Category Archives: Birds

The Old Man and the Ibises

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White Ibises

White Ibises at the park by Lee

The Old Man and the Ibises

by Emma Foster

Once there was a little boy who had short brown hair and was kind of short for his age. Every week, his parents would take him to a small park by a big lake.

When they arrived, the little boy fed  the ibises bread and talked to them about how he was about to start school. The ibises ate as much bread as they could hold and decided they liked hearing the little boy talk.

Several years passed and the little boy became a teenager. He started having problems with his grades. After failing another math test, the boy drove down to the park with some bread. Watching the ibises fly over and eat the bread made the boy feel a lot better and the ibises listened patiently as he told them all about how he could not get his grades to improve.

Eventually the teenage boy became a man and got married. The ibises started to multiply. A few years later, the man brought his children to the park. The ibises did the same. The man and his wife watched as their kids fed the ibises and as the ibises showed their children how to eat the bread with them. The man also taught his children how to talk to them.

White Ibis on Table by Lee

White Ibis on Table Listening by Lee

Many years passed and all the man’s children grew up and moved away. The man grew old, but he still drove to the park every week to feed the ibises.

Finally, one day, the old man grew too old to drive. He took one last drive to the park however. The ibises came as usual. The old man told the ibises that he wouldn’t be able to come and see them anymore because he couldn’t drive much longer. The ibises were very sad when they heard this statement. As the old man drove home, the ibises decided to fly after his car and follow him home. Soon there was a great flock of birds following the old man’s car.

The next day the old man opened his front door to get the mail and found the flock of ibises. The old man was very happy about the ibises coming to his house every day. From that day on, the ibises flew to the old man’s’ house so he could feed them bread.

American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) 1st Birds of 2014 by Lee

American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) coming to the yard by Lee

The End

Lee’s Addition:

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; (Colossians 3:12 KJV)

Emma has written another fine Bird Tale for us. It is enjoyable to watch as she is developing her writing skills. Each tale is better than the one before. This one is very heart touching. (Maybe it meant a lot because I wonder if the birds will come “people-watching” here when I can no longer go watch them.)

A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 KJV)

To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, (Psalms 92:2 KJV)

There is much friendliness and kindness shown in this story.

More Bird Tales by Emma Foster

Other Bird Tales

Wordless Birds

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Tickle Me Tuesday – Bird of Paradise

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Greater Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea apoda) ©© captive

Greater Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea apoda) ©© captive

A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13 AMP)

Sandra Connor has again come out with a challenge. This time she is calling it “Tickle Me Tuesday,” so here is my first attempt.

This video is of Attenborough trying to film a sequence about a Greater Bird of Paradise. The bird keeps stealing the script and writing his own. It is a series of takes where the bird shows off and quiets David. From BBC.

Bird interrupts David Attenborough – Attenborough’s Paradise Birds – BBC Two

A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 AMP)

If you would like to take up the challenge, check out Sandra’s page, or you can leave a comment here with a link to your “Tickle” article. Or Both!

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“Tickle Me Tuesday,” Challenge by Sandra Connor

Wages or a Gift

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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Common/Black-billed Magpie

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Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Common/Black-billed Magpie ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter ~ 2/9/2015

The Australian Magpie of last week generated quite some interesting correspondence, about both it being an iconic species and bird names and their derivation. I also got a request for a BotW on Butcherbirds, which I’ll do soon, but in the meantime here is the original Magpie of the the Northern Hemisphere. It is, incidentally, on the Australian list, a record from Port Hedland in May 2007 having been accepted by the rarities committee. This species is quite sedentary, the nearest place it occurs naturally is China and Port Hedland is an iron ore port so you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out how it got there.

This, unlike the Australian Magpie, is a member of the crow family, Corvidae, and I think you’ll agree that the resemblance between the two species is fairly superficial, not that that ever got in the way of names. The Common or Black-billed Magpie – I’ll get back inevitably to names shortly – has beautifully iridescent wings and tail which can appear blue or green under different lighting conditions, which tells us that the colour is due to the prismatic microscopic structure of the feather rather than coloured pigment. The first photo shows one on a garden wall in suburban Dublin.

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) by IanThe second one was taken in Catalonia at the Northern Goshawk site. Like their cousins the Common Ravens the Magpies were quite brazen and prepared to steal a morsel of food from under the noses of much larger raptors. Also like the Ravens and unlike the raptors, the Magpies noticed the sound of the camera shutter and you can see this one peering warily at the hide. This photo shows the extremely wedged-shaped tail, which is very obvious in flight. The third photo shows a juvenile one in Ireland, very similar to the adult plumage but it still has the slightly swollen gape of a very young bird and, maybe I’m imagining it, an atypically innocent expression.

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) by IanCommon Magpies are iconic too, and as kids in Ireland we attached great significance to the number seen together, according to the nursery rhyme ‘One for sorrow, Two for joy …’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_Sorrow_(nursery_rhyme). Magpies, and other crows, have long been considered birds of ill-omen.

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) by IanBack then, we called them just ‘Magpies’. In later decades, I became aware that, like The Kittiwake and for similar reasons, it acquired a coloured qualification ‘Black-billed’. In the case of the Kittiwake this was to distinguish the black-legged Eurasian one from the Red-legged Kittiwake of the eastern Bering Sea; in the case of the Magpie, it was because of the Yellow-billed Magpie of California, fifth photo, having a very restricted range that overlaps with the much more widespread Black-billed Magpie (fourth photo). The fifth photo, incidentally gives a good idea what the very similar Common/Black-billed Magpie looks like in flight and the white patches on the wing are very striking.

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) by Ian

Plus ça change … as they say. I discovered while researching this BotW that Handbook of Birds of the World (HBW) and Birdlife International have accepted the split of the Black-billed/Common into three species: the Common Magpie (Pica pica) of Eurasia, the Black-billed Magpie of North America (Pica hudsonii) – fourth photo – and the Arabian Magpie (Pica asirensis), restricted to a tiny range in SW Saudi Arabia. So the European bird is back to where it started from.

I’m losing patience with avian taxonomists. Molecular studies over the past thirty years have led to countless changes in classification and naming, and not just at the species level. The 2014 HBW Checklist of Birds of the World, volume 1 (non-passerines) has many changes at every level up to order. I’ll repeat what I’ve said before that Linnaeus – he who tried to impose order on chaos – must be turning in his grave. Maybe he is just laughing, and perhaps that’s the right approach.

I used to think what the latest taxonomists said – starting with Sibley and Monroe in 1990 – was the gospel truth and a huge advance in our understanding. I don’t think that anymore! Here is a quote from Birdlife International on the fate of the Rainbow and Red-collared Lorikeets: Trichoglossus haematodus, … T. rubritorquis… (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) were previously lumped as T. haematodus following Christidis and Boles (1994), and before then were split as T. haematodus and T. rubritorquis following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993): Lump, split, lump, split!

On a lighter note, I’m giving a talk on ‘Australia: Land of Parrots?’ at the BirdLife Townsville AGM next Saturday 14 February at 2:00pm in the Sound Shell meeting room at Thuringowa. If you’re a local, and even if you’re not, it would be great to see you there. The talk is about parrot diversity and bio-geography – all the Gondwanaland stuff.

Greetings
Ian

**************************************************
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/

Lee’s Addition:

I know and am acquainted with all the birds of the mountains, and the wild animals of the field are Mine and are with Me, in My mind. (Psalms 50:11 AMP)

Ha! Ha! Ha! Thanks Ian for saying what I have been feeling. Sounds like we both agree on all the renaming, splitting, re-shuffling and “Lump, split, lump, split!” (Birds, People and DNA) 

The Magpies above are neat and I especially like that expression of the juvenile one. He (or she) still has the gape of an immature bird.

The Corvidae Family Crows, Jays, Ravens is where you will find the Magpies placed. (at this time). There are 130 members that make up this family.

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Designed for Flight – Creation Moments TV

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An eagle fishing

An eagle fishing

For thus says the LORD: “Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle And spread out his wings against Moab. (Jeremiah 48:40 NASB)

Creation Moments articles have been used here many times. Now they have a YouTube Channel called Creation Moments TV.

While checking out their new videos, I found this one about birds and thought you might enjoy seeing it. Watching instead of reading is more enjoyable at times. Though reading is still good for us or else those of us who do blogs would be out of business.

God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 NASB)

Peacock at Magnolia Plantation by Dan

Peacock at Magnolia Plantation by Dan

Creation Moments TV

Interesting Things from Creation Moments

When I Consider

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Strawberry (Red-faced) Mousebird – Urocolius Indicus

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Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus) ©Our Rumbling Ocean

Red-faced Mousebird (Urocolius indicus) ©Our Rumbling Ocean

Red-faced Mousebird

Endemic to Africa, about the size of a normal sparrow, crested head and beautiful cinnamon colored breast and strawberry red mask and bill. They are especially beautiful in the early morning sun. Their general body color is blue-grey or slate-ish.

With its long tail, about the same length as the body, they look like mice when they climb around in trees, therefore the name. Their outside toes are reversed to allow them to do just that, moving forward and backward as they climb around in the trees. They are more nervous of people than especially the Speckled Mousebird, which we have done before….. (To see the rest of the article – click here)

Lee’s Addition:

The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: … (Nahum 2:3a KJV)

Strawberry (Red-faced) Mousebird – Urocolius Indicus is re-blogged and was written on one of the blogs I follow, Our Rumbling Ocean. It is produced in South Africa.

Anyway, I wanted to share these beautiful Mousebirds with you.

Mousebirds are members of the Mousebirds – Coliidae Family and consist of only six species. And, no, the plural of Mousebird is not “Micebirds.”

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Our Rumbling Ocean

Mousebirds – Coliidae Family

Birds of the World

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Live Cams from All About Birds

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Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) by Bob-Nan

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) by Bob-Nan

The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, (Deuteronomy 14:16 KJV)

There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate. (Isaiah 34:15 KJV)

Are you aware of the Live Cameras that All About Birds are sharing? They are very interesting to watch. The latest that was shared with me is a Great Horned Owl nest Cam in Savannah, GA.

Take a look”

Here is a link that shows more about the Great Horned Owls there.

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/46/Great_Horned_Owls/

How about some Laysan Albatross nest in Hawaii?

Here is there link for the Albatross.

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/

Aren’t these amazing? It is alway great to watch the Lord’s amazing creations, but to get to see them at the nest or at feeders is neat with today’s technology.

If you would like to see all the current Cams from All About Birds click this link. Not all the camera are operating all the time, but this page will help you find the live one as the current time.

http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/all-cams/

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Birds of the Bible – Owls

Strigidae – Owls

Diomedeidae – Albatrosses Family

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Birds, People and DNA

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Flamingo by Dan' at Flamingo Gardens

Flamingo by Dan at Flamingo Gardens

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. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:21-22 NKJV)

Recently, I have been interested in genealogy. I have been working on our ancestry while staying home since I have been “under the weather.” It is really fun and exciting finding out about my previous generations. It also can be time-consuming and addictive, if you let it.

I can only imagine how those that are working on the DNA of our avian friends feel. If you have been following this blog very long, you know that I keep updating my Birds of the World when a new version comes out. When the Ver. 4.2 came out I.O.C. Version 4.2 Updated, I wrote this:

“They (the birds) are still doing as commanded by the Lord to reproduce and keeping the ornithologist busy naming, renaming, and rearranging them.

This time they renamed one and moved it to a new family just for it. The Spotted Wren-Babbler (Spelaeornis formosus) was in the Timaliidae Family. It has been renamed the Spotted Elachura (Elachura formosa) and placed in its own Elachuridae Family. (I do not have permission yet to post a photo.)

Version 4.2 also took the Lark Family and tossed it up in the air and rearranged it. See the Alaudidae – Larks Family. The DNA researches are keeping them busy keeping up with how the birds bred. Some of the scientific names were changed:”

Tawny-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus mexicanus) by Michael Woodruff

Tawny-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus mexicanus) by Michael Woodruff

Maybe the DNA Bird Researchers could hire this Leaftosser to help them out. Not sure if the next version coming out soon will toss another family up in the air or not.

Of course, we believe that God created these beautiful, and not so beautiful, birds and not by evolution over millions of years. Yes, they did inter-breed over the years and you have different looks and songs within the families. But they are still birds and the Lord has wonderfully made DNA that helps trace that.

Today, you can trace your own ancestors through DNA. I don’t understand much about it, but what I do know is this:

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)

Here are some interesting articles that do discuss DNA from a Christian Perspective:

(From this article) But nowhere does the Bible say that species cannot change! Instead, it seems that they would have to change—within the limits of their own interbreeding kind—in order to fulfill God’s command in Genesis 1 for His living creatures to fill the earth and its many changing environments.

Darwin insisted that animals slowly change between kinds. In contrast, seedeater birds have shown that they rapidly changed within their kind. Despite Campagna’s touting of Darwin’s “accomplishments,” these birds display programmed variation, not evolution.

Marsh Seedeater (Sporophila palustris) ©WikiC

Marsh Seedeater (Sporophila palustris) ©WikiC

Good News
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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Australian Magpie

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Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

National days are occasions in which icons play a big, maybe dominant or even overpowering role, and Australia’s, January 26th, is no exception. So here is the Australian Magpie. It’s not strictly a Magpie in the Northern Hemisphere sense and it’s not strictly Australian, as it also occurs naturally in southern Papua New Guinea and has been introduced to both the main islands of New Zealand.

It is, however, certainly iconic, and not just in the sense of something that is typical of Australia. It was incorporated in various South Australian insignia just after Federation, and features “displayed proper” against the risen sun of federation. All six state coat of arms were incorporated into the Australian coat of arms in 1912, so the magpie, along with the Black Swan of Western Australia, made it to the national coat of arms. The bird referred to in the original South Australian design documents is called the “Piping Shrike” but the Australian Magpie has had various names including “Piping Crow-shrike” (Charles Sturt, explorer, 1840).

Australian National Coat of Arms

There are several races of the Magpie and I thought it would be easy to describe and illustrate them as part of this bird of the week. In fact, the descriptions, delineations and ranges of the various races are both messy and vague so I’ve settled for three easily recognised categories based on the colouration of their backs between the universally white (or pale grey) nape and rump: Black-backed, White-backed and Western.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

The Black-backed group, first and second photos, is the most widespread occurring everywhere except in SW Western Australia and SE Australia and Tasmania. The nominate race ‘tibicen’ of eastern Australia is Black-backed and the name is derived from the Latin for ‘trumpeter’: tubicen. Male and female Black-backed have similar patterning except that the females have greyish tinge to the white and the black is less intense.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

The familiar Magpie of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia is the White-backed. The bird in the third photo is a male, while the one in the fourth photo is a female. The grey tinge and scalloping on her nape and back is quite obvious.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

The male of the Western Magpie in SW Western Australia is like the male White-backed. The female, however, has very dark scalloping on the back to the point where it is almost black, fifth photo.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

Australian Magpies have group territories with the group varying in size from a pair of adults to several adults and juveniles of varying ages. Usually only one pair in the group actually nests with the female doing the nest-building and most of the incubation. The young are fed by the female, often with help from her male partner and sometimes from other group members. Magpies can be aggressive towards people near the nest, and many Australians can recount stories of being attacked when cycling to or from school. Juveniles have greyish rather than black plumage, like the juvenile Black-backed in the sixth photo.

Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) by Ian

Australian Magpies, and their close relatives the Butcherbirds, are candidates for being the finest song birds in Australia. The Magpie has a varied and complex repertoire and is well-known for its flute-like choruses by a pair or group. It is usually started by the senior male or female in the group with other members, including juveniles, joining in. Less intense warbling songs are done by individuals, often for long periods, contain elements of the choral singing and mimicry. The New Zealand Poet, Denis Glover, in his best known poem, The Magpies, rendered the song as ‘and Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle/The magpies said’.

The flute-like quality of the voice features in various European names for the Australian Magpie: Cassican flûteur (F), Flötenvogel (G) and Verdugo Flautista (Sp). I think the Germans have got it right with their Fluting-bird – much better than naming it after some unrelated Northern Hemisphere bird that it vaguely resembles. Maybe we should launch a new name for it next Australia Day. Now that would be a fitting Australia Day honour.

Greetings
Ian

**************************************************
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/
Where to Find Birds in Northern Queensland:  iTunes; Google Play Kobo Books
Recorder Society http://www.nqrs.org.au

Lee’s Addition:

He (Solomon) spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. (1 Kings 4:33 NASB)

Ian, thanks again for sharing your Magpies from Australia. Seeing that he travels all around, he gets to see these different Magpies as he goes off on his birdwatching adventures. Their expressions give a look of intelligence to them.

Check out:

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Sunday Inspiration – More Amazing Birds

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Rufous-capped Spinetail (Synallaxis ruficapilla) by Dario Sanches

Rufous-capped Spinetail (Synallaxis ruficapilla) by Dario Sanches

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. (Luke 1:49 KJV)

Our Creator has given us so many birds to enjoy, that it is hard to pick them. So, today as you listen to another arrangement from Pastor Jerry’s special night a few weeks ago, you can view another slideshow of mixed avian friends. These are from the first four bird families, taxonomically, in the Passeriformes Order (Songbirds).

Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: (Jeremiah 32:17-19 KJV)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Click to listen:

“Jesus What A Might Name” – Pastor Jerry Smith w/Choir and Orchestra

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)

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Birds of the World
Passeriformes Order
Acanthisittidae – New Zealand Wrens
Eurylaimidae – Broadbills
Pittidae – Pittas
Furnariidae – Ovenbirds

Good News

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Photos by Michael Woodruff

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Red-breasted X Red-naped Sapsucker By Michael Woodruff

Red-breasted X Red-naped Sapsucker By Michael Woodruff

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19 NKJV)

Thought I would share some of Michael Woodruff’s latest photos. He has been giving me permission to use his great photos for several years. The Lord created these birds and Michael has a great way of capturing their images for us to enjoy. Thanks, Michael.

Painted Redstart by Michael Woodruff

Painted Redstart by Michael Woodruff

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

And since we haven’t been on any birdwatching trips yet this year, you can enjoy photos from others. His Flickr photos can be see at:

Tropical Kingbird By Michael Woodruff

Tropical Kingbird By Michael Woodruff

Click to see Michael’s Pictures:

Michael Woodruff

Red-masked Parakeet by Michael Woodruff

Red-masked Parakeet by Michael Woodruff

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” (Genesis 1:20 NKJV)

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Here are some articles where Michael’s photos have been used:

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I’m Little but…..

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Squirrel at a park in Daytona

Squirrel at a park in Daytona

Thought you might enjoy this sent to me by a friend. Not sure how it was done, but National Geographic was involved.

A couple of verses come to mind:

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV)

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV)

If he watches out for these two, how much more does God watch out for us?

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Wordless Birds

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