of the bird, but the top one might be described as reddish-brown, and the bottom one is a dark brown.

Many birds of prey have ‘barred’ feathers, such as these, as do others, such as pheasants. Over time, birds lose, or moult, their feathers, and grow new ones. The top feather here has several of its ‘barbs’ missing, and the bottom one is well worn on the tip, showing that both are old feathers.

Another way to tell the age of the feather is to try to stroke the barbs back together again. In a fresh feather, the barbules will zip back together; in an old feather they won’t. Both of these feathers are from a wing. You can tell this because they are asymmetric. The short edge (or ‘vane’) faces into the wind, and the larger rear vane gives the area to keep the bird up in the air, and to support the feather above and in front of it.

To tell which wing it is from, place the stronger colour upwards (the underside is always the paler side). This means the top image is from the left wing, and the lower feather is from the right wing.
The bottom feather in the picture is a primary feather. This is because it is nearer the leading edge of the wing. The closer to the front of the wing, the shorter the front vane, and the more pointed the feather becomes. The top image is of a secondary feather. These are in the middle of the wing, designed to give support to glide and lift. They have rounded ends. Tertiary (meaning ‘third rank’) feathers are shorter and are on the trailing edge of the wing. The central spine of the feather, the Calamus’ (Quill) and ‘Rachis’ (supporting the barbs) is oval, rather than round, to stop it twisting within its sheath as the bird flies. It is also curved along its length, to give strength as it stresses in the air.

Try throwing a wing feather into the air when there is no wind, and you will find it spirals down to the ground. This demonstrates the complex aerodynamics at play..