A few weeks ago I took the smolt to the National Zoo. We saw lots of birds, but one she liked best was the Kori Bustard* - it came up close to the wire and stared at her.
While she was making eyes at the bird, I noticed a placard with a salmon fly on it. According to the placard, Kori Bustard feathers are prized for fly-tying, which is one reason they are threatened. So the zoo collects molted feathers and donates them to 'the local fly-tying community'. And it seems to me, being pretty plugged in to the local fly-tying community, that I would have heard of that.
Is anybody we know getting those feathers?
thanks,
Miles
*African species in the Kori family, which also includes the American species the Kori Haim and the Kori Feldman.