Latest Video found of a Eurasian Hoopoe
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Author Archives: Lee
Birds of the Bible – Hoopoe
Eurasian Hoopoe By William Kwong
The Hoopoe is mentioned in the list of “unclean” things not to eat in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. I am sort of revisiting my Birds of the Bible – Lapwing which uses the same references. Depending on which copy of Scripture one uses it is translated Lapwing in some and Hoopoe in others. The Hoopoe is an interesting and pretty bird, so I will describe it in today’s blog.
the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (Lev 11:19 NKJV)
the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat. (Deu 14:18 NKJV)
Eurasian Hoopoe By William Kwong
- They are found in Asia, Europe, and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar.
- They migrate to the tropics in the winter.
- In 2008, the Long-Billed Hoopoe became the national bird of Israel. See Article
- Their diet consists of mostly worms and insects, which they find while spending most of their time on the ground.
- “The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall. Like those of its relatives,… the nest tends to contain copious amounts of faeces and smell very foul as a protection against predators[2].”(Wikipedia)
- “The song is a trisyllabic “oop-oop-oop”, which gives rise to its English and scientific names.”(Wikipedia)
Eurasian Hoopoe By William Kwong
Links to check out:
Bird Families of the World – Hoopoes
William Kwong’s Gallery (Photos used with his Permission)
See:
Appreciation For Fantastic Photographers
I want to express my heartfelt appreciation and thanks for the following Professional or Almost Professional Photographers who have given me permission to use some of their photos on this birdwatching site. They have fantastic pictures in their Galleries, which you will greatly enjoy. Please visit the links below to view some awesome pictures of birds and other subjects. 
These are the ones you see with that “looooong” lens sticking out in front of their cameras. They have a great God given talent to capture what they see as they look through those lenses.
With the help of photographs from them and others, I hope to improve previous and future blogs.
AestheticPhotos by Wade Dowdy
Dan’s Pix, by my husband, Dan
dparsons Photostream by Pastor BBC
Fotobirder by Steve Slayton
Gramps (Les)
Jim Fenton’s Galleries
Maji’s Photostream by Maji
Philip Kwong’s Galleries, he is in Hong Kong
Ray’s Wildlife Photography by Raymond J Barlow
WildStock Photography by Reinier Munguia
101-365 Galleries by Chris Heilman
Anthony 747
Updated: Aug 14
William Kwong Galleries, he is in Hong Kong
Birds of the Bible – Falcons
American Kestrel by AestheticPhotos
Today we introduce another bird family that has been wonderfully created by God. The Falcon is in the Family “Falconidae” which are birds of prey. Worldwide there are over 60 species in the family. Falcons, Caracara, Forest-Falcons, Kestrels, Falconets, Pygmy-Falcons, and Hobbies make up the family. For an interesting list of the birds and videos of them, see Internet Bird Collection. These are the birds seen in North America according to Thayer’s Birding software:
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Aplomado Falcon (15-16.5” with 40-48” wingspan) Mexico to Central and South America, TX
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Gyrfalcon (20-25” with 50-64” wingspan – largest of the falcons) – Arctic tundra-winter seen in upper Midwest, Dakotas, Montana, Idaho and Washington – Flies close to the ground.
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Peregrine Falcon (16-20” with 36-44” wingspan – large falcon)
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Prairie Falcon (15.5-19.5” with 35-43” wingspan)
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Merlin (12” with 25” wingspan)
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Collared Forest-Falcon (21-25” with 30-37” wingspan) (Accidental-South Texas)
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American Kestrel (10.5” with 23” wingspan – Smallest falcon)
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Eurasian Kestrel (13.5”with 29” wingspan Hovers) – Mass, NJ, N Brunswick and Aleutian Islands of Alaska
Prairie Falcon by Dan
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Crested Caracara (23” with 50” wingspan) – TX and FL, Prairie region of central FL, open arid and semiarid scrublands, grassland w/ few trees, ranchland
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Eurasian Hobby (11-13” with 28-33” wingspan) – Europe and Asia, Africa (winters) very rare in North America Captures prey in the air.
A good article about the Falconidae Family is at the Handbook of the Birds of the World website. The Wikipedia had these comments:
“Falcons and caracaras are carnivores, feeding on birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects and carrion.”,
“They have strongly hooked bills, sharply curved talons and excellent eyesight. The plumage is usually composed of browns, whites, chestnut, black and grey, often with barring of patterning. ”
“They differ from other Falconiformes (Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, etc.) in killing with their beaks instead of their feet. They have a “tooth” on the side of their beak for the purpose.”
Peregrine Falcon by Jim Fenton
The Falcon is another bird on the “unclean” list.
“And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, the kite, and the falcon after its kind;” (Leviticus 11:13-14 NKJV)
“the red kite, the falcon, and the kite after their kinds;” (Deuteronomy 14:13 NKJV)
“You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. (Ezekiel 39:4 NKJV)
Check out the
Falcons page for Photos and Videos
Falconidae – Caracaras, Falcons – Family
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Videos of Large Formations of Birds
Just found these on the internet.
You will never believe this one. Only God could put that instinct in them! Wow!
Starlings on Otmor
Starling Magic
(Updated Aug 3) After posting these videos last night, I decided to see if this habit might be mentioned in Scripture and here is what I found:
Like birds flying about, So will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it.” (Isaiah 31:5 NKJV)
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, (Revelation 19:17 NKJV)
Who are these who fly like a cloud, And like doves to their roosts? (Isaiah 60:8 NKJV)
Here is an interesting commentary quote from Matthew Henry:
“(4.) These converts flocking to the church shall be greatly admired (Isa_60:8): Who are these that fly as a cloud? Observe,
[1.] How the conversion of souls is here described. It is flying to Christ and to his church, for thither we are directed; it is flying like a cloud, though in great multitudes, so as to overspread the heavens, yet with great unanimity, all as one cloud. They shall come with speed, as a cloud flying on the wings of the wind, and come openly, and in the view of all, their very enemies beholding them (Rev_11:12), and yet not able to hinder them. They shall fly as doves to their windows, in great flights, many together; they fly on the wings of the harmless dove, which flies low, denoting their innocency and humility. They fly to Christ, to the church, to the word and ordinances, as doves, by instinct, to their own windows, to their own home; thither they fly for refuge and shelter when they are pursued by the birds of prey, and thither they fly for rest when they have been wandering and are weary, as Noah’s dove to the ark.
[2.] How the conversion of souls is here admired. It is spoken of with wonder and pleasure: Who are these? We have reason to wonder that so many flock to Christ: when we see them all together we shall wonder whence they all came. And we have reason to admire with pleasure and affection those that do flock to him: Who are these? How excellent, how amiable are they! What a pleasant sight is it to see poor souls hastening to Christ, with a full resolution to abide with him!”
Interesting Things – Only God Can Make An Instinct
I copied this excerpt from Author: Lanny and Marilyn Johnson
Mallee Fowl
“The Mallee Fowl is a mound building bird that only lives in Austria. It is about the size of a chicken and is an incredibly busy worker. In the fall of each year the male begins to dig a hole about three feet deep. After the hole is dug, he piles leaves and twigs into the pit. After each rain he covers a layer of vegetation with sand sealing in the moisture. The mounds he builds can be up to 35 feet across and 15 feet high. He will move as much as 6000 pounds of material to build his mound! As the wet vegetation decays, it produces heat. So as the leaves and twigs rot, the pile warms up. “… To read the whole article Only God Can Make An Instinct
Mallee Fowl Mound
Some more links about the Mallee Fowl:
Birds of the Bible – Quail
Our Bird of the Bible this week is not on the “unclean” list for a change. In fact, this bird can be eaten and is raised just for that purpose in many parts of the world. Searching the internet, you can find all kinds of recipes for quail. What has that got to do with our Quail?
Gambel's Quail
The children of Israel were in the wilderness, doing their constant grumbling, and they asked for “more to eat”. They were not satisfied with what God was providing. They wanted “more.” So:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ” So it was that quails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.(Exodus 16:11-14 NKJV)
Now a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.(Numbers 11:31-34 NKJV)
The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.(Psalms 105:40 NKJV)
The commentaries on these Scriptures varied somewhat. Some suggested that these were not “quails” but “locusts”. Most concede that they were “quails”. Then, they debated about the “about two cubits above the surface of the ground.” Were they piled two cubits high or were they flying around at that level? If they were piled deep, they would suffocate and die, making them uneatable according to their law. So, with these questions in mind, here is how the Quail behave:
“Rapid direct flight, series of several stiff wing beats followed by a short glide”, “Escapes danger by running. Direct flight with rapid deep wing beats”. “Small, chunky, short-tailed, round-winged, ground-dwelling bird”, “Secretive. Squats and sits motionless when alarmed”, and “keeping hidden in crops, and reluctant to fly, preferring to creep away instead. Even when flushed, it keeps low and soon drops back into cover.” Sounds like they would be easy to catch.
“There are 130 species of quails worldwide. They are small, short-tailed game birds of the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes), resembling partridges but generally smaller and less robust. The 36 species of New World quail more nearly resemble Old World partridges”, from From borealforest.org, “California Quail.”
We have the California, Scaled, Mountain, Gambel’s (The bird’s average length is 11 inches (30 cm) with a wingspan of 14-16 inches (35-40 cm) , Montezuma Quails and the Northern Bobwhite here in North America. Several have a head plume and many are quite colorful.
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- King Quail (Excalfactoria chinensis)
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- Gambel’s Quail (Callipepla gambelii) ©WikiC
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- Northern Bobwhite
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- Scaled Quail (Callipepla squamata) ©WikiC
Birdwatching Trip – Lake Hollingsworth 7-29-08
Today we went birdwatching again at Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland. From previous post, you can see we go there often. I especially like the fact that it has an asphalt walkway around the lake. Those who know me, know that after my back surgery two years ago my legs were messed up. Makes it nice to have a level place to walk. Anyway, today when Dan suggested going, I jumped at the chance. I have been so busy fixing this new website up, that I hadn’t been out birdwatching.
When we got there, I was immediately “attacked” by the local geese and ducks. They have been well trained to expect “treats” from people. With bread in hand, I could not feed them fast enough for their liking. The geese (not sure what kind) started pecking at me and pulling my clothes and nipping at me. It actually was quite comical. We all survived and went on down the walkway.
Here is what we observed: The Geese, Mallards and their families, White Ibises, Common Moorhens and their babies, Purple Gallinules and their juveniles, Pigeons, Boat-tailed Grackles, Anhingas hanging out to dry, Limpkins and three babies, Redwing Blackbirds and their juveniles, Ospreys, Great Egrets, Tri-colored Herons, a Little Blue Heron, a Tern, and some Fish Crows.
It was one of our “cooler” days with a light breeze. About 84 degrees when we started. We have been having some much-needed rain lately and the lake was up quite a bit since our last trip there.
P.S. I’ll be glad when you up north will send your birds back down to us. We miss seeing our “winter visitors.”
Hope you enjoy the photos. I was just a birdwatcher today and Dan was our photographer. So the photos are better, even though he hasn’t worked on them yet.
Birdwatching Trip – J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR – July 15, 2008
We went to J. N. “Ding” Darling NWR on Sanibel Island, FL. It was an overcast and sometimes rainy day, we enjoyed birdwatching anyway. Here is what we saw:
Limpkin, Reddish Egret prancing around trying to scare up a meal, White Ibis, Cardinals-male and female, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron – first up close, raccoon, Mourning Dove, Ground Doves, Blue Jays, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Heron, Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, Osprey, a new life bird-Magnificent Frigatebird, Double-crested Cormorants, Anhingas, Alligator, Rosette Spoonbills resting, and a Black-crowned Night-Heron. We then drove to the split between Sanibel and Captiva. There was a Great Blue Heron standing on the rocks behind a fisherman. People were walking up and taking its picture, and he didn’t move. I think he wanted that man to feed him. It must have been to windy for him to do his own fishing. The gulls and osprey were flapping hard and going nowhere in the wind. They were suspended in air.
The Lord made a great day, even though the weather could have been better (from a camera’s perspective.)
The photos in the slideshow are mostly what I took. The much better ones are Dan’s.
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Birds of the Bible – Pelicans
The pelican is in the Pelecanidae family which includes Pelicans, Cormorants, Gannets, etc. We have the American White and Brown Pelicans here in the U.S.
- The White Pelican (62″ with a 108″ wingspan) is larger than the Brown (48″ with a 84″ wingspan).
- They both fly with neck tucked.
- Both have very large bills (White-yellow, Brown-dark) with a throat pouch.
- The Brown Pelican feeds by plunging from air into the water and also glides low over the water.
- The White Pelican feeds while swimming and upending to catch fish.
- The sexes are similar in both White and Brown Pelicans
Brown Pelican flying low, by Ray's Wildlife Photography
The pelican is again listed in the “unclean” list.
And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier-eagle,(Leviticus 11:18 KJV)
And the pelican, and the gier-eagle, and the cormorant, (Deuteronomy 14:17 KJV)
Psalm 102 which is a “prayer of the afflicted” is telling about a heart smitten, groaning bones, basically he is “out of order.”
I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
(Psalms 102:6 KJV) Most pelicans live near water and owls live in trees.
In spite of his affliction, the Psalm writer concludes with:
Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. (Psalms 102:25-27 KJV)
Photos are by permission of Dan’s Pix and Ray’s Wildlife Photography
Brown Pelicans Dive for their food.
American White Pelicans swim along and feed, upending themselves as they do. This video was taken at Lake Hollingsworth.
Video of Bird “Displaying”
I couldn’t resist posting this video. It shows the Bird of Paradise “displaying” better than any picture ever could.
This is the second video of birds displaying.
Interesting Things – Bird Evolution
Click the link to read a interesting, though somewhat technical, article about the difference between dinosaurs and birds. It seems that God had a very thoughtful and intelligent way of creating birds.
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 
