Snowy Egret – Gatorland 4-2-15 by Lee
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Egret
Author Archives: Lee
Give Thanks – Bleeding-heart Dove
Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove by Dan at Zoo Miami
“Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalms 30:4 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Eagle
Bald Eagle (close up) Lowry Park Zoo by Dan
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34 NKJV)
Give Thanks – Hornbill
Wrinkled Hornbill (Aceros corrugatus) Brevard Zoo by Lee
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!” (1 Chronicles 16:8 NKJV)
Where Eagles Dare: French Military Training Eagles vs. Drones
Eagle Taking On a Drone ©Euronews
“Like an eagle swooping on its prey.” (Job 9:26b NKJV)
After receiving an email about the French Military training Golden Eagles to capture Drones, my curiosity kicked in. Below are links to articles and video of this training.
“The French military is literally going where eagles dare in an effort to combat the increasing use of drones by criminals and terrorists.
Following incidents of drones flying over the presidential palace and restricted military sites – along with the deadly 2015 Paris terror attacks – the French air force has trained four golden eagles to intercept and destroy the rogue aircraft.” Where Eagles Dare
“Faced with the specter of a terrorist threat from rogue drones, the French are recruiting an avian ally. At a base in the southwest of the country, a special army unit has for months been training four golden eagles to spot drones and perform mid-air takedowns.” Drones-Eagles-France
NTD has a great video of how they train baby Golden Eagles as babies, and then as adults.
“Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.” (Obadiah 1:4 NKJV) [I took some liberty with this verse.]
Checking YouTube, there are several video of how bird attack drones.
Here is just one example. This drone is downed by a Hawk.
Woodpeckers in the Waterman Bird Collection
BJU Bird Collection 2018-Display Case 3 – Woodpeckers and Shorebirds
“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;” (Deuteronomy 22:6 NKJV)
The next Display case of the Waterman Bird Collection contains Woodpeckers from the Picidae family and some shorebirds from the Scolopacidae Family. [Next post]
BJU Bird Collection 2018
– Woodpeckers
This post is about the five Woodpeckers; Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker [now the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)], Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) and a Common Flicker [now the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) “The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Look (and listen) for Pileated Woodpeckers whacking at dead trees and fallen logs in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes in the wood. The nest holes these birds make offer crucial shelter to many species including swifts, owls, ducks, bats, and pine martens.”
Pileated Woodpecker by Lee at Circle B
Cool Facts – “The Pileated Woodpecker digs characteristically rectangular holes in trees to find ants. These excavations can be so broad and deep that they can cause small trees to break in half.” [Pileated Woodpecker – All About Birds]
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 BJU Bird Collection Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) – “Found in boreal forests and montane coniferous forests across North America. Because of its choice of habitat, it is infrequently seen by most people.” “The “Three-toed Woodpecker” was split in 2003 into the American Three-toed and Eurasian Three-toed woodpeckers. The two species are nearly identical in appearance, but differ in mitochondrial DNA sequences and in voice.”
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) by Daves BirdingPix
Cool Fact “Most woodpeckers have four toes on each foot. The three-toed and Black-backed woodpeckers have only three. The loss of the fourth toe may help deliver stronger blows, but at the expense of climbing ability.” [American Three-toed_Woodpecker – All About Birds]
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) Male – Waterman Bird Collection BJU
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) – “The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders. Downies and their larger lookalike, the Hairy Woodpecker, are one of the first identification challenges that beginning bird watchers master.”
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) Brevard Zoo by Dan
Cool Facts – “In winter Downy Woodpeckers are frequent members of mixed species flocks. Advantages of flocking include having to spend less time watching out for predators and better luck finding food from having other birds around.” [Downy Woodpecker – All About Birds]
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) – “On a walk through the forest you might spot rows of shallow holes in tree bark. In the East, this is the work of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, an enterprising woodpecker that laps up the leaking sap and any trapped insects with its specialized, brush-tipped tongue. Attired sharply in barred black-and-white, with a red cap and (in males) throat, they sit still on tree trunks for long intervals while feeding. To find one, listen for their loud mewing calls or stuttered drumming.”
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Daves BirdingPix
Cool Facts – “Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been found drilling sapwells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants, though they have a strong preference for birches and maples.”[Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – All About Birds]
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) – “Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump.”
Northern Flicker cropped by Lee at S. Lake Howard Nature Pk
Cool Fact – “Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants.” [Northern Flicker – All About Birds]
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Some of the Previous Woodpecker Posts:
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker
- When I Consider! – Woodpecker and Bones
- Woodpecker Video
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Chief Corner Stone’s Keystone by A J Mithra
- Buddy Davis – Woodpecker Song
- Red-headed Woodpecker – Video (Peterson’s Bird Series)
- God’s Amazing Pileated Woodpecker
- Pale-bellied Woodpecker
- The Woodpeckers by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
- Woodpeckers – The Core Species.. – A J
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black Woodpecker
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Wordless Woodpecker – Yellow-Fronted
Double Life of a Hummingbird – Creation Moments
Learn more about one of God’s most
unusual creatures by watching our video
“Double Life of the Hummingbird”
Who doesn’t love the beautiful hummingbird? You’ll love them even more after viewing our “Double Life of the Hummingbird” video! That’s because you’ll learn about the unique abilities their Designer has given them. Truly, hummingbirds bear evidence of God’s creative hand!
This Week’s Creation Action Moment:
1. Watch our “Double Life of the Hummingbird” video by clicking here or on the picture above.
[Used with permission of Creation Moments]
Bible Birds – Hawk Introduction
“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south? (Job 39:26 NKJV)
According to the King James Version of Scripture, the other two verses with hawk in them are:
“the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind;” (Leviticus 11:16 NKJV)
“the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after their kinds;” (Deuteronomy 14:15 NKJV)
For more advanced reading, you can check out Birds of the Bible – Clean vs. Unclean, Birds of the Bible – The Law Of The Birds and Deuteronomy 14:11-18 Visualized on Leesbird.com
What is a Hawk? To what Family of birds does it belong?
Hawks are one of God’s Created Avian Wonders. The bird family of Hawks, Accipitridae, not only includes Hawks, but also Eagles, Kites, Harriers, Vultures, plus more. The Lord has given them great eyesight, hearing, and speed.
Hawks have excellent eyesight. They can see up to 8 times more clearly than the sharpest human eye. Eyesight is primarily used for hunting.
Their hearing is acute, but their sense of smell is poor.
Hawk species are known for their speed, particularly when chasing prey. During the hunt, some species of hawks can dive 240 kilometers (150 miles) per hour through the air. [Just Fun Facts]
“All hawks are almost exactly the same structurally as all other birds, and the distinguishing features that set them apart from all of the other hawks are minute. Hawks are distinguished from all other birds, especially falcons, by their broader, more rounded wings. They also have sharp, curved, hooked bills, strong feet with curved talons, and amazing sight capabilities. All hawks have uniform 20/2 vision, exactly 8 times better than a human with good eyesight! Almost all male hawks are smaller than females.” Hawks – CreationWiki [with editing]
Hawks are in the Accipitridae Family of Kites, Hawks & Eagles and you can read more about them in the Birds of the Bible – Hawk section.
Hawks have claws which are used for catching their prey. Beware of these:
- A Cooper’s Hawk captures a bird with its feet and kills it by repeated squeezing. Falcons tend to kill their prey by biting it, but Cooper’s Hawks hold their catch away from the body until it dies. [Cool Fact from All about Birds]
Hawks and the other birds in this family did not always prey (catch) other living critters. Because of sin, these avian creations from the Lord, were placed under God’s curse. One day, when that curse is removed, the birds of prey will become birds of play [with others.]
Check out All About Birds – Hawks and Falcons
See also:
- Bible Birds – Hawks
- Bible Birds
- Waterman Bird Collection – Hawks and Owls
- Birds of the Bible
- Birds of the Bible – Hawk Migration
- Ian’s Bird of the Week – Spotted Harrier
- Hawk Photos
- Hawk Videos
- Raptor ID
- Raptor Overview
Accipitriformes – Order, Accipitridae – Family (Kites, Hawks & Eagles)
Pleasant Surprise – Hawks and Owls
BJU Waterman Bird Collection Hawks Display 2018
“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26 KJV)
The next upper display case had Hawks and Owl specimen. The three Hawks give a size perspective of those hawks. The largest is the Red-Shouldered Hawk, then the Northern Harrier (female), and the Broad-Winged Hawk.
BJU Waterman Bird Collection Hawks and Owls Display 2018
“And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,” (Deuteronomy 14:15-16 KJV)
The Owls went from small to the large Great Horned Owl being the largest. The two small owls are the Boreal Owl, and the Common Screech Owl. Out of the five species, we have only seen the Red-shouldered Hawk, the Harrier and a Great Horned Owl in the wild. Again, I think these birds look pretty good, considering how long they have be preserved. [Before 1910]
Hawks and Owls are both mentioned in Scripture and are therefore – Birds of the Bible. Birds of the Bible – Hawks and Birds of the Bible – Owls. Did you notice their coloration? Most sleep during the day and the Lord, their Creator, has provided them with a camouflage that helps many of them look like bark on trees.
Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) Tail by Lee
[My favorite “bark” covered bird is the Tawny Frogmouth. We see them in the zoos.] Back to this article.
Here are some very informative articles with great photos about these birds from WhatBird and All About Birds. The WhatBird links have sounds to which you can listen.
Red-shouldered Hawk BJU Bird Collection 2018
- The Red-shouldered Hawk and the Barred Owl occupy the same range in the eastern United States. They prefer the same moist woodland habitats and eat similar animals. The hawk is active during the day, and the owl is active at night. [WhatBird]
Red-shouldered Hawk All About Birds
Northern Harrier BJU Bird Collection 2018
- Unusual among hawks, Northern Harriers use their sense of hearing to help locate prey. They have an owl-like facial disk to help with directional hearing and soft feathers for a quieter flight. [WhatBird]
Northern Harrier All About Birds
Broad-Winged Hawk BJU Bird Collection
- During migration, weather and geography cause these birds to concentrate into groups that number in the thousands. These large groups are referred to as “kettles.” [WhatBird]
Broad-Winged Hawk All About Birds
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus) BJU Collection
- The Boreal Owl is also known as Tengmalm’s Owl, after the Swedish naturalist Peter Gustaf Tengmalm. [WhatBird]
Boreal Owl All About Birds
Screech Owl (Megascops asio) BJU Bird Collection 2018
- The Eastern Screech Owl was first described by Carolus Linnaeus, in 1758. They have also been called the Common Screech Owl, Ghost Owl, Dusk Owl, Little-eared Owl, Spirit Owl, Whickering Owl, Little Gray Owl, Mottled Owl, Mouse Owl, Cat Owl, Shivering Owl, and Little Horned Owl.” [WhatBird]
Eastern Screech-Owl All About Birds
Great-Horned Owl BJU Bird Collection
- A group of owls has many collective nouns, including a “bazaar”, “glaring”, “parliament”, “stooping”, and “wisdom” of owls. [WhatBird]
Great Horned Owl All About Birds
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Accipitriformes – Order, Accipitridae – Family (Kites, Hawks & Eagles)
Pleasant Surprise – Petrel and Crow
Leach’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) BJU Bird Collection 2018
Just realized I didn’t post this. Again, it is a duplicate of a Waterman Bird Collection – Part II – Petrel & Crow article on the Birds of the Bible for Kids blog. [I am behind in blogging] This time it is about the Leach’s Storm Petrel and the Crow.
As promised, in Waterman Bird Collection – Part II, here are the last two birds from that display. The Leach’s Storm Petrel and the Crow will now be introduced. Many of you already have heard of a Crow, but how about a Storm Petrel? Let’s see what we can find out about these avian creations from the Creator.
BJU Bird Collection 2018 Bottom Shelf
The two birds today are the two right hand birds in the Display.
The Leach’s Storm Petrel [at the top] is starting to show a tiny bit of deterioration, but considering it’s over 100 years old, it’s not too much.
“The Leach’s Storm Petrel or Leach’s Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) is a small seabird of the tubenose order. It is named after the British zoologist William Elford Leach. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek. Oceanodroma is from okeanos, “ocean” and dromos, “runner”, and leucorhoa is from leukos, “white” and orrhos, “rump”.
“It breeds on inaccessible islands in the colder northern areas of the Atlantic and Pacific. It nests in colonies close to the sea in well concealed areas such as rock crevices, shallow burrows or even logs. It lays a single white egg which often has a faint ring of spots at the large end. This storm petrel is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. The largest colony of Leach’s storm petrels can be found on Baccalieu Island of eastern Canada, an ecological reserve with more than 3 million pairs of the bird.” [Wikipedia with editing]
Fun Fact: “Flies swiftly, erratically, buoyantly with 1 or 2 fast, powerful flaps followed by glides on wings held well above the horizontal and noticeably kinked; sudden changes of direction impart a bounding quality. Flutters less than other storm-petrels.” [Neotropical Birds]
Drinks salt water – Formed By Him – Sea Birds That Drink Seawater, is an interesting article about Tubenose birds.
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) BJU Bird Collection 2018
The last bird in the part of the collection is a Crow. It wasn’t shown which one exactly, so we are using the American Crow.
“The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is a large passerine bird species of the family Corvidae. It is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American crows are the new world counterpart to the carrion crow and the hooded crow. Although the American crow and the hooded crow are very similar in size, structure and behavior, their calls are different. The American crow nevertheless occupies the same role the hooded crow does in Eurasia.”
Florida Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus) at Lake Morton By Dan’sPix
“From beak to tail, an American crow measures 40–50 cm (16–20 in), almost half of which is tail. Mass varies from about 300 to 600 g (11 to 21 oz). Males tend to be larger than females. The most usual call is CaaW!-CaaW!-CaaW!.’
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) by Ray
“The American crow is all black, with iridescent feathers. It looks much like other all-black corvids. They can be distinguished from the common raven (C. corax) because American crows are smaller and from the fish crow (C. ossifragus) because American crows do not hunch and fluff their throat feathers when they call, and from the carrion crow (C. corone) by the enunciation of their calls.” [American Crow – Wikipedia]
A Cool Fact from American Crows – All About Birds:
- Crows sometimes make and use tools. Examples include a captive crow using a cup to carry water over to a bowl of dry mash; shaping a piece of wood and then sticking it into a hole in a fence post in search of food; and breaking off pieces of pine cone to drop on tree climbers near a nest.
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Here are the links to this Series:
A Pleasant Surprise At The BJU Homecoming
Woodstock’s New Hairdo
Today’s Peanut’s cartoon reminds me of the birds we saw at the Jacksonville Zoo recently. It had rained before and it rained while we were visiting.
Woodstock and Rain
“Poor Woodstock.. When he gets wet, he looks like an English Sheep-Bird!” [In case you can’t read it]
“Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number. He gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields.” (Job 5:9-10 NKJV)
In Where Am I Found? – Abdim’s Stork, the first photo showed the stork still wet. Dan just showed me his photo of the Stork, which definitely shows a wet bird hairdo.
Wet Abdim’s Ibis at Jacksonville Zoo by Dan
My photo of this wet Ibis:
Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii) -Jacksonville Zoo wet
There were a few others that were not up to their normally sleek appearance.
Another wet avian wonder was the Yellow-billed Stork. He was damp, but not as wet as the Abdim’s Stork.
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) Wet at Jacksonville Zoo
Are you taking a picture of me like this when I am not preened?
Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) – Jacksonville Zoo
This is why you see so many birds preening. The Roseate Spoonbill was busy straightening and drying its feathers.
Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) Preening – Jax Zoo
“Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry.” (Psalms 147:8-9 NKJV)
There were a few others that were not up to their normally sleek appearance.
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Where Am I Found? – Abdim’s Stork
Some of the Other Jacksonville Zoo articles:
Jacksonville Zoo’s Noisy Stork Tree
Marabou Stork Chicks and Inca Tern at Jacksonville Zoo
Birdwatching at the Jacksonville Zoo by Dan’s Pix
Birds of the Bible – Black-faced Ibis at Jax Zoo by Dan
Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) Jax Zoo by Dan
On the way to South Carolina we visited the Jacksonville Zoo. The birds were a bit damp as it had just rained. Here is one of the avian wonders that Dan captured with his camera.
and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it: and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it. (Isaiah 34:11 Brenton)
“The Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split. The black-faced ibis also included the Andean ibis (T. branickii) as a subspecies. Some taxonomic authorities (including the American Ornithological Society) still do so.” [Wikipedia with editing]
Links:
- Birds of the Bible – Ibis
- Black-faced Ibis – Wikipedia
- Black-faced Ibis – HBAlive
- Black-faced Ibis – Neotropical Birds
- Threskiornithidae – Ibises, Spoonbills
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 