At the beginning of autumn it isn't only the weather that starts getting a bit rough around the edges; a lot of birds do too. Feathers begin appearing all over the place and if I come across any particularly nice examples, I pick them up to add to my slowly increasing collection. Even a short study reveals just what a complicated wonder a simple feather is. By getting in close with a macro lens, as I have done here with a pheasant's feather, a whole new playground of texture and colour is revealed.