About 3 miles down Happy Camp Canyon (in Moorpark, CA) this week I came upon this profusion of feathers on the side of the trail. There was no carcass and no blood. It looked like someone had emptied out a pillow in a pile except for the fact that there were many larger feathers as well.
I came upon three horsewomen and I asked their opinions about what could have caused it. (Obviously, it is evidence of Bigfoot, but it doesn’t hurt to hear all perspectives of a situation.) One said that they looked like young hawk feathers and that a big cat could tear a lot of the feathers out of a bird. I’m not sure that their wouldn’t have been any blood though. It was very strange. If anyone has any ideas about this I’d love to hear them.
I hiked back to the trailhead following these three horses most of the way. I was gratified to see that hiking along comfortably at about 3 mph, I could keep pace with the horses easily. I pretended that I was a pioneer following the wagon train on foot. I can only imagine what that must have been like wearing crudely made leather boots. I was deeply appreciative of my supple Merrells.
Also, I must add that, I hate horses on the trail. They are gross. They poop and pee everywhere, turn the trail into sand, and then kick that bacteria laden sand up into the air for we low-impact moccasin-style-shoe-wearing hikers to breathe. If it is bad practice for people to poop in the middle of a trail, I think it should be the same for horses. I know they make some kind of little poop bags that horses have to wear in urban settings. I think they should have to use them on public trails as well. Or the owners should have to clean up after them like dog owners do.
While I’m at it, horses don’t want to be mounted by a bunch of fat nature destroyers. If they did, it wouldn’t be so hard to saddle break them. Nobody can claim to love nature while simultaneously dominating an animal. It is hypocritical. I think if people want to enjoy nature trails, they should have to walk them.
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THE ANCIENT SOUTHWEST 
Certain birds of prey (probably Sharp Shinned Hawk or Cooper’s Hawk) hunt other birds. Before they eat them, they pluck out the feathers….