Even when a bird is not actively molting, they lose an occasional feather when they preen themselves. You can see a feather on the water's surface in this photo of the Mute Swan.
I happened to be watching a tree swallow chasing bugs over the pond when she swooped down and picked a feather from the surface of the water.
She did not have a good hold on it, though, and a breeze took it away.
She quickly caught up to it and got a hold on it. They are such good aerialists. I have seen them actually feeding their babies while flying!
Once she gained a good hold on it, it was off to the nest (I presume) to add it to the soft interior. Swallows are devilishly hard to film for a couple of reasons. First, they are extremely fast and, too, they change directions so often it is hard to track them with a camera.
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