Category Archives: Birds of the World

Working On The New Update to I.O.C.

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Sulawesi Hornbill (Penelopides exarhatus) LPZoo 3-8-12 by Lee

Sulawesi Hornbill (Penelopides exarhatus)LPZoo by Lee

They have come out with the latest Update and I am again working on updating the blog. This time they added only 13 new species, deleted 2, and made 3 changes to names. But, as lately, they threw another family up in the air to rearrange it. This time it was the Hornbill-Bucerotidae family. It was really reshuffled and they changed some of the genus around.

Here are the new additions:

  • Aztec Rail (Rallus tenuirostris) – Was Subspecies of King Rail
  • Mangrove Rail (Rallus longirostris) – The Old Clapper Rail
  • Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans) – New Clapper Rail
  • Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus) – Formerly California Clapper
  • Sooty Barbet (Caloramphus hayii)- Was Subspecies
  • Blue-eared Barbet (Megalaima duvaucelii) – Removed M. d. australis Subspecies
  • Palkachupa Cotinga (Phibalura boliviana) – Was Subspecies of Swallow-tailed Cotinga
  • Riparian Antbird (Cercomacra fuscicauda)- Was Subspecies
  • Bougainville Whistler (Pachycephala richardsi) – Was Subspecies
  • Black-eared Warbler (Basileuterus melanotis) – Was Subspecies
  • Tacarcuna Warbler (Basileuterus tacarcunae) – Was Subspecies
  • Yungas Warbler (Basileuterus punctipectus)- Was Subspecies
  • Roraiman Warbler (Myiothlypis roraimae)- Was Subspecies
  • Pale Baywing (Agelaioides fringillarius)- Was Subspecies

Deleted:

  • Norfolk Ground Dove
  • White-throated Whistler

Hard to find data yet on these because sites are being updated, just as this one is. Will update when all the 4.4 Version is complete.

Also: Sorry there has not been as many articles lately, but have been dealing with several health issues. The Bronchitis is almost over, now have stitches from skin cancer removal. Physical Therapy is helping. Praise the Lord, it could be a lot worse. It is just that everything came close together. Also, Praise the Lord for the way He created the human body.

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalms 139:14 NKJV)

Birds of the World

Hornbill-Bucerotidae Family

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Birds – The Color That Only God Can Do

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Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) by

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) by Dan

Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalms 111:2 ESV)

Here is a neat blog worth looking at to see all the beautiful color that God put in Birds.

via Birds.

Enjoy the beauty of these birds.

Wordless Birds

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This is by N7QVC’s Christian Blog.

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Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) ~ by Raymond Barlow

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Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) by Raymond Barlow

Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) by Raymond Barlow

 

That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. (Psalms 26:7 KJV)

Just wanted to share a really neat photo that Ray shared on his Facebook page. He is one of the first photographers that gave permission to use his photos.

Ray took this on one of his trips to Costa Rica. This is from his page:

2 Green-crowned Brilliant Hummingbirds sort out their problems in front of my guests during a photo-shoot in Costa Rica. Looks like mother and daughter here, we all wonder why nature needs to be so confrontational! (more with hummingbirds than any other of our planets species!)

I think the word “Mine” explains things.. :))

Special thanks to everyone for viewing my images!!

It is always so amazing to view more of the Lord’s Creation. He has also given Ray a great talent. Thanks, Ray.

Here’s another of those beautiful hummers.

Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) Females Feeding by Raymond Barlow

Green-crowned Brilliant (Heliodoxa jacula) Females Feeding by Raymond Barlow

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Found this on the Kid’s Blog – I’m still kicking up dust. I have less than 80 of the 412 articles left to relocate over here. Already finished the 51 pages. Then I can start fixing some of the problems I have caused here on this blog.. :))
See:

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Wreathed Hornbills at Central Florida Zoo

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Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) Central Florida Zoo by Lee

Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) Female Central Florida Zoo by Lee

Last week on the way over to the retreat in Daytona Beach, we stopped by the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens. There were several interesting birds, especially the Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus). There was a male, female and a juvenile male there. More unique creations from our Creator.

The Hornbill names can be confusing because there is a Wrinkled, Writhed, and the Wreathed Hornbills along with the others. The one here at Central Florida Zoo was the Wreathed..It was hard to get a decent photo because of the size of the fencing/wires on the cages. So, the photos were about a good as I could get shooting in Program mode. I tossed quite a few photos because of the fencing. :))

Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus) Adult Male Central Florida Zoo by Lee

The Wreathed Hornbill (Rhyticeros undulatus), also known as the Bar-pouched Wreathed Hornbill because of the black line on the pouch or chin. It is a species of hornbill found in forests from far north-eastern India and Bhutan, east and south through mainland Southeast Asia and the Greater Sundas, except Sulawesi. It is 75–100 cm (30–39 in) long. Males weigh from 4.0 lb (1.8 kg) to 8.0 lb (3.65 kg), and females weigh from 3.0 lb (1.36 kg) to 6.0 lb (2.7 kg). Both sexes are similar to the respective sexes of the closely related plain-pouched hornbill, but the wreathed hornbill can be recognized by the dark bar on the lower throat (hence the alternative common name, bar-pouched). Though commonly considered monotypic, evidence suggests some geographical variation in the appearance. (Wikipedia with editing)

They belong to the Bucerotidae – Hornbills Family which has 59 species. “These birds have large down-curved bills and many have a large growth on the upper bill called a casque.  These bills come in many striking shapes and colors.  They also have what appears to be eyelashes, but they are not made of hair, they are small feathers that serve the same function.” (Central FL Zoo)

Fun Facts (From Zoo Atlanta)

Males can be easily distinguished from females by the color of their throats. The male’s throat skin is yellow; the female’s is blue. – Males and females pair for life. – The specialized knobs on the tops of the birds’ beaks are known as casques. These are believed to function as signals of dominance and gender.

 You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:2-3 NASB)

I find their beak so interesting. In light of yesterday’s article, Birdwatching Terms – About’s Bird Bill Parts, I have included some cropped photos pointing out the different parts of the beak. Also, I like their eyelashes which are actually feathers, but act like our eyelashes.

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Bucerotidae – Hornbills

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

Birds of the World

Wreathed Hornbill – Wikipedia

Wreathed Hornbill – Central Florida Zoo

Wreathed Hornbill –  AvianWeb

Is There A God?

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Why Use The Birds of the World?

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Green-billed Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus) ©WikiC

Green-billed Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus) ©WikiC

The list of all the Birds of the World are updated about every four months. Which we try to keep up with their (I.O.C.) newest lists.

You are probably wondering why you would need it. Let me share some things about it and then give you some ideas how it my be handy for one of your school projects.

The I.O.C. is actually the International Ornithological Committee. “Ornithological” basically means those who study birds or bird related. They maintain a list of all the birds around the world. They set standards of how to name them, what scientific classification to place the birds in, and divide them into Orders and Families, etc.

They are needed because we may call a bird by one name, yet someone in a different country or area may call it by a different name. They realize that those two names belong to the same bird. It is a very hard task to keep track of all those 10,000 plus birds, but that is what they try to do.

They give every bird an English name as a standard. Then they also want every one to spell the words the same. For instance, some people spell the “Grey” or “Gray” to mean the same color. To keep things simple, all the birds are spelled as “Grey.” That is just one example.

There are committees all over the world working on the birds of the area they live in, then those committees get together to combine all the list to make one big list. That is what was just updated.

On our Birds of the World section, you will find the birds listed by Orders (40 main classifications), then by Families (240 groups of closely related birds). The reason all of that is not duplicated here would be very time-consuming. There are hundreds of pages and thousands of photos on that site.

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan

Projects for school or your own information:

You know the name of a bird’s name, but need to find  the Species name,  Go to the Species Index to find these choices:

If you know that it called Madagascan something, go to the First Name of Bird  index and choose the “M” page

If you know it is a Duck, go to the Last Name of Bird  index and choose the “D – Last Name” page.

The Families have four indexes to help you find the Families of birds.

When you find your bird in the right family, almost every bird has a link to a photo or video.

I will share more tips on how to use those indexes in another article.

Another reason is because we believe the Lord created all the beautiful birds and He should get all the credit.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NKJV)

So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 NKJV)

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IOC Version 4.3 Update Complete

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Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) cc jerryoldenettle

Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) cc jerryoldenettle

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: (Proverbs 24:21 KJV)

The update to IOC Version 4.3 is now completed. Along with the spelling changes shown in Working On IOC 4.3 Version – Name Changes, here are some more of the changes that were made.

They added 7 new birds, most raised from a Subspecies to a Species and 3 deleted, which were lowered to a Subspecies.

Lineated Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes albolineatus) ©Taenos

Lineated Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes albolineatus) ©Taenos

The Lineated Woodcreeper had 3 subspecies raised to species. They are:

Duida Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes duidae) ©Taenos

Duida Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes duidae) ©Taenos

Duida Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes duidae)

Rondonia Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes fuscicapillus) ©Taenos

Rondonia Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes fuscicapillus) ©Taenos

Rondonia Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes fuscicapillus)

Layard's Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes layardi) ©Taenos

Layard’s Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes layardi) ©Taenos

Layard’s Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes layardi)

The Inambari Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes fatimalimae) is one of the 15 new species discovered in Amazonia (IBC).

Here is a link to a photo of the Inambari Woodcreeper.

Seychelles Black Parrot (Coracopsis barklyi) (photo) was a subspecies of the Black Parrot.

Another new species discovered in  the Amazonia is the Inambari Gnatcatcher (Polioptila attenboroughi). (See 15 new species discovered in Amazonia)

Click to see photo of Inambari Gnatcatcher. (IBC)

Sorry about not being able to place the photos here, but some are so new, that the photos available are copyright protected.

The Deletions were the Lepe Cisticola (Cisticola lepe), Kimberley Pipit (Anthus pseudosimilis) and Long-tailed Pipit (Anthus longicaudatus).

What took the most time updating was moving birds from one family to another and adding some new Families in the Passerformes Order.

Lesser Melampitta (Melampitta lugubris) ©WikiC Drawing

Melampittidae – Melamampittas is a new family with the Lesser Melampitta.

Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) cc jerryoldenettle

Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) ©© jerryoldenettle

Ifritidae – Ifrita used to be one of the unknown families. It has the Blue-capped Ifrit.

 

Plus they took the Icteridae – Oropendolas, Orioles & Blackbirds family  and threw it up in the air and resuffled the whole bunch of them.

Almost forgot there is also another new family, the Oreoicidae – Australo-Papuan Bellbirds Family.

For any other update information, check out IOC’s update page. Click here.

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Birds of the World

Wordless Birds

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Working On IOC 4.3 Version – Name Changes

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Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) by Ian

Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) by Ian

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
(Psalms 92:1-2 KJV)

I realized that while we were on our recent trip, that the IOC 4.3 Version was released just before we left. So, I am busy working on updating the Birds of the World pages. Not finished, but here are the – Name Changes.

 

Magdalena Tapaculo (Scytalopus rodriguezi) ©©Bing-Tapac

Magdalena Tapaculo (Scytalopus rodriguezi) ©©Bing-Tapac

Upper Magdalena Tapaculo (Scytalopus rodriguezi) – changed to Magdalena Tapaculo

Magdalena Tapaculo (Scytalopus rodriguezi) IBC

Macgregor’s Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae) ©Bing SuperStock

Macgregor’s Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae) ©Bing SuperStock

MacGregor’s Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae) – changed to Macgregor’s Bowerbird 

Macgregor’s Bowerbird (Amblyornis macgregoriae) IBC

Macgregor’s Honeyeater (Macgregoria pulchra) ©WikiC Drawing

Macgregor’s Honeyeater (Macgregoria pulchra) ©WikiC Drawing

MacGregor’s Honeyeater (Macgregoria pulchra) – changed to Macgregor’s Honeyeater

Macgregor’s Honeyeater (Macgregoria pulchra) IBC

Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) by Ian

Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) by Ian

Southern Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) – changed to Golden Grosbeak  (previously Golden-bellied Grosbeak)

Golden Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysogaster) by Ian

Mexican Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysopeplus) ©WikiC

Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysopeplus) ©WikiC

Mexican Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysopeplus)  – changed to Yellow Grosbeak

Yellow Grosbeak (Pheucticus chrysopeplus) ©WikiC

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The new IOC 4.3 Version now has 10,534 extant (living) species and 150 extinct species of birds of the world (Version 4.3), with subspecies (20,999) and annotations. They have added several new families and deleted one. Plus they have rearranged several families. Stay tuned as I work on it behind the scenes.

(WordPress is still not back to where it was, which is making it difficult to work on this update.)

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Birds of the World – Laughingthrush and Allies

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Red-tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei) and Black-throated Laughingthrush by Lee at Zoo Miami

Red-tailed Laughingthrush and Black-throated Laughingthrush by Lee at Zoo Miami

A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; (Ecclesiastes 3:4 NKJV)

Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. (Luke 6:21 NKJV)

I trust you enjoyed seeing the Laughingthrush – Leiothrichidae family in the Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush article. From my first encounter with them, they have been a delight to watch. We have only seen them in Zoos, because they live in Southeast Asia and Indian Subcontinent.

(Black and White) Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Lee

(Black and White) Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Lee

The Laughingthrushes are the genus Garrulax and Trochalopteron of the Leiothrichidae family of passerine birds. They primarily occur in tropical Asia. These are rangy, medium-sized landbirds. These birds have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight.

A few, like the Streaked Laughingthrush occur in fairly open habitats, but most are jungle species, difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer.

These are noisy birds, and the characteristic laughing calls are often the best indication that these birds are present. They frequently occur in groups of up to a dozen, and the rainforest species like the Ashy-headed Laughingthrush often occur in the mixed feeding flocks typical of tropical Asian jungle.

They are small to medium sized birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates. (Wikipedia)

The Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor), also known as the Black-and-white Laughingthrush, is a member of the Leiothrichidae family. It is endemic to highland forest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, The laughingthrushes are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. The entire family was previously included in the Timaliidae.

 

From the Life List of All Birds We Have Seen (Not up to date), here are the family members we have seen so far.

Laughingthrushes (Family Leiothrichidae)

White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) by Lee Miami WA

White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) by Lee Miami WA

FUN FACT – White-crested Laughing Thrushes are noisy, social birds who occasionally burst into loud calls that sound just like laughter. (National Aviary)

White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) MZ NA WA

Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Dan at Wing of Asia ZM

Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Dan at Wing of Asia ZM

Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) WA by Dan

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

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Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis) ProofShot

Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis) ProofShot – Zoo Miami by Lee

Black-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax chinensis) WA by Lee

Spotted Laughingthrush (Garrulax ocellatus) WA

Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush (Garrulax mitratus) WA

(Spectacled) Red-winged Laughingthrush (Garrulax formosus) WA

Red-tailed Laughingthrush by Dan at Wings of Asia Zoo Miami

Red-tailed Laughingthrush by Dan at Wings of Asia Zoo Miami

Red-tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei) WA by Dan

Red-faced Liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) Proof shot by Lee Riverbanks Zoo

Red-faced Liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) Proof shot by Lee Riverbanks Zoo

Red-faced Liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea) WA RZ by Lee

Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) by Dan's Pix at National Aviary

Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) by Dan’s Pix at National Aviary

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Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush

Laughingthrushes (Family Leiothrichidae)

Life List of All Birds We Have Seen

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“Horn” Birds

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Hornbill Friarbird (Philemon yorki) by Tom Tarrant

Hornbill Friarbird (Philemon yorki) by Tom Tarrant

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalms 18:2 KJV)

The Sunday Inspiration this week was about Hornbills. That put me to wondering what other birds have “Horn” in their name. So, let’s see what is listed in the IOC’s List of Birds, which is what this blog uses:

The first thing I found is a Hornbill Friarbird (Philemon yorki), formerly (Philemon buceroides yorki), is one of the newer splits. It was a subspecies of the Helmeted Friarbird (Philemon buceroides). In fact, Wikipedia doesn’t even cover it yet, but others do.

Call from xeno-canto by Marc Anderson

Next I sorted my IOC List of names alphabetically by first name of birds. Here is what I found:

Hornby’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi)
Horned Coot (Fulica cornuta)
Horned Curassow (Pauxi unicornis)
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
Horned Guan (Oreophasis derbianus)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus)
Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata)
Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta)
Horned Sungem (Heliactin bilophus)

I know there is a Great Horned Owl, so I guess I need to sort some more.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Lesser Horned Owl (Bubo magellanicus)
Scarlet-horned Manakin (Dixiphia cornuta)
Hornby’s Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma hornbyi)
Lesser Hornero (Furnarius minor)
Band-tailed Hornero (Furnarius figulus)
Pale-legged Hornero (Furnarius leucopus)
Pacific Hornero (Furnarius cinnamomeus)
Caribbean Hornero (Furnarius longirostris)
Bay Hornero (FurRufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)
Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus)
Crested Hornero (Furnarius cristatus)

Trust you don’t mind finding out this information. When we stop being curious, we stagnate. Besides, the Lord has made so many birds out there for us to find, 10,530 at the time, this is a way to discover a few more of them. I found some “Thornbirds”, but will save that for another time. Also, birds do not have horns, but rather tufts of feathers that stick up like horns.

The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22 KJV)

Also he (Solomon) spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. (1 Kings 4:33 NKJV)

 

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Birds of the World

Sunday Inspiration – Hornbills

Other Sunday Inspirations

Good News Tracts

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Picture Story – Coppersmith Barbet (Observations) – Re-post

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Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) ©One Happy Birder

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) ©One Happy Birder

According to studies, January to June is usually the breeding season of Coppersmith Barbets found in the Indian Subcontinent. I had seen a courtship display of this species last year where the female waited patiently for the male, the male kept returning to the female with food in its beak, the male used to puff himself up, start flapping its wings and then feed the female displaying his affection to her, and then the eventually they would mate.

Recently, I observed two Coppersmith Barbets indulge in an activity which looked…. Picture Story- Coppersmith Barbet (Observations).

Lee’s Addition:

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6 KJV)

The article goes on to describe this behavior as “a term ‘allobilling’ trying to find out what this behavior meant. From what i read, ‘allobilling’ is mutual mouthing between two birds.”

This mouthing is what caught my interest as a Christian. What kind of “mouthing” are we doing?

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! (Proverbs 15:23 KJV)

Coppersmith Barbets are members of the Megalaimidae – Asian Barbets Family.

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Latest Wood Stork Encounter

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Wood Stork at Lake Morton by Lee

Wood Stork at Lake Morton by Lee

I know all the birds of the mountains (and Lake Morton) , And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. (Psalms 50:11 NKJV)

We finally had a chance to take a short birdwatching adventure to Lake Morton over in Lakeland. I have been battling a cold and cough for the last three weeks. Our trips to Lake Morton don’t require much walking and it is one of the few places that people feed the birds.

When someone parks their car, before they can get across the street, the birds start walking towards them. Needless to say, the birds are expecting something.

Wood Stork up close by Lee at Lake Morton

Wood Stork up close by Lee at Lake Morton

As I was walking across the street, here they came; Wood Stork in the lead because of its long legs, White Ibises next, followed by the waddling shorter legged birds – Mute Swans, Mallards, Muscovy Duck and then the fly-ins – Boat-tailed Grackles and the Gulls. The Wood Stork met me at the curb.

Of course when you have a treat for them, you become the “Pied Piper.” Apparently, someone must have recently fed them, because they were gathered loosely together. Once I got to the table and sat down, the group gathered around. I was enjoying them so much, I didn’t take many photos then.

White Ibis on Table by Lee

American White Ibis on Table by Lee

Once the food gave out, of which I didn’t have much to begin with, they moseyed off to rest in the shade until the next visitor with a bag of goodies came. One White Ibis hopped upon the table behind me, but too late because the bag was empty. Took its photo, but it was almost too close.

Woodstork & Lee by Dan at Lake Morton

Woodstork & Lee by Dan at Lake Morton

One of the resident Wood Storks walked up in front of me and stood there. I reassured him that I had nothing else, but he (or she) just stayed there. I started talking to it, motioned to come closer, and it did. I could have reached out and touched the Wood Stork, but chose not to with that long beak. Have you ever heard a Wood Stork’s beak “snap” when it grabs food? It is loud. No, I like my fingers!

Wood Stork close-up by Lee at Lake Morton

Wood Stork close-up by Lee at Lake Morton

We sat face to face for about 4 minutes of so; me talking and him just standing there looking at me.

Even though they are “ugly,” they are really neat. Have you ever seen a Wood Stork in the air? They are so beautiful and graceful, but up this close? I assured him that the Lord had created him and that He makes no mistakes.

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Psalms 147:5 NKJV)

Wood Stork flying over Lake Morton by Lee 2009

Wood Stork flying over Lake Morton by Lee 2009

 The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s? (Job 39:13 NKJV)

Wood Storks belong to the Ciconiidae – Storks Family and are also one of our Birds of the Bible.

Oh, I almost forgot. Since the Wood Stork was so close, I took a close up of its feet.

Wood Stork's Feet by Lee

Wood Stork’s Feet by Lee

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Birds of Spain – Vimeo

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Pallid Swift, Apus pallidus, in flight over Tarifa, Spain ©WikiC

Pallid Swift, Apus pallidus, in flight over Tarifa, Spain ©WikiC

Thought you might enjoy a video of the birds that make Spain their home. Paul wanted to journey to Spain. These type of birds would have greeted him. Also, my good friends, Tim and Pam, are missionaries there.

whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while….  Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain.  (Romans 15:24,28 NKJV)

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Birds of the World

Wordless Birds

Vimeo – The birds of Spain from Wildglimpses

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