There's no way for me to know for sure, but I think this is a feather from a barred owl, judging by it fluff content, the white and brown stripes, and the length of 5 inches. If it's a downy feather, meaning the short warmer feathers close to a bird's body, then I suppose it could be from a hawk. But, I have heard young barred owls screeching to each on several nights recently (which sounds terrifying, like a screaming cat, if cat's could scream, or a demon maybe) and I heard an adult hooting this morning very close to this spot close to Lake Mendota in the Lakeshore Preserve. Other birds I heard this morning were an indigo bunting, serenading in the open to a female nearby; a wood thrush, still stinging the last few phrases of its morning song, and a few raucous goldfinches. Without a cloud in the sky, the lake was shimmering with sun, and the shimmer reflected up on sugar maple leaves as I ran back out to the lakeshore path.
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