Birds Vol 1 #5 – Screech Owl

May 8, 2012 by Lee

Screech Owl for Birds Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

THE MOTTLED OR “SCREECH” OWL.

IGHT WANDERER,” as this species of Owl has been appropriately called, appears to be peculiar to America. They are quite scarce in the south, but above the Falls of the Ohio they increase in number, and are numerous in Virginia, Maryland, and all the eastern districts. Its flight, like that of all the owl family, is smooth and noiseless. He may be sometimes seen above the topmost branches of the highest trees in pursuit of large beetles, and at other times he sails low and swiftly over the fields or through the woods, in search of small birds, field mice, moles, or wood rats, on which he chiefly subsists.

The Screech Owl’s nest is built in the bottom of a hollow trunk of a tree, from six to forty feet from the ground. A few grasses and feathers are put together and four or five eggs are laid, of nearly globular form and pure white color. This species is a native of the northern regions, arriving here about the beginning of cold weather and frequenting the uplands and mountain districts in preference to the lower parts of the country.

In the daytime the Screech Owl sits with his eyelids half closed, or slowly and alternately opening and shutting, as if suffering from the glare of day; but no sooner is the sun set than his whole appearance changes; he becomes lively and animated, his full and globular eyes shine like those of a cat, and he often lowers his head like a cock when preparing to fight, moving it from side to side, and also vertically, as if watching you sharply. In flying, it shifts from place to place “with the silence of a spirit,” the plumage of its wings being so extremely fine and soft as to occasion little or no vibration of the air.

The Owl swallows its food hastily, in large mouthfuls. When the retreat of a Screech Owl, generally a hollow tree or an evergreen in a retired situation, is discovered by the Blue Jay and some other birds, an alarm is instantly raised, and the feathered neighbors soon collect and by insults and noisy demonstration compel his owlship to seek a lodging elsewhere. It is surmised that this may account for the circumstance of sometimes finding them abroad during the day on fences and other exposed places.

Both red and gray young are often found in the same nest, while the parents may be both red or both gray, the male red and the female gray, or vice versa.

The vast numbers of mice, beetles, and vermin which they destroy render the owl a public benefactor, much as he has been spoken against for gratifying his appetite for small birds. It would be as reasonable to criticise men for indulging in the finer foods provided for us by the Creator. They have been everywhere hunted down without mercy or justice.

During the night the Screech Owl utters a very peculiar wailing cry, not unlike the whining of a puppy, intermingled with gutteral notes. The doleful sounds are in great contrast with the lively and excited air of the bird as he utters them. The hooting sound, so fruitful of “shudders” in childhood, haunts the memory of many an adult whose earlier years, like those of the writer, were passed amidst rural scenery.

Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) baby Reinier Munguia

THE SCREECH OWL.

I wouldn’t let them put my picture last in the book as they did my cousin’s picture in March “Birds.” I told them I would screech if they did.

You don’t see me as often as you do the Blue-bird, Robin, Thrush and most other birds, but it is because you don’t look for me. Like all other owls I keep quiet during the day, but when night comes on, then my day begins. I would just as soon do as the other birds—be busy during the day and sleep during the night—but really I can’t. The sun is too bright for my eyes and at night I can see very well. You must have your folks tell you why this is.

I like to make my nest in a hollow orchard tree, or in a thick evergreen. Sometimes I make it in a hay loft. Boys and girls who live in the country know what a hay loft is.

People who know me like to have me around, for I catch a good many mice, and rats that kill small chickens. All night long I fly about so quietly that you could not hear me. I search woods, fields, meadows, orchards, and even around houses and barns to get food for my baby owls and their mamma. Baby owls are queer children. They never get enough to eat, it seems. They are quiet all day, but just as soon as the sun sets and twilight gathers, you should see what a wide awake family a nest full of hungry little screech owls can be.

Did you ever hear your mamma say when she couldn’t get baby to sleep at night, that he is like a little owl? You know now what she means. I think I hear my little folks calling for me so I’ll be off. Good night to you, and good morning for me.

Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) (captive) by Raymond Barlow

Lee’s Addition:

Owls belong to the Strigidae – Owls Family which has 207 members. Like most Owls, the females are larger than the males and both are small and agile. They stand about 7-10 in. tall and wings are 18-24 inches across. “They have prominent, wide-set feather tufts with bright yellow eyes. They have different brownish hues with whitish, patterned underside. This coloration helps them get camouflage against the tree bark. They have well-developed raptorial claws and curved bill. They use them as a tool to tear their prey into pieces that are small enough for them to swallow. They tend to carry their prey to the nest and then eat it.”

The Lord has wonderfully created them for just the roll they play, as mentioned above. He has given them special feathers on the fronts of their wings, like most owls, that give them their stealthy quite approach. They are a Bible Bird, as Scripture says, have helped teach man. Our Stealth bombers, I understand, used some of these ideas to help keep the planes “stealthy.”

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? (Job 12:7-10 NKJV)

Thought you might enjoy hearing the sound of a Screech Owl

There actually 25 Owls in the Megascops genera, 25 of them named Screech Owls. This article is leaned toward the Eastern Screech Owl.
Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)
Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii)
Balsas Screech Owl (Megascops seductus)
Pacific Screech Owl (Megascops cooperi)
Whiskered Screech Owl (Megascops trichopsis)
Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba)
West Peruvian Screech Owl (Megascops roboratus)
Koepcke’s Screech Owl (Megascops koepckeae)
Bare-shanked Screech Owl (Megascops clarkii)
Bearded Screech Owl (Megascops barbarus)
Rufescent Screech Owl (Megascops ingens)
Colombian Screech Owl (Megascops colombianus)
Cinnamon Screech Owl (Megascops petersoni)
Cloud-forest Screech Owl (Megascops marshalli)
Tawny-bellied Screech Owl (Megascops watsonii)
Middle American Screech Owl (Megascops guatemalae)
Vermiculated Screech Owl (Megascops vermiculatus)
Roraiman Screech Owl (Megascops roraimae)
Napo Screech Owl (Megascops napensis)
Choco Screech Owl (Megascops centralis)
Yungas Screech Owl (Megascops hoyi)
Black-capped Screech Owl (Megascops atricapilla)
Long-tufted Screech Owl (Megascops sanctaecatarinae)
Puerto Rican Screech Owl (Megascops nudipes)
White-throated Screech Owl (Megascops albogularis)
Palau Owl (Pyrroglaux podargina)
Bare-legged Owl (Margarobyas lawrencii)

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 May, 1897 No 5 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

The above article is the first article in the monthly serial that was started in January 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – The Orchard Oriole

Previous Article – National Council of Women

ABC’s Of The Gospel

Links:

Eastern Screech Owl – All About Birds

Western Screech Owl – All About Birds

Start Birdwatching Today: What is that Sound?

May 7, 2012 by Lee

Birds are very vocal at times and they give us a great clue as to what bird it is. Eventually as you become better in your birdwatching adventures, it will help to learn some of their sounds and noises.

As you are observing birds that are singing or calling, you can learn to associate that sound to that bird. That is the beginning and it is almost automatic. When you hear a bird, but do not see it, then you will either recall one you have seen and be able to ID it, or you can start studying the sounds so the next time you can know what the unseen bird is.

There are several methods that birders use. Audio CDs and computer programs have Bird sounds along with photos of the bird to assist your learning.

The Internet has places like the WhatBird, All About Birds, Birding by Ear Basics,

Here is an interesting video about blind people birding by ear. Very interesting.

Here are some of the birds you may already know. These are local birds here, but also seen around other parts of the country. Also a very nice verse to remember while “birding by sound.” I used this verse when taking my General Amateur License test that was all Morse Code. It helped calm my heart even though it refers to the Lord hearing us, but it helped me to hear those dots and dashes. (Only 8 of 115 of us passed the test that day.)

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: (Psalms 10:17 KJV)

All of these sounds are coming from the Xeno-canto.org website.

Blue Jay in tree at Hampton Pines

Blue Jay

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) by Daves BirdingPix

Northern Cardinal

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) at Lake Howard, Winter Haven, Florida By Dan’sPix

Boat-tailed Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird at Bok Sanctuary

Red-winged Blackbird

Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) by BirdsInFocus

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Great Horned Owl – Lowry Pk Zoo by Lee

Great Horned Owl

How many did you all ready know?

Some like to put words to their sounds like these from Birding By Ear — Bird Song Identification

Listen here to a few bird songs and calls that have good mnemonic phrases:
Eastern Towhee — “Drink your tea-ea-ea”
Whip-poor-will — The name says it all.
Black-capped chickadee — Some music and talk first, then the “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee”
White throated sparrow — “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody”
Black-throated green warbler — “Zee zee zee zoo zee”
Barred Owl — “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all”

Links:
WhatBird
All About Birds
Birding by Ear Basics
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Start Birdwatching Today Series

Birds Vol 1 #5 – National Council of Women

May 6, 2012 by Lee

Western Great Egret (Ardea alba) by Quy Tran

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Extract from the report of the committee on dress, by its chairman, Mrs. Frank Johnson.

Birds, Wings and Feathers Employed as Garniture.

From the school-room there should certainly emanate a sentiment which would discourage forever the slaughter of birds for ornament.

The use of birds and their plumage is as inartistic as it is cruel and barbarous.

The Halo.

“One London dealer in birds received, when the fashion was at its height, a single consignment of thirty-two thousand dead humming birds, and another received at one time, thirty thousand aquatic birds and three hundred thousand pairs of wings.”

Think what a price to pay,
Faces so bright and gay,
Just for a hat!
Flowers unvisited, mornings unsung,
Sea-ranges bare of the wings that o’erswung—
Bared just for that!

Think of the others, too,
Others and mothers, too,
Bright-Eyes in hat!
Hear you no mother-groan floating in air,
Hear you no little moan—birdling’s despair—
Somewhere for that?

Caught ’mid some mother-work,
Torn by a hunter Turk,
Just for your hat!
Plenty of mother-heart yet in the world:
All the more wings to tear, carefully twirled!
Women want that?

Oh, but the shame of it,
Oh, but the blame of it,
Price of a hat!
Just for a jauntiness brightening the street!
This is your halo—O faces so sweet—
Death, and for that!—W. C. Gannett.

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) by J Fenton

Lee’s Addition:

I am so glad this campaign was started way back then. Wow! Do you realize how many birds were killed just so the ladies could be ” in style”? Here is a quote from the Feather Trade article. “On two days in 1886, ornithologist Frank Chapman walked the streets of New York City and recorded the types of birds he saw on ladies hats. On his walks he counted the wings, feathers, heads, and entire bodies of 174 birds representing 40 different species decorating the hats of ladies, including 21 hats decorated with parts of the common tern. Frank Chapman went on to start the annual Christmas Bird Count in 1890!”

If these were the feathers from chickens or turkeys I might understand part of it, but that above quote is terrible. And that is just 2 days. Another quote, this time from the National Parks article, “The long, white plumes of egrets had become more valuable than gold. To satisfy the demands of this latest fashion trend, more than 5 million birds a year were being slaughtered; nearly 95 percent of Florida’s shore birds had been killed by plume hunters.”

We are given a dominion mandate over the birds and critters to help maintain them. Yes, we are allowed to eat some, but to slaughter just for fashion or to hang a trophy bird or animal on a wall, there is a difference.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28 ESV)

Here are some articles about this issue:

The Feather Trade

The Call for a Featherless Hat – National Parks

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 May, 1897 No 5 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – The Screech Owl

Previous Article – Nesting Time

Gospel Message

Ad for Birds Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Birds of the Bible – Silly Dove

May 5, 2012 by Lee

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Lee

Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria. (Hosea 7:11 ESV)

I came across this verse yesterday in my reading of Scripture. Hadn’t noticed it before, at least that I recall. So what it is this about a “Silly Dove”? After checking Wikipedia, nothing showed up that indicates silliness. Then it was off to Cornell’s About Birds, still nothing indicating a silly dove. Even checked their PigeonWatch, no luck. (Doves and Pigeons are in the same family, Columbidae) At a dove hunting site, they indicated that they were easy to flush out to either shoot or capture.

Now it is time for e-Sword to help figure this out. Putting Hosea 7:11 in the compare mode revealed most of the versions used “silly”, but a few other words show up such as; mindless, foolish, senseless, decoyed, easily deceived.

The second part of the verse says the dove is “without sense.” Again here are some of the other translations; without understanding, not having a heart or heartless, without wisdom, fluttering back and forth, lacking sense, clueless, easily tricked.

When the commentaries were checked out, then the verse started making more sense. In context, Ephraim is being called the “silly dove” because of their trying to depend on others instead of God. God is trying to get them to turn back to Him, but they are “easily deceived.” Are people not like that today? They would rather search out other philosophies (like evolution) or religions instead of turning to their Creator God.

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Dan

Comments from the Commentaries:

(JFB)
like a silly dove — a bird proverbial for simplicity: easily deceived.
without heart — that is, understanding.
call to Egypt — Israel lying between the two great rival empires Egypt and Assyria, sought each by turns to help her against the other. As this prophecy was written in the reign of Hoshea, the allusion is probably to the alliance with So or Sabacho II (of which a record has been found on the clay cylindrical seals in Koyunjik), which ended in the overthrow of Hoshea and the deportation of Israel (2Ki_17:3-6). As the dove betrays its foolishness by fleeing in alarm from its nest only to fall into the net of the fowler, so Israel, though warned that foreign alliances would be their ruin, rushed into them.

(Believer’s Bible Commentary) Ephraim flew like a silly dove . . . to Egypt and Assyria for help, but God would catch the dove in a net and punish the people.

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart – A bird that has little understanding; that is easily snared and taken; that is careless about its own young, and seems to live without any kind of thought. It has been made, by those who, like itself, are without heart, the symbol of conjugal affection. Nothing worse could have been chosen, for the dove and its mate are continually quarrelling.

(Exposing the Word) A Silly Dove- unstable, flitting from one hope to another. God stands trying to catch them in the snare accord to verse 12.

(Geneva Translation Notes) That is, without all judgment, as those that cannot tell whether it is better to cleave only to God, or to seek the help of man.

(Haydock) Decoyed. Hebrew, “stupid,” chap. iv. 11. The dove is the only bird which is not grieved at the loss of its young. (St. Jerome) — It returns to the same nest, though repeatedly robbed, forgetting past dangers. (Theodoret) — Thus Israel is not reclaimed, though idolatry has so often proved its ruin. — Egypt. Jeroboam had returned thither, and at his return brought about a division of the kingdom, 3 Kings xi. 40. Osee, the last king, applied to Sua, and this provoked the Assyrians to destroy the kingdom. They pretended that it was tributary to them, after Phul had been invited to assist Manahem for a thousand talents, 4 Kings xv. 19., and xvii. 4. Thus was a worldly policy confounded.

(John Wesley Explanatory Notes) Like a silly dove – Ephraim is now become like the dove in weakness and fear, as well as in imprudence and liableness to be deceived. Without heart – Without either discretion or courage. To Assyria – Instead of going to God, who alone can help.

(J Vernon McGee) This is another interesting illustration. If you have ever been dove hunting, you know that if a dove has a nest with eggs or little ones in it she will act as if she has a broken wing and actually let you get very close to her. She tries to lure you away from her nest. Actually, that is not a very smart move on the part of the dove for two reasons. When a dove lets you get that close to her, you know there is a nest nearby. Secondly, she endangers her own life.

Now here was Ephraim. She refused to run to God for help. So first she ran down to Egypt for help. When Egypt wouldn’t give her the help she wanted, she went up to Assyria and asked for help. She went back and forth like a silly dove. What a picture!

(Life Application Study Bible) Israel’s King Menahem had paid Assyria to support him in power (2Ki_15:19-20); King Hoshea turned against Assyria and went to Egypt for help (2Ki_17:4). Israel’s kings went back and forth, allying themselves with different nations when they should have allied themselves with God.

Mourning Dove by Reinier Munguia

The explanation I like the best comes from Dr. Joe Temple about the Dove. This is his understanding of it. I know I am quoting much, but it makes great sense.

The Innocent Dove

Hosea 7

11	Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Here Ephraim is compared to a silly dove. A better word for silly would be innocent . Ephraim was innocent enough to think that Egypt and Assyria could come to her rescue when the chastening hand of God was resting upon her. Oftentimes Hosea had seen a dove ensnared because of its innocence, because it was not wary of that that would ensnare it. He recognized that characteristic of the dove and he said, “Ephraim is just like that.”

Go with me to the New Testament and notice the Lord Jesus Christ not only told us to be bird watchers, but He was a bird watcher Himself, for He noticed the characteristics of the dove and brought one of those characteristics to the attention of the people to whom He was speaking. This needs to be emphasized for us today. Notice, Matthew, chapter 10, verse 16. He said to His disciples:

Matthew 10

16	Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Notice: “…harmless as doves.” A better word for harmless is innocent . The reason that He said that is that He wanted us to be wise concerning the things of God and simple and innocent concerning the things that are evil. I think that one of the biggest lies that the Devil is telling Christian people today, particularly Christian parents, is that their children must not be too protected, for if they are, they will not know how to handle themselves in a world that is full of sin. The Devil is suggesting to people today that Christian people need to be familiar with all of the sinful things that are going on in the world so that they will know how to react when they face them.

I don’t believe that. I believe your children can be grounded in the Word of God so that they live by princiiples that are applicable to any situation in any generation, and I believe you can be likewise. I always respond to the suggestion that we need to know about sin so that we know how to react to it with a statement that a man from another generation made when he said, “You don’t have to go through the sewer to know how dirty it is. All you need to do is go down to the sewage plant and you will know. Go where the sewer comes out.” The devil would have us believe we have to be involved in order to know what is going on. We don’t. Remember the dove. Christ said, “I am sending you out into the world which is full of wolves, ready to pounce on you, but I want you to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Links:

Cool Pigeon Facts – Cornell

Mourning Dove – All About Birds

Wordless Birds

Birdwatching at MacDill AFB, May 2012

May 3, 2012 by Lee

Dan and Black Skimmers

Today, Dan and I had to run over to Tampa for a couple of errands. We stopped by the MacDill AF Base to see how the birds were faring out on their beach on Tampa Bay. When we were there a month or so ago, there were lots of shorebirds. Since there have been many of reports lately from the Listing Service of migrants passing through the state, we thought we would take a look. Tampa is about 45 miles to the west of us and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. We didn’t have the time to go on over to the gulf.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Our biggest surprise, and the only one, was a pair of Yellow-crowned Night Herons along one of the canals. Down at the beach, we only found the usual Skimmers, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls, two kinds of Terns; Royal and Sandwich, Turnstones, Willet, White Ibises, and the proverbial Brown Pelicans flying by in formation. A little disappointing, but enjoyable none the less. Even when I only see one bird, I enjoy my birdwatching adventures. I assume most of the birds have already passed by or they were not in much of a beach mood today.

Ruddy Turnstone

Even though few species seen today, aren’t they all amazing to watch? I am always amazed at the variety of birds that we get the pleasures of watching.

Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. (Job 9:10 KJV)

White Ibis

And

Some of the birds at the beach Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns and Black Skimmers

I also shot a video of some of the birds at the shore. There are Black Skimmers, which I think are cute walking around, Royal Terns, Sandwich Tern and Laughing Gulls relaxing together.

One other bird spotted out my back window a few days ago was this House Finch. All winter the normal House Finches and some orange variant ones visited the feeders. This one seems to have combined the two together. Thought it was rather different and wanted to share it. It was shot through the window and screen, so not the best shot.

Interesting House Finch at feeder

Genuine Blogger Award Given To This Blog

May 2, 2012 by Lee

Genuine Blogger Award

Sandra Conner has nominated me for the “Genuine Blogger” Award. What an honor and a very nice compliment from Sandra. Here is the e-mail I received from her.

Hi, Lee. I am writing to let you know that I have nominated you for the “Genuine Blogger” Award. You may have already received it, but I did not see it posted on your site. Assuming I am not mistaken, you will find the details on my site at this link: http://sandraconner.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/genuine-blogger-award/

This nomination is most “genuine” (no pun intended), because you are one of the most sincere and genuine bloggers that I’ve met on here.
I received this award myself on April 17, and I am only now getting other people nominated. Hopefully, with my awkward computer’s cooperation, I will be able to get to nominations for the “Versatile Blogger”Award tomorrow. (Which I nominated her for.)
Blessings. Sandra

Wow! I am overwhelmed. This is the second award received in the last few weeks. Sandra Conner is a very talented Christian Writer and produces the Sandra Conner … By The Book blog. She is looking at life from behind the pen of a Christian writer and doing a very fine job of it. She also produces her first blog “Hangin’ Out With God,” which is a site devoted exclusively to things about the Lord Jesus Christ and ministry. Her second, “Happy Patriot,” is a blog on which she feel free to comment on any number of subjects, but mostly on patriotic and political issues. Her third blog, Sandra Conner … By The Book, is where this award came from. I have enough problems keeping up with this blog and she is doing three of them. Please stop by her sites for a visit and you will be blessed.

By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 NKJV)

The rules for accepting this award require me to tell my readers 7 random things about myself and then, of course, pay the honor forward by nominating 7 other bloggers for the Genuine Blogger Award as well. So many of my blogging friends already have so many awards, I will try to be sure I choose from those who do not already have this one.

Seven Random Things About Me:

I am a born again Christian who accepted the Lord as my personal Savior in 1960.
Dan and I are coming up on our 49th Anniversary in July.
It took 16 years to finish my degree from Bob Jones University. (Slow learner)
I love going birdwatching and writing for this blog.
My favorite color is blue.
I am the last of nine children. (and the shortest)
I enjoy serving the Lord even though I grumble now and then. :0)

Now for my nominations for the Genuine Blogger Award. All of these bloggers are people whom I consider sincere people who appreciate their opportunity to blog and be a part of the WordPress blogging community — as I do. I’m listing them in no particular order. There are so many that it is going to be hard to only pick seven. All of them are great, and I encourage my readers to check them out.

My Nominations for the Genuine Blogger Award:

Christian Nature – See the glory of God’s nature!
ajmithra21 – Combines Birds and Music – very talented Christian
The Birding Bunch – Amateur ornithologists with a Christian worldview
Morningjoy’s Weblog – Thoughts and photos to share with you
Bill of the Birds – Editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, but also a great blogger
Ivman’s Blague – “one French and German teacher’s humorous and serious perspectives on life…”
Evidence of Design – “Creation Evidence in the World of Nature”

The rules for accepting the award are pretty simple:

Post an article stating that you have been nominated and include the name and link to the blogger who nominated you.

You should also include the logo of the award on your post, and in your sidebar (or on a permanent page) so that everyone who visits your site will know that you have won the award.

Tell your readers seven random things about yourself.

Pass the honor forward by nominating seven other bloggers that you feel deserve the award. Include links to their blogs in your post.

Notify those seven bloggers that you have nominated them.

There is no time limit for passing on the award. So if you don’t know very many bloggers yet, just go ahead and post the award on your site and nominate the few that you feel fit that category. You can always add more later after you get to know them.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Birds Vol 1 #5 – Nesting Time

May 1, 2012 by Lee

Mute Swan on Nest at Lake Morton

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

NESTING TIME

“There swims no goose so gray, but soon or late, She takes some honest gander for a mate;” There live no birds, however bright or plain, But rear a brood to take their place again. —C. C. M.

UITE the jolliest season of the year, with the birds, is when they begin to require a home, either as a shelter from the weather, a defence against their enemies, or a place to rear and protect their young. May is not the only month in which they build their nests, some of our favorites, indeed, waiting till June, and even July; but as it is the time of the year when a general awakening to life and activity is felt in all nature, and the early migrants have come back, not to re-visit, but to re-establish their temporarily deserted homes, we naturally fix upon the first real spring month as the one in which their little hearts are filled with titillations of joy and anticipation. In May, when the trees have put on their fullest dress of green, and the little nests are hidden from all curious eyes, if we could look quite through the waving branches and rustling leaves, we should behold the little mothers sitting upon their tiny eggs in patient happiness, or feeding their young broods, not yet able to flutter away; while in the leafy month of June, when Nature is perfect in mature beauty, the young may everywhere be seen gracefully imitating the parent birds, whose sole purpose in life seems to be the fulfillment of the admonition to care well for one’s own.

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) chick-egg nest ©USFWS

There can hardly be a higher pleasure than to watch the nest-building of birds. See the Wren looking for a convenient cavity in ivy-covered walls, under eaves, or among the thickly growing branches of fir trees, the tiny creature singing with cheerful voice all day long. Observe the Woodpecker tunneling his nest in the limb of a lofty tree, his pickax-like beak finding no difficulty in making its way through the decayed wood, the sound of his pounding, however, accompanied by his shrill whistle, echoing through the grove. But the nest of the Jay: Who can find it? Although a constant prowler about the nests of other birds, he is so wary and secretive that his little home is usually found only by accident. And the Swallow: “He is the bird of return,” Michelet prettily says of him. If you will only treat him kindly, says Ruskin, year after year, he comes back to the same niche, and to the same hearth, for his nest. To the same niche! Think of this a little, as if you heard of it for the first time. But nesting-time with the birds is one of sentiment as well as of industry The amount of affectation in lovemaking they are capable of is simply ludicrous.

The British Sparrow which, like the poor, we have with us always, is a much more interesting bird in this and other respects than we commonly give him credit for. It is because we see him every day, at the back door, under the eaves, in the street, in the parks, that we are indifferent to him. Were he of brighter plumage, brilliant as the Bobolink or the Oriole, he would be a welcome, though a perpetual, guest, and we would not, perhaps, seek legislative action for his extermination. If he did not drive away Bluebirds, whose nesting-time and nesting-place are quite the same as his own, we might not discourage his nesting proclivity, although we cannot help recognizing his cheerful chirp with generous crumbs when the snow has covered all the earth and left him desolate. C. C. Marble.

Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis) on nest by Ian

Lee’s Addition:

I think I will just let the Scriptures tell about the nests.

If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days. (Deuteronomy 22:6-7 NKJV)

All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; And in its shadow all great nations made their home. (Ezekiel 31:6 NKJV)

Even the sparrow has found a home, And the swallow a nest for herself, Where she may lay her young— Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts, My King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah (Psalms 84:3-4 NKJV)

As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, (Deuteronomy 32:11 NKJV)

You who dwell in Moab, Leave the cities and dwell in the rock, And be like the dove which makes her nest In the sides of the cave’s mouth. (Jeremiah 48:28 NKJV)

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” (Matthew 13:31-32 NKJV)

Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees. (Psalms 104:17 NKJV)

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58 NKJV)

See also – Birds of the Bible – Bird Egg Facts

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 May, 1897 No 5 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – National Council of Women

Previous Article – Amateur Photography

Sharing The Gospel
Wordless Birds – With Hummingbirds

Ad for Birds Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Start Birdwatching Today: When Should I Go?

April 30, 2012 by Lee

Wood Storks in Trees in Fog at Circle B

Start Birdwatching Today: When Should I Go?

You can go birdwatching anytime, but you may or may not find many birds. There are benefits of finding out when the birds you are looking for is out and about. In the beginning stages of birding, you just want to find birds, right?

The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. (Song of Solomon 2:12 NKJV)

To start, most birds are active in the morning. Many around sunrise are getting up and are hungry from resting all night. Just like us, they need some “breakfast.” They start stretching, singing, searching for a meal. Give or take around 11:00 am they are resting or starting to settle down for most of the afternoon. Then around 3 or 4, depending on the time of the year, they start looking for a snack or meal before they again settle in for the night.

If you have feeders in your yard, the same is true. The morning and for a few hours before dark will be your most active times to see the birds.

Birds that roost together as a flock start heading to their night-time hangout. For instance, locally at Circle B Bar Reserve, the Herons, Egrets, Wood Storks, Ibises and White Pelicans (during winter) come back in to rest for the night. One of my neatest experiences was when the White Pelicans started arriving at Circle B around 4:45 pm for the night. (Ignore my crazy talk, I was just flabbergasted!)

If you like to see Owls, Nighthawks, Whip-poor-wills, and the other night birds, then, they are quiet in the daytime, but come out to “hoot” and “holler” right around dark and throughout the night. They start settling down around dawn.

Weather is a big factor also in when to go. Fog makes it hard. Windy days will cause the many birds to stay low. It is as if they are “grounded.” Rain of course makes it rough on you to go out and watch and they are seeking shelter which can make them harder to observe. They are out there and they still get hungry. Also, down here in the winter, we get lots of visiting birds and that is a good time of the year to watch our feathered friends.

Mom and Baby at Lake Hollingsworth

“Many birdwatchers occupy themselves with observing local species (birding in their “local patch”, but may also make specific trips to observe birds in other locales. The most active times of the year for birding in temperate zones are during the spring or fall migrations when the greatest variety of birds may be seen. On these occasions, large numbers of birds travel north or south to wintering or nesting locations. Early mornings are typically better as the birds are more active and vocal making them easier to spot.

Weather plays an important role in the occurrence of rare birds. In Britain, suitable wind conditions may lead to drift migration, and an influx of birds from the east. In North America, birds caught in the tail-end of a hurricane may be blown inland.” (Wikipedia)

This is not an in-depth study, just some of my tips to get you started in your birdwatching adventure. Trust you are enjoying our series, Start Birdwatching Today.

Links:

Best time of day to watch birds ? – Bird Forum

Bird Watching Tips – All About Birds

Birds Vol 1 #4 – Amateur Photography

April 29, 2012 by Lee

Flash Light Picture made with “Dexter” Camera

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

Amateur Photography.

MATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY is the most delightful pastime one can indulge in. Aside from the pleasure and amusement derived, it cultivates the artistic taste, the love of nature, is a source of instruction, and may be made to serve many useful purposes. The “Dexter” is small, neat and compact. Makes pictures 3¹⁄₂×3¹⁄₂inches square and will produce portraits, landscapes, groups, interiors or flashlights equally as well as many higher priced cameras. Will carry three double plate holders with a capacity of six dry plates. Each camera is covered with black morocco grain leather, also provided with a brilliant finder for snap shot work. Has a Bausch & Lomb single acromatic lens of wonderful depth and definition and a compound time and instantaneous shutter which is a marvel of ingenuity. A separate button is provided for time and instantaneous work so that a twist of a button or pulling of a lever is not necessary as in most cameras. A tripod socket is also provided so that it can be used for hand or tripod work as desired. All complicated adjustments have been dispensed with so that the instrument can be manipulated with ease by the youngest amateur. Full and explicit instructions are sent with each camera. Send 5c stamps for sample picture and descriptive circulars.

Dexter Camera, 1897

Lee’s Addition:

Look how far we have come since 1897! What a difference between the Dexter and our Digital Cameras of today. I have added some links that give some of this history.

Dexter Camera – Historic Camera – History Librarium

Ted’s Photographics about old cameras

Could we not get the same reaction as the verse below if we look at a photo of ourselves and then put it away?

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (James 1:22-24 KJV)

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 April 1897 No 4 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

The above article is the first article in the monthly serial for February 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – Nesting Time

Previous Article – The Arizona Green Jay

Wordless Birds

Links:

Dexter Camera – Historic Camera – History Librarium

Ted’s Photographics about old cameras

Ad for Birds Illustrated by Color Photography

Birds Vol 1 #4 – The Arizona Green Jay

April 29, 2012 by Lee

Arizona Jay -Chicago Colortype Co – For Birds Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897 (Green Jay)

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE ARIZONA GREEN JAY.

HE geographical range of the Arizona Jay is in southern New Mexico and Arizona and south into Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. It is a common resident throughout the oak belt which generally fringes the foothills of the mountains and ranges well up among the pines. In suitable localities it is very abundant. It is rarely seen at any distance out of the arid plains; but after the breeding season is over, small flocks are sometimes met with among the shrubbery of the few water courses, several miles away from their regular habitat. They are seen in the early Spring, evidently on a raid for eggs and the young of smaller birds. On such occasions they are very silent, and their presence is only betrayed by the scoldings they receive from other birds. On their own heath they are as noisy as any of our Jays, and apparently far more sociable, a number of pairs frequently nesting close to each other in a small oak grove. They move about in small family parties of from half a dozen to twenty or thirty, being rarely seen alone. They are restless, constantly on the move, prying into this or that, spending a good portion of their time on the ground, now hopping on a low limb, and the next minute down again, twitching their tails almost constantly. Their call notes are harsh and far reaching, and are somewhat similar to those of the California Jay.

The voices of animals have a family character not easily mistaken, and this similarity is especially observable in birds. As Agassiz says, “Compare all the sweet warbles of the songster family—the nightingales, the thrushes, the mocking birds, the robins; they differ in the greater or lesser perfection of their note, but the same kind of voice runs through the whole group. Does not every member of the Crow family caw, whether it be a Jackdaw, the Jay, or the Magpie, the Rook in some green rookery of the Old World, or the Crow of our woods, with its long melancholy caw that seems to make the silence and solitude deeper?”

The habits of the Arizona Jay are similar to those of its brethren. Its food consists of grasshoppers, insects, animal matter, wild fruits, seeds, and especially acorns. It flies by partly closing its wings, darting suddenly down, then up again, and repeating these movements for some time. It mates about the end of February. The nest, composed of dry rootlets laid very closely in rings, is usually found in an oak sapling about ten feet from the ground. The inside diameter is five inches, and depth one and three-fourths inches. It is like a deep saucer.

The Arizona Jay is considered a foothill bird, not going far into the pines and not appearing on the plains. But one brood appears to be raised in a season, and nesting lasts about sixteen days. The eggs vary from four to seven, and differ from all the known eggs of this family found within the United States, being unspotted. They are glaucous green in color, and the majority are much more glossy than Jays’ eggs generally are. In one hundred and thirty-six specimens examined, all were perfectly immaculate.

Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus) by Daves BirdingPix

Lee’s Addition:

The articles calls this bird the Arizona Jay. There is no bird by that name and the copiers of these articles added the Green. According to the “Color Photograph” this is a Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus) which belongs to the Crows, Jays – Corvidae family. Not sure if this is the bird intended, because Wikipedia and others do not show the Green Jay in Arizona these days.

Assuming that it is the Green Jay, we were able to see them “down in the valley” of Texas. We saw them at the Santa Ana NWR and around the valley.

Green Jay at Santa Ana NWR

Its area stretches from southern Texas south into Mexico and Central America, with a break before the species reappears in a broad sweep across the highlands (primarily the Andes) of South America in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. It has been suggested that the North American taxa should be considered separate species, Cyanocorax luxuosus. If following this taxonomy, the northern species retains the common name Green Jay, while the South American population, which retains the scientific name C. yncas, is renamed the Inca Jay. Northern Greens are smaller than there southern family and some of the color varies between the two groups.

“Green Jays feed on a wide range of insects and other invertebrates and various cereal grains. They take ebony (Ebenopsis spp.) seeds where these occur, and also any oak species’ acorns, which they will cache. Meat and human scraps add to the diet when opportunity arises. Green Jays have been observed using sticks as tools to extract insects from tree bark. Their basic diet consists of arthropods, vertebrates, seeds, and fruit.

Green Jays usually build a nest in a tree or in a thorny bush or thicket, and the female lays three to five eggs. Only the female incubates, but both parents take care of the young. In Colombia, the Green Jay is recorded as retaining offspring for several years, and those young help the parents raise more chicks.

As with most of the typical jays, this species has a very extensive voice repertoire. The bird’s most common call makes a rassh-rassh-rassh sound, but many other unusual notes also occur. One of the most distinctive calls sounds like an alarm bell.” (Wikipedia)

The Lord has created another beautiful bird for us to enjoy and learn about.

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:9-10 ESV)

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 April 1897 No 4 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – Amateur Photography

Previous Article – The Marsh Wren

ABC’s Of The Gospel

Links:

Green Jay – Wikipedia

Crows, Jays – Corvidae Family

Green Jays – IBC

Birds Vol 1 #4 – The Marsh Wren

April 28, 2012 by Lee

Long-billed Marsh Wren by Birds Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE MARSH WREN.

With tail up, and head up,
The Wren begins to sing;
He fills the air with melody,
And makes the alders ring;
We listen to his cadences,
We watch his frisky motions,
We think—his mate attending him—
He’s got some nesting notions.—C. C. M.

HESE Wrens inhabit marshy and weedy bottom lands along river courses, and have all the brisk manners and habits of the family. This species, however, has a peculiar habit of building several nests every season, and it is suggested that these are built to procure protection for the female, in order that when search is made for the nest where she is sitting, the male may lure the hunter to an empty nest.

Its song is not unlike that of the House Wren, though less agreeable. It is a summer resident, arriving in May and departing in September. Its nest, which is found along borders of rivers, is made of sedge and grasses suspended near tall reeds. It has been found hanging over a small stream, suspended from the drooping bough of an alder tree, swayed to and fro by every breath of air. A careful observer states that a Wren will forsake her nest when building it, sooner than any other bird known to him. Disturb her repeatedly when building and she leaves it apparently without cause; insert your fingers in her tenement and she will leave it forever. But when the eggs are laid, the Wren will seldom abandon her treasure, and when her tender brood are depending on her for food, she will never forsake them, even though the young be handled, or the female bird be caught on the nest while feeding them. The food of the Wren is insects, their larvae and eggs, and fruit in season.

This Wren has justly been called a perennial songster. “In Spring the love-song of the Wren sounds through the forest glades and hedges, as the buds are expanding into foliage and his mate is seeking a site for a cave-like home. And what a series of jerks it is composed of, and how abruptly he finishes his song, as if suddenly alarmed; but this is his peculiar habit and common to him alone. In summer we hear his song morning, noon, and night, go forth for very joyfulness, as he wanders hither and thither in his leafy bower.” It is only in the moulting season that he does not sing.

A lady who used to attract a great number of birds to her garden with crumbs, seeds, and other dainties, said that when the weather became cold the Wrens used to gather upon a large branch of a tree, about four inches beneath another branch. They assembled there in the evening and packed themselves very comfortably for the night, three or four deep, apparently for the sake of warmth, the topmost Wren always having his back pressed against the outer branch as if to keep all steady. Pitying their forlorn condition, she provided a bedroom for them—a square box lined with flannel, and with a very small round hole for a door. This was fastened to the branch, and the birds promptly took possession of it, their numbers increasing nightly, until at least forty Wrens crowded into the box which did not seem to afford room for half the number. When thus assembled they became so drowsy as to permit themselves to be gently handled.

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) by Ray

THE MARSH WRENS.

A happier pair of birds than these little Wrens it would be hard to find.

They have just come up from taking their morning bath and are going to sing a while before going to work on their nests.

You see I say nests. That is a strange thing about the Wrens, they build several nests. I wonder if you can tell why they do this. If you can’t, ask your teacher about it.

It is a little too early in the season or I would have one of the nests in the picture for you to look at.

I will try to describe it to you, so that you will know it when you see it. These little Wrens make their nests of coarse grasses, reed stalks, and such things, lined with fine grasses. It is round like a ball, or nearly so, and has the opening in the side. They fasten them to the reeds and bushes.

If you wish to get acquainted with these birds, you must visit the tall grasses and cat-tails along rivers and creeks and in marshes.

You won’t have to let them know that you are coming; they will see you long before you see them, and from their little nests they will begin to scold you, for fear that you mean to do them harm.

When they see that you mean them no harm, they will begin to entertain you with their songs. Oh, how they do sing! It just seems as though they would burst with song.

You can see how happy the one is in the picture. The other little fellow will soon take his turn. See how straight he holds his tail up. Find out all you can about these Wrens. You notice they have long bills. We call them Long-billed Marsh Wrens. There are several other kinds. You surely must have seen their cousins, the House Wrens. I will show you their pictures some day.

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) by Ian

Lee’s Addition:

This Wren, the Marsh Wren, belongs to the Troglodytidae – Wrens Family. There are actually three families that Wrens show up in: the Troglodytidae – Wrens; New Zealand Wrens – Acanthisittidae; Australasian Wrens – Maluridae (Fairywrens, Emu-Wrens, Grasswren). There are other birds with Wren in the names like; Wrenthrush, Wren-babblers, Wren-Spinetail, Wren-Warblers. “There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera.” There is a slight difference in the Eastern and western populations of the Marsh Wren. Their songs are the biggest difference. The eastern wrens are more musical than the western ones.

The Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) is a small North American songbird of the wren family. It is sometimes called Long-billed Marsh Wren to distinguish it from the Sedge Wren, also known as Short-billed Marsh Wren.

Adults have brown upperparts with a light brown belly and flanks and a white throat and breast. The back is black with white stripes. They have a dark cap with a white line over the eyes and a short thin bill.

The male’s song is a loud gurgle used to declare ownership of territory; western males have a more varied repertoire.

Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 ESV)

Their breeding habitat is marshes with tall vegetation such as cattails across North America. In the western United States, some birds are permanent residents. Other birds migrate to marshes and salt marshes in the southern United States and Mexico. These birds forage actively in vegetation, sometimes flying up to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat insects, also spiders and snails.

The nest is an oval lump attached to marsh vegetation, entered from the side. The clutch is normally 4–6 eggs, though the number can range from 3–10. The male builds many unused nests in his territory; he may puncture the eggs of other birds nesting nearby.

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) by Daves BirdingPix

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 April 1897 No 4 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – The Arizona Green Jay

Previous Article – The Bohemian Wax-Wing

Wordless Birds

Links:

Marsh Wrens – All About Birds

Marsh Wren – Birdweb

Ad for Birds Illustrated, 1897

Birds Vol 1 #4 – The Bohemian Wax-Wing

April 27, 2012 by Lee

Bohemian Waxwing by Bird Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE BOHEMIAN WAX-WING.

HE Bohemian Wax-wing is interesting for its gipsy-like wanderings, one winter visiting one country, next season another, often in enormous flocks, and usually with intervals of many years, so that in former times their appearance was regarded as sure forebodings of war and pestilence, their arrival being dreaded as much as that of a comet. Another interesting feature of its history is the fact that for a long time this familiar bird eluded the search of the zoologist. Its breeding habits, and even the place where it breeds, were unknown thirty years ago, until finally discovered by Mr. Wolley in Lapland, after a diligent search during four summers. It is also called the European or Common Silk-tail, and is an inhabitant both of northern Europe and of North America, though in America the Cedar Bird is more often met with. In the northern portions of Europe, birch and pine forests constitute its favorite retreats, and these it seldom quits, except when driven by unusual severity of weather, or by heavy falls of snow, to seek refuge in more southern provinces. It is said that even in Russia, Poland, and southern Scandinavia it is constantly to be seen throughout the entire winter; that indeed, so rarely does it wander to more southern latitudes, that in Germany it is popularly supposed to make its appearance once in seven years. On the occasion of these rare migrations, the Silk-tails keep together in large flocks, and remain in any place that affords them suitable food until the supply is exhausted.

These birds are heavy and indolent, exerting themselves rarely except to satisfy hunger. They live in perfect harmony, and during their migrations indicate no fear of man, seeking their food in the streets of the villages and towns. They frequently settle in the trees, remaining almost motionless for hours together. Their flight is light and graceful, but on the ground they move with difficulty. Their call note is a hissing, twittering sound. In summer, insects are their chief food, while in winter they live principally on berries. The Wax-wing will devour in the course of twenty-four hours an amount of food equal to the weight of its own body. In Lapland is the favorite nesting ground of the Bohemian Wax-wing. The nests are deeply hidden among the boughs of pine trees, at no great height from the ground; their walls are formed of dry twigs and scraps from the surrounding branches, and the cavities are wide, deep, and lined with blades of grass and feathers. There are five eggs, laid about the middle of June; the shell is bluish or purplish white, sprinkled with brown, black, or violet spots and streaks, some of which take the form of a wreath at the broad end. The exquisite daintiness and softness of the Wax-wing’s coat can be compared only to floss silk.

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) © by Paul Higgins

Lee’s Addition:

Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. (Daniel 4:12 ESV)

Bohemian Waxwings are in the Waxwings – Bombycillidae family. There are only three members; the Bohemian, Japanese and the Cedar Waxwings.

Wikipedia says, The Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is a member of the waxwing family of passerines. A sleek bird, 18–21 cm long with a pointed crest, it travels in large, nomadic groups with a strong, direct flight. It breeds in coniferous forests throughout the most northern parts of Europe, Asia and western North America. As the Cedar Waxwing inhabits only North America and the Japanese Waxwing only Asia, the Bohemian Waxwing is the only member of this family whose range circumnavigates all the continents just below the sub-Arctic latitudes.

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) ©WikiC

Are larger, fatter and greyer than the Cedar Waxwing and has bright yellow, black or rusty orange color on its tail feather tips and a yellow, white, red or black stripe along the wing feathers. Under tail coverts are a deep rust color. Both beak and feet are dark and the brown eyes are set in a narrow black mask underlined with white. The call is a pleasant ringing sound, similar to that of the Cedar Waxwing but lower-pitched.

The preferred nest location is usually high in a pine tree but feeding opportunities determine the location chosen. Each bird or pair may have more than one nest in the same general area. The nests have an outer diameter of 15 cm to 18 cm and are lined with fine grass, moss, and down. On average, 4 to 6 eggs are laid, the egg shells having a pale bluish color with a heavy sprinkling of blackish spots and some dark, irregular lines. Incubation is around 14 days and the young leave the nest about 13 to 15 days after hatching.

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) ©WikiC - distinctive wing spots

Like other waxwings, its diet consists primarily of berries supplemented by insects, especially during the breeding season. Its English name refers to the bright red bead-like tips of the secondary feathers on its wings, which look like drops of sealing wax, while ‘Bohemian’ refers to the Romani (gypsies), with a comparison to this bird’s wandering, or to its (presumed) origin from Bohemia (at the time, a relatively unknown “distant, eastern” place to most English speakers).

The generic name Bombycilla, from Latin Bombyx (silk / silk moth) + Scientific Latin cilla (tail), is a direct translation of the Swedish name ‘Sidensvans’, silk-tail, and refers to the silky-soft plumage of the bird; the species name garrulus means ‘talkative’ and refers to a resemblance to the European Jay, Glandularius garrulus.

Birds Illustrated by Color Photograhy Vol 1 April 1897 No 4 – Cover

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article – The Marsh Wren

Previous Article – The Piedbill Grebe

ABC’s Of The Gospel

Links:

Ad for Bird Illustrated by Color Photography, 1897

Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

THE MOTTLED OR “SCREECH” OWL.

THE SCREECH OWL.

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

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The Innocent Dove

Matthew 10

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. May, 1897 No. 5

NESTING TIME

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

Amateur Photography.

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE ARIZONA GREEN JAY.

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE MARSH WREN.

THE MARSH WRENS.

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

Vol 1. April, 1897 No. 4

THE BOHEMIAN WAX-WING.

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