Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) ©©Mike Bowler

Yesterday we had very heavy rain and wind. We were under Tornado Warnings most of the day. In the afternoon, it turned very bad as a tornado was being tracked just south of our house. Our flagpole went down as well as the concrete sign at the entrance to our community. There were plenty of trees and branches strewn around and planes tossed around at the Fun n Sun festival in Lakeland, Florida.

We went down to Bartow this afternoon and took the Old Bartow road, that I have renamed, the “Osprey Road.” There are many Osprey nest in the power lines down through there and also the electric companies have placed platforms for the Osprey to raise their babies.

One of the main food source for the Osprey is fish. We have had several very cold snaps these last two winters and many of the fish were killed off. Without a good source of food to raise their young, the numbers of Osprey have decreased in this area.

Osprey Road by Dan – (Old Bartow Road) 2007

This year we had already seen fewer Osprey’s raising their young. Now many of those nests were destroyed or left bedraggled by the storm yesterday. What a shame. Then again, had there been lots of active nest, there would have been more killed or injured birds.

We are reminded through Scripture that:

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:29 KJV)

They were not Sparrows, but I know that promise applied to them also. God, the Father, knows all about what happened to them. He is not so busy that He doesn’t take notice of such things. That is why that passage is so special, because, it goes on to say:

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:31-32 KJV)

Osprey with Fish by Jim Fenton

Another thing about Ospreys as well as the other birds is that they were commanded to “multiply and fill the earth.” What I haven’t mentioned is that on the way down and back we saw four different sets of birds mating. I imagine that they lost their young and are busy planning the next clutch of birds to raise. Birds have emotions, and I am sure they feel the loss, but they have picked themselves back up and have begun repairing nests and starting new families.

May we be reminded that the Lord knows all about the things that happen to us. Sometimes the events aren’t so much “fun.” How do we handle situations when this happens. Do we keep our eyes on the Lord and trust Him to see us through it, or do we blame Him and become angry and miserable?
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Ospreys are in the Pandionidae Family of the Accipitriformes Order. There is an Eastern Osprey (Pandion cristatus) and a Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

See also:

Birds of the Bible – Osprey
Birds of the Bible – Osprey II
Birds of the Bible – Osprey III

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