Author Archives: Lee

Birds of the Bible – At the Manger

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Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Reinier

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Reinier

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 NKJV)

Laughing Dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis) by Nikhil

Laughing Dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis) by Nikhil

Most Christians know the passage in Luke 2 about the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Many others have heard that passage read each Christmas. The birth of Jesus, who was born to die. “Although our first picture of Jesus is as a baby in a manger, it must not be our last. The Christ child in the manger is the subject of a beautiful Christmas scene, but we must not leave him there. This tiny, helpless baby lived an amazing life, died for us, ascended to heaven, and will return to earth as King of kings. Christ will rule the world and judge all people according to their decisions about him. Do you still picture Jesus as a baby in a manger—or is he your Lord? Make sure you don’t underestimate Jesus. Let him grow up in your life.” (Life Application Study Bible)

Joseph and Mary were not so poor that they could not afford a room at the end, but “there was no room for them in the inn.” Because of the registrations going on, each had to show up in their own city. According to the Jewish mode of registration the people would be enrolled by tribe, families or clans, and households. “But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.” (1 Samuel 17:15 NKJV).

Micah prophesied in Micah 5:2:

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

“This mention of the manger is the basis for the traditional belief that Jesus was born in a stable. Stables were often caves with feeding troughs (mangers) carved into the rock walls. Despite popular Christmas card pictures, the surroundings were dark and dirty. This was not the atmosphere the Jews expected as the birthplace of the Messiah-King. They thought their promised Messiah would be born in royal surroundings. We should not limit God by our expectations. He is at work wherever he is needed in our sin-darkened and dirty world.” (Life Application Study Bible)

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) by Nikhil Devasar

Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) by Nikhil Devasar

All of the above was to set the location for the manger and why in my imagination, I believe birds would have been around the manger. There are no verses in the Bible to show there were birds there, nor are there any to show that lambs, cows, or horse were there either, as depicted in our Christmas scenes. So, here is what birds I think may have been there at Jesus’ birth.

Doves – “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)

Turtledoves – 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)

Sparrows and Swallows- “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 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.” (Psalms 84:1-3 NKJV) If they wanted to be at the altars or house of God, then surely, they wanted to be near their Creator.

Chickens and Roosters by Maji

Chickens and Roosters by Maji

Chickens and Roosters – “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (Matthew 23:37 NKJV) and Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” (Matthew 26:34 NKJV) Cave or Stable, there had to be Chickens, Hens, and Roosters.

Ravens – Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food? (Job 38:41 NKJV) They wanted to be near the One who has been feeding them.

Brown-necked Raven of Israel

Brown-necked Raven, Israel

I would think, in my “sanctified imagination,” that since the Lord created everything, birds included, that they might have been eager to see their Creator. Many humans failed to recognize Him while He was on earth, but I think the critters knew who He was. For example, the un-ridden donkey the Lord rode on. There is no report of it trying to buck or misbehave. It knew!

There are more kinds of birds that might have been there, but I will leave those to your imagination. Have a Merry Christmas as you consider the true meaning of the Lord’s birth.


Produced by Sean Fielder and our Pastor Nate Osborne.

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Christmas Birds – Ornaments

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Here are the last of the Christmas Birds. The colors and designs would be pretty in ornaments. But most of all, they are superb examples of the Lord’s omniscient creative designs.

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:.. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:10-12, 14 KJV)

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Merry Christmas 2009

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I’ve dusted off last years Christmas post and updated it some. But the message is still the same and I wanted to present our pastor’s illustration at the Cantata ’08. It has a very good message.

Christmas of 2009 is here and those of us at Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures; Lee, Dan, and Val, April, and Karen would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas. We are busy doing things for the special day when we celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Val has still been busy cooking and baking, not to mention shoveling snow out there in Idaho. We are enjoying the warmth of Florida, but are busy, none the less (but not shoveling snow!). We are off to Tampa to visit relatives again this year and try not to eat “too” much. We hope your Christmas Day is just as enjoyable as ours will be.

During all the festivities, pause to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. We enjoy our birdwatching adventures throughout the year, and try to write and photograph our friends the birds, but our goal is to show God’s magnificent creation and point you to Him. We do not worship nature, but we do worship the Lord who created it all.

Please watch the video of my pastor, Nathan Osborne, III, as he gave an excellent illustration about birds out in the cold and snow. It helps to explain the true meaning of Christmas. (Part of our Christmas cantata, “From the Manger to the Cross”)

Christmas Birds – Red and Green

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Here is the third Christmas Birds slideshow. While searching the photos for the Red Birds and the Green Birds, I kept coming across birds that were Red and Green. Here are some more of the neat birds that the Creator gave us to enjoy. Trust you are enjoying seeing the birds by their colors. It has been enjoyable for me to look through all the great photos the photographers we use here have provided. I have one more Christmas Birds to show you, but you will have to wait until tomorrow.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:13-14 KJV)

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Birdwatching in Polk County – December 2009

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Wood Duck by Dan at Lake Hollingsworth

Wood Duck by Dan at Lake Hollingsworth by Dan

What an interesting list of birds have been seen and counted here in Polk County, FL the last few days. On Saturday, the 19th, the Christmas Bird count was done on a windy day. According to the Ledger (our local newspaper), the count was low for some birds like tree swallows. Only 3 were spotted, yet in Louisiana, a migrating flock of about 5 million was reported. The Annual Christmas Bird Count has been going on around the country for 110 years.

This years total bird count for our county was 123 species. Last year there were 132 species counted. Some of the missing species this year “included horned grebe, brown thrasher, Baltimore Oriole, Ovenbird, Northern Flicker and the Field and White-crowned Sparrows.” They did have some good finds, like 7,000 White Pelicans (mostly out at our favorite place, Circle B Bar Reserve), “111 Bald Eagles, 55 Brown Pelicans, 21 Wild Turkeys (Dan and I saw 10 along the road Sunday), 21 Roseate Spoonbills, and 167 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.” They were surprised to find Buffleheads and Canvasbacks, 6 Ruby-throated Hummers, 4 Western Kingbirds and 8 Common Loons. As you can see, birding is great here this time of the year. Those of you up North get to have these birds in the summer, but we love it when they come down here for their “winter vacation.”

Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 KJV)

Also, today, Cole Fredricks posted on the state listing service “BRDBRAIN” a list of birds he spotted yesterday (12/20) at the Circle B. He has 69 species that he saw there. Makes me want to grab the binoculars and the camera and head out there SOON! He even has photos of a possible White-faced Ibis, which is very rare here.  Here is what he listed:

Great Blue Heron at Circle B Bar Reserve

Great Blue Heron at Circle B Bar Reserve

Location: Circle B Bar Ranch (Reserve)
Observation date: 12/20/09
Number of species: 69

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck – 80
Gadwall – 2
Mottled Duck – 8
Blue-winged Teal – 22
Northern Shoveler – 13
Ring-necked Duck – 20
Lesser Scaup – 1
Pied-billed Grebe – 20
American White Pelican – 700
Brown Pelican – 1

Wilson's Snipe at Circle B by Dan

Double-crested Cormorant – 110
Anhinga – 22
American Bittern – 1
Great Blue Heron – 25
Great Egret – 60
Snowy Egret – 1
Little Blue Heron – 8
Tricolored Heron – 7
Cattle Egret – 12
Green Heron – 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron – 4
White Ibis – 205
Glossy Ibis – 15
White-faced Ibis – 1
Roseate Spoonbill – 3

Roseate Spoonbill at Circle B

Roseate Spoonbill at Circle B

Wood Stork – 110
Black Vulture – 10
Turkey Vulture – 25
Osprey – 5
Bald Eagle – 4
Northern Harrier – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 4
American Kestrel – 1
Common Moorhen – 55
American Coot – 330
Limpkin – 6
Sandhill Crane – 10
Killdeer – 3
Wilson’s Snipe – 1
Laughing Gull – 25
Ring-billed Gull – 5
Caspian Tern – 21
Mourning Dove – 2

Sandhill Crane at Cirle B by Tommy Tompkins

Belted Kingfisher – 4
Red-headed Woodpecker – 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker – 7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1
Pileated Woodpecker – 1
Eastern Phoebe – 8
White-eyed Vireo – 1
Blue-headed Vireo – 1
Blue Jay – 2
Fish Crow –  2
Carolina Wren – 1
House Wren – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 35
American Robin – 2

White Pelicans in Flight - Circle B Bar by Dan

White Pelicans in Flight - Circle B Bar

Northern Mockingbird – 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5
Pine Warbler – 3
Palm Warbler – 15
Black-and-white Warbler – 1
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Savannah Sparrow – 3
Swamp Sparrow – 2
Red-winged Blackbird – 50
Eastern Meadowlark – 4
Boat-tailed Grackle – 5

What surprised me out of the lists, no one mentioned all the 100+ Brown-headed Cowbirds in my yard everyday for the last week or so. Since we are only about 3 miles from the Circle B, as the “bird flies,” surely some of them must be there. Then again, the way they are eating up my seed, I may have the whole Polk County Cowbird population feeding here. Dan and I were birding last week at Lake Hollingsworth and Lake Morton. We saw (not on the above lists) 3 Wood Ducks, Mallards, 50+ Ring-necked Ducks, 80+ Ruddy Ducks, and Double-crested Cormorants swimming with the 15-20 White Pelicans.

Christmas Birds – Green

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This is the second set of Christmas Birds. This time the Green Birds are featured. Hope you enjoyed the Christmas Birds – Red.

Again the Lord created these birds and colored them for their protection and to show off to their mates. There are many more that could be shown, but time is short this week.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28 NKJV)

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Christmas Birds – Red

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Now that Christmas is less than a week away, it’s time to see some of the birds that have “traditional” Christmas colors. Today’s color will be birds that have some sort of red on them. Plans are for other colors to be shown during the week. When the Lord created the birds (fowls), He used many different colors, most for the protection of the bird (to blend in) or for display to attract a mate (to stand out).

We trust you enjoy the photos and that you are blessed as you consider the bird’s Creator, Who came to earth as a babe in a manger, so that He might redeem us from our sin. “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:7-8 KJV)

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Christmas Gospel Presentation

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Last Saturday, at Faith Baptist Church, we had a Free Shopping Day for about 400 less fortunate ones in our community. It was a great day and you can see some of the photos taken by either Pam or Dan and I. Check out the links below to see all the activity. .

Preparations Friday – Dec 11th
Faith Free Shopping Day – Dec 12th
Free Shopping Day Photos – Dec 12th

But most of all, watch the Christmas Presentation that was produced by Sean Fielder and our Pastor Jerry Smith for the visitors.

Birds of the Bible – Jerusalem and Bethlehem Area

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I thought it would be interesting to find out about what birds Mary and Joseph might have seen on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register for the census.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. (Luke 2:1-5 NKJV)

Laughing Dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis) by Nikhil

Laughing Dove (Stigmatopelia senegalensis) by Nikhil

After several hours searching the internet, I still do not have a clear list of the birds in that area. Here, in America, you can find a bird list of about every park or area around. In Jerusalem, 10 kilometers or 6 miles from Bethlehem, I couldn’t find any lists. In Bethlehem, which is now in the West Bank, no list were found. Birds do not care about the political boundaries.  The quote below from the Jerusalem Bird Observatory was the best clue obtained. The lists for all the birds of Israel (over 500) can be found, but not for this specific area.

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) by Daves BirdingPix

Western Barn Owl (Tyto alba) by Daves BirdingPix

“Moving to central Israel, the Jerusalem region, though more famous for its religious and historical sites, can be interesting for birdwatchers too, with temperate wooded and rocky slopes to the west and the arid Judean Desert to the east. Typical forest birds, many also common in town parks and gardens, include blue jays, Syrian woodpeckers, several types of warblers and doves, song thrushes, assorted shrikes, blackbirds, robins, hoopoes, sunbirds, bulbuls, kestrels, hobbies, chukars and Scops and barn owls. Lovely areas for hiking and birdwatching include the forested mountainous area just south and west of Jerusalem around villages such as Nes Harim, Ora and Sataf, and forested areas further south near the town of Beit Shemesh and the Beit Guvrin archaeological park.

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) by Ian

The Jerusalem Bird Observatory (JBO) is located in the landscaped gardens between the Knesset (Israel`s parliament) and the Supreme Court, though you need to bring ID and be patient with security searches. The JBO holds guided birding walks in English every Monday afternoon and does ringing there too. The Israeli capital is also home to prime nesting sites for the endangered lesser kestrel. The Musrara neighbourhood in particular is home to several nests and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) occasionally arranges walking tours of the area.” From Fatbirder

Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) by Ian

In the list above, the birds bolded, are in the bird families mentioned in the Bible. There are 532 birds listed in the Israel Checklist of which 110 are residents and most of the others are winter visitors, having migrated there from elsewhere. Of the residents, there are 4 Doves – Rock Dove (Rock Pigeon) , Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, and the Namaqua Dove. The Eurasian Hoopoe and Barn Owls are also residents. The Quail family includes the Chukar and two other residents, the Black Francolin and the Sand Partridge.

It is realized in over 2,000 years, the birds have changed within their “kinds”, but these photos, may give an indication of what Mary and Joseph may have seen on their journey and in the place where the Lord Jesus Christ was born and lain in a manger.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7 NKJV)

May the Lord bless you during the Christmas celebrations of the Birth of Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the world.
The Gospel Message.

Updated – Hoatzin

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Updated 12/17/09

I just updated the Hoatzin’s article “Interesting Birds – Hoatzin”. Two videos were added to show this amazing bird. One is repeated here and both are on the Hoatzin page. To find out more aboat this strange bird that the Lord created – Click Here.

Birdwatching at Home – December 2009

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Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)

December is that busy time of the year when you don’t get to do as much birdwatching as you would like to do. There are so many other things going on and then we had several days where it rained or was overcast. But, all is not lost. There is always the window to look out. Recently we increased the size of the feeding area in our small backyard and now a few birds are coming. Until this month, about all that showed up were the Mourning Doves, the Boat-tailed Grackles, our local Sandhill Crane and of course the Squirrels. In the last few weeks 11 White Ibises, 4 Palm Warblers, our Northern Mockingbird, one Yellow-headed Blackbird and three Red-winged Blackbirds and two Eurasian Collared-Doves came in to check out the feeders. A Red-shouldered Hawk scattered the birds one morning. Today and yesterday, we have had an invasion (75+) of Brown-headed Cowbirds and one Red-winged Blackbird. The problem we have is that our yard is up against a major road and it spooks the birds, so even getting the birds that most people don’t care for is a delight for us. These birds are the ones who like to empty your feeders in “no time flat”.

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? (Luke 12:24 NKJV)

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Brown-headed Cowbirds

What a promise to the birds and to us. God feeds them most time by the plants and bugs in the fields, but he also uses our feeders and water to supply their needs. The same is true for people who are righteous. The Bible says in Psalms 37:25-28, “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. For the LORD loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. (NKJV) The Lord helps His own by seeing they have jobs and their needs met. If times get hard and the job is gone, the Lord will lay it on someones heart to help them out. He has promised to meet our “needs” not our “wants.”