Category Archives: Birds

Birds of the Bible – Leaving the Ark

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Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) by Ian

Wompoo Fruit-Dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) by Ian

In my reading this week, I read something that I had overlooked before. We know that the animals, birds and all critters came to Noah two by two to be placed in the safety of the Ark.

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. (Genesis 6:19-20 KJV)

We have written about that before in Birds of the Bible – Foundation #3 when the critters went in and Foundation #4 when they came off. What I discovered is that the attitudes or instincts of them changed when they came off.

Noah let the Raven out and it didn’t come back, but the dove did because it didn’t find a resting place for it’s feet.

But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. (Genesis 8:9 ESV)

Then 7 days later Noah let the dove out again and this time returned with an olive leaf.

He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. (Genesis 8:10-11 ESV)

Some commentators had this to say:

Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Nikhil

Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) by Nikhil

“then he put forth his hand and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark: she hovered about it, and got near the window, which Noah opened and took her in; which may represent the gracious reception sensible souls meet with from Christ, who apply to him; he kindly embraces them, and they find room in his heart and affections, fullness of everything they want, and security from all danger.” (Gill)

“And as Noah put forth his hand, and took the dove, and pulled her in to him, into the ark, so Christ will graciously preserve, and help, and welcome, those that fly to him for rest.” (Matthew Henry)

What I noticed and believe is that the Dove did not fear Noah and allowed itself to be brought back in twice. The dove returned needing shelter, but also not wary of the humans on board. This lack of fear demonstrated by the dove may help explain why the animals, birds and other critters had no problem coming to Noah to be loaded on board the Ark in the first place. Of course, God brought them there, as we know, but the lack of fear may have made it easier for them to get them in.

Now, watch what happens in Genesis 9:1-3:

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. (Genesis 9:1-3 ESV)

Right there that lack of fear ended.

Today, those of us who love to go bird or critter watching know about that fear they have of us. Because of that fear, they are able to steer clear of being trapped, caged, or eaten. Do we fear satan enough that we steer clear of his traps, cages, and falling prey to him?

To me it is amazing that no matter how many times we read over a passage of Scripture, the Lord allows us see new things to help us grow and appreciate our Creator and Savior even more. Never tire of re-reading a passage of God’s Word. His Word is alive just as He is.

Thick-billed Murre – Did GOD Create Us To Fall?

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Thick-billed Murre – Did GOD create us to fall? – by A J Mithra

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) by Ian

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) by Ian

Thick-billed Murres are unique birds..
They are flightless but their swimming migration may span enormous distances when these birds probably swim 1600 km (1000 miles) and they can dive as deep as 100 meters…

The deepest recorded dive of a Thick-billed Murre reached a depth of 210 metres (690 feet). The birds can move at a speed of 2 metres per second (6.5 feet) under water. Diving birds can stay under water for up to three minutes.

Read more at Suite101: The Thick-billed Murre, Arctic Auk: Northern Penguin-like Bird of Sea Cliffs and Continental Shelves

Most of their life is spent on water…

It is only for breeding that they come return to the shore where they lay their eggs on a rock or on the edge of a cliff, without building a nest. The interesting part is their eggs are designed not to roll when disturbed…

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) with egg by Ian

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) with egg by Ian

GOD not only takes care of the birds, but,
HE also takes care of its eggs….

HE knows that these birds spend all their lives on water, and so HE designed its eggs to stay still even at the edge of a cliff…

If GOD can care so much for little birds, will HE not care for you?

Did HE not created you in HIS image?
GOD did not create us to fall but, to stand high above the others..

HE not only cares for you but,HE also cares for your future…

HE wants to see the world through you that’s why HE calls you as
THE APPLE OF HIS EYE..
HE wants to work through you, that’s why HE has

CARVED YOU IN HIS PALM..

CHEER UP FOR YOU ARE UNIQUE…

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:29)

Have a blessed day!

Yours in YESHUA,
A J Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

Lee’s Addition:

The Thick-billed Murre is in the Alcidae – Auks Family of the Charadriiformes Order
See Also:
When I Consider! – Guillemot (In the same family as Murres)

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Interesting Things! – Techy Ants

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SmileyCentral.com

High-Tech Ants

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

Ant - Wikipedia

Ant - Wikipedia

Why do ants like electricity and why can they sense microwaves? If evolution were true, how would ants evolve a love for electricity in only the short time that man has been producing it? For what purpose would they have evolved the ability to sense microwave radiation long before man was using it?

It has been well established that ants like to build their nests around electrical equipment. They are often found around electrical meters. They are famous for building their nests around airport runway lights. They seem to be particularly fond of electrical relays. No one knows why. Now we learn that unlike any other multicelled creatures, they can survive inside a running microwave oven, perhaps enjoying your food as it cooks! How can they do this? It seems that ants can detect the invisible wave pattern of microwaves inside the oven. These patterns leave some areas of the oven low in microwave radiation while other areas are high in radiation. Ants simply avoid those areas where the radiation is strong enough to kill them. Incidentally, you can see these patterns by lining the tray on the floor of your microwave oven with marshmallows. You will notice that some will become very cooked while others are barely touched by the microwaves.

If evolution were true, how would ants develop the ability to deal successfully with conditions that did not exist? It makes more sense to conclude that our Creator, Who knows the future, made the ants as He did for reasons we still must discover.

References: Science Frontiers, 1-2/00, p. 2, “Ants Like Microwaves.”
©2010 Creation Moments, Inc.

Interesting Things – Increasingly Tangled Tree of Life

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SmileyCentral.com

The Increasingly Tangled Tree of Life

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. (John 1:3)

Researchers studying genetics have concluded that the evolutionary tree of life does not reflect the facts of biochemistry.

By the 1960s, biochemists had concluded that living things could be grouped into two distinct types based on their basic structures and genetic information. Eukaryotes have one or more cells and a true nucleus. Prokaryotes have smaller cells with no true nucleus. They are so different from eukaryotes that researchers concluded that they must have developed separately from non living matter. By the late 1970s, a third type of life was recognized – the archaea. Archaea favor extreme environments such as undersea vents. Their biochemistry is unlike prokaryotes or eukaryotes. According to evolutionists, life may have had to develop from non-living material three times. Further, to explain the biochemistry of these three types of creatures, biochemists have to assume that at points these separate types had to exchange genetic material with each other, and with a fourth, unknown and extinct type of living thing!

One logical conclusion of this new evolutionary approach is that life had to arise from non-life many times. Yet, modern biochemistry still has not explained how life could arise from non-life even once. However, this is exactly the pattern we might expect if all living things are the product of a wise Creator Who used similar designs to solve similar problems.

References: Scientific American, 2/00, pp. 90-95, “Uprooting the Tree of Life.”
©2008 Creation Moments, Inc.

Listen to article – Click Here

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Chief Corner Stone’s Keystone

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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – Chief Corner Stone’s Keystone – By A J Mithra

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Daves BirdingPix

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Daves BirdingPix

Although most non-birders believe that the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a fictitious bird created just for the humorous name, in fact it is a widespread species of small woodpecker.
Its habit of making shallow holes in trees to get sap is exploited by other bird species, and the sapsucker can be considered a “keystone” species, one whose existence is vital for the maintenance of a community.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker frequently uses human-produced materials to help
in its territorial drumming. Street signs and metal chimney flashing amplify the irregular tapping of a territorial sapsucker.
The sapsucker seems to suffer no ill effects of whacking its bill on metal,
and a bird will return to a favorite sign day after day to pound out
its Morse code-like message.

How much effort do we take to share the message of hope to the hopeless?
How many souls do we touch each day?
These birds don’t seem to bother if, others are listening to its message or not…
It still returns each day to pound out its Morse code-like message…
Are we really taking any effort to pound out the message of Love which
JESUS showed on the Cross of Calvary?

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Kent Nickell

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) by Kent Nickell

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is the only woodpecker in eastern North America that is completely migratory. Although a few individuals remain throughout much of the winter in the southern part of the breeding range, most head farther south, going as far south as Panama. Females tend to migrate farther south than do males. These birds migrate to the Southeastern United States, West Indies and Central America, leaving their summer range. This species has occurred as a very rare vagrant to Ireland and Great Britain.

As the name implies, Sapsuckers drill a series of wells in trees and drink the sap that oozes forth. Forages for insects by gleaning, probing, prying, tapping, and fly catching. Drills series of shallow holes in bark of tree, licks up sap.
They breed in young forests and along streams, especially in aspen and birch.
Winters in variety of forests, especially semi open woods…
They are often quite important ecologically for a given habitat, as several other animal species use sapsucker wells for feeding.

Isaac dug well after well, and the herdsmen of Gerar took it from him…
This incident is found in the book of Genesis 26 : 15 to 22 …
Did someone take possession of your blessings?
Just leave it for GOD to intervene and start digging another well..

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands (1 Samuel 17:47)

Early in the spring the sapsucker tests many trees around its selected nesting site by making sample drillings before selecting ones it prefers. These trees, because of quantity or sugar content of the sap, are visited several times a day for the rest of the season and sometimes are used as a food source for several years.

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him (Psalms 34:8)
How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalm 119:103)

In commercial forests or orchards, favorite feeding trees of the sapsucker are left untreated, so that the birds will concentrate their feeding activities on these favorite trees, which in turn often protects nearby trees from serious injury…

JESUS, the Tree of Life, knew that satan is after us to drill holes of sorrow and holes of hurt, holes of poverty and holes of doubts and suck the life out of us so that we would die of sin than live life eternal..
That is the reason that, JESUS planted HIMSELF beside us on the cross to save us from destruction…

And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. ( 2 Corinthians 5:15)

LORD JESUS….
How great thou art, how great thou art….

Have a blessed day!

Your’s in YESHUA,
A J Mithra

Please visit us at:  Crosstree

Sapsuckers are part of the Picidae – Woodpeckers Family of the Piciformes Order.

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Atlantic Puffin – The Deep Sea-Diver

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Atlantic Puffin – The Deep Sea-Diver – by A J Mithra

Dubbed “sea parrots” as well as “clowns of the sea,”
Atlantic puffins sport large, brightly-colored beaks on their substantially-sized heads.

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Bob-Nan

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Bob-Nan

Crisp black and white markings on their plumage, as well as superior diving capabilities, have led people to compare the northern seabirds to penguins. It is brilliant in coloration during the summer months, but tends to fade to a deep or olive colored gray during the winter, and bloom like a flower to the same bright colors in the spring. Scientists believe that it might be part of the mating attraction, and helps them to get a mate, since it changes with the seasons.

The bright beaked Atlantic Puffin stay at sea most of their life, and when they are not swimming they ride the waves like a surfboard. They are excellent swimmers, using their wings to stroke the water with a flying motion to propel them along. They have large feet that they use to steer, rather like the rudders on a boat

GOD had created these Birds to surf over the waves…
But, GOD has called us to walk over storm and walk through fire…
We have a GOD who can steer us troubled waters….

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Isaiah 43:2)

They can dive down to depths of 200 feet or more usually stay underwater for only 20 or 30 seconds to get a meal of small fishes like herring or sand eels. Puffins primarily eat fish, particularly female Capelin, but will also eat crustaceans and squid.

These birds have to dive deep; else they may have starve, because, their favorite food is deep below the sea… Most of us love to pick up shells rather than go deep into the sea and collect pearls,

Is that the reason why, we always prefer to stand by the Living Water, instead of diving deep down?
The treasures lie deep down the sea and not by the beach…. Isn’t it?

He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. (Psalm 33:7)

Puffins, although they prefer to ride the waves are incredibly fast fliers, and can flap their wings up to 400 times a minute and reach speeds of about 55-60 miles per hours in the air.

Puffins land on the coasts of North America, and in islands to breed every spring and summer.

Iceland is the place where about 60% of all Puffins breed. They choose rocky cliffs or tops of rocky hills to build the nests which are lined with soft feathers and grass. Puffin burrows are 1 to 2 meters deep, often turning at sharp angles to the right, left, up, and down.

How deep have we burrowed to lay the foundation of lives?

He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (Luke 6:48)

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Ian

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Ian

Puffins lay a single egg and rear a single chick each year. The parents take turns sitting on the egg for about 40 days before it hatches. When a chick hatches, its parents take turns feeding it by carrying small fish back to the nest in their bills. Once the chick hatches, the mother and father will take turns bringing it fish to eat several times a day.  To wean their chicks, puffins simply scale back the amount of food they bring them. Once hunger wins out, the chick will journey to the ocean during the night to avoid predators.

Sometimes, GOD will just not answer our prayers, you know why?
HE wants us to conquer new horizons.
GOD could have saved Daniel before he entered the lion’s den.
But, GOD preferred something different and taught the whole mankind, what perseverance is all about…

When you feel that, GOD is not answering your prayers, just know, that you’re going to do what you haven’t done before like Daniel..
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going…

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4: 13)

Puffin couples often reunite at the same burrow site each year and mate again although it is unknown how they know where to go. Some believe they use visual reference points, others the moon or stars for navigation.
Broken marriages, broken relationships and broken families, where are we heading to?
Who navigates out lives? Whom do we consider as our guiding star?

NO JESUS NO PEACE…. KNOW JESUS KNOW PEACE….

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Atlantic puffins have the ability to carry several fish in their beaks at one time. They push the fish to the back of their mouth with their tongue, where ridges at the top of their bill secure the fish in place. This allows puffins to keep their mouth open to catch more fish without losing any in the process. In general, they can hold around ten fishes in their beak at once by holding them in an alternating end to end pattern.

GOD has given us Ten Commandments; how many can be seen in our lives?
Though we don’t carry all those Ten Commandments, are we carrying at least the one that JESUS gave us?

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:39)

Some pairs exhibit a special behavior known as “billing” where the two birds rub their beaks together.
This often draws an excited crowd of other puffins to watch..
What sort of testimony do we have among our friends and family?
Does our life attract people towards CHRIST?

Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. (Malachi 3:16)

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Bob-Nan

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) by Bob-Nan

The chick stays in the burrow until it is able to fly. The young puffin uses a toilet area towards the front of the burrow away from the nest to stay clean. It cannot risk getting its feathers soiled and ruining the waterproof protection they provide.

How clean are we in spirit? What sort of life do we lead on week days?
Most of us come for a spiritual bath to church on Sundays.
Do we consider Church as a spiritual bathroom?

7 DAYS without JESUS makes 1 WEAK…

And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you. (Joshua 3:5)

After 45 days, the chick leaves the burrow and spends 3-5 years at sea learning about feeding places and choosing a mate. In the wild, puffins can live around 20 years. Their main predator is the great black-backed gull, which can capture a puffin mid-flight  or swoop in on a puffin on the ground. Herring gulls are also a threat because they steal puffins’ fish…

Puffins spend their first three years of life out at sea.  They return to land once they reach maturity. Puffins are insulated from the cold by an oily coating on their feathers. Without this coating, they would never survive Atlantic winters..

Are we insulated by the blood of JESUS?
How to get insulated by the blood of JESUS?
Unless one dies for sins and lives with CHRIST and for CHRIST…

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.(John3:4,5)

Your’s in YESHUA,

A J Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

Puffins are in the Alcidae – Auks Family of the Charadriiformes Order

The Eagle – The Loyal Mate..

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The Eagle – The Loyal Mate.. – by A. J. Mithra

Bald eagles are loyal to their mates during their lifetime.
An eagle will usually look for a new mate only if its companion dies.

So many out there still think, that JESUS is a dead god..
Is that the reason why they are on the lookout for a new god?
Well the truth is that, JESUS died for us but, HE rose again from the dead…
And above all, the greatest news is that, HE still lives…
By the way, are we loyal to our Creator?

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have
the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:18)

Together, they build huge nests known as “aeries” atop tall and strong trees.
They make use of twigs, grasses, soft mosses and feathers in making their nests.
They normally go back to their nests during breeding time and add
new materials to it each year.

Bald Eagle Brings Nesting Material by Aesthetic Photos

A new eagle’s nest measures an average of five feet in width and two feet in depth.
However, as their family grows, the nest also becomes larger reaching
more than ten feet wide and heavier.

A pair of Eagles not only builds so big a nest but also extends them every year…
Before we call ourselves as the bride, let us ask ourselves if we are of any help
to JESUS, our Bride groom, in the extension of HIS kingdom?
GOD has called us and chosen us to go and spell the Gospel to every nation..
What are we doing now? Just warming the Church benches every Sunday?

If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3 : 14)
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (2 Corinthians 6:1 )

Bald Eagle by Ray's Wildlife Photography

By the age of four or five, bald eagles are already sexually mature during which
they look for a mate to have offspring with.
The mating season varies by region.
In the south, it may occur from the later part of September to November while
it may take place from January to March in the Great Plains and Mountain West.
In Alaska, the mating season is usually from late March to early April.
For a long time it was believed that eagles mated in the air,
while they were cart wheeling or sky dancing.
But the aerial displays are really a prelude to mating. Once the eagles are ready to mate,
they will then take to a tree branch or to their nest and then mate there,
using the nest or branch for support.

“JESUS ascended to heavens after HE rose from the grave….

HE will soon swoop down to take HIS bride for an aerial display,
a prelude to HIS marriage with the Church, HIS bride…

Oh Church! It’s time to put on your wedding dress, to meet the Bride-groom
Are you getting ready?

And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. (Mathew 22: 12-14)

Bald eagles can mate throughout their life starting from the age of four.
Breeding may not occur annually for some eagles by voluntary choice.
They may instinctively realize bad timing because of weather,
nesting site availability, or food.
Eagles will bring fresh leafy sprays to the nest, not for use as part of the structure
or lining of the nest, but as a sort of decoration on top…
They serve as an advertisement that the nest and territory are occupied
and tell interloping eagles to stay away.
The fact that a piece of green and fresh vegetation is kept at the nest
indicates recent activity there.
So the fresh sprays might be a way of saying “This nest is taken.”
Or it might be a ”Gift of love” for its mate…
Or it may be to decorate its nest…

Each new morning, JESUS brings us HIS fresh new grace,
to remind us that in spite of all our shortcomings, HE still loves us…
HE wants to be the decoration of our lives…
Male Eagles bring a fresh new sprig every day as a gift of love to its mate….
But, our Lord JESUS has given HIS life for us to show HIS love…

Are we worthy to be HIS bride?

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Mathew 10 : 37,38)

Wish you all a blessed Easter!
Let the resurrected power of JESUS fill every home in every nation…

Your’s in YESHUA,
A. J. Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

He is Risen! Happy Easter

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Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:17-18 KJV)

Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. (1 Corinthians 15:12-14 KJV)

For more about Christ’s Resurrection – Please See:

Wordless Birds

Gospel Message

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(Photo taken from an e-Mail)

Kirtland’s Warbler Reveals…

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Kirtland’s Warbler Reveals… – by A. J. Mithra

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)©USFWS

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)©USFWS

The Kirtland’s Warbler requires areas
with small jack pines for nesting.
The jack pine requires fire
to open its cones and spread its seeds.
The warbler first appears in an area
about six years after a fire when the new growth
is dense and is about 1.5 to 2.0 meters (5.0-6.5 feet) high.
After about 15 years,
when the trees are 3.0 to 5.0 meters (10.0 to 16.5 feet) high,
the warbler leaves the area…

These birds seem to know the time of GOD..
How do they know the age of those trees?
Is it because we have not tuned ourselves
to the frequency of GOD AND HIS time?
GOD has called us by our names to reveal
HIS plans in our lives..
But, we don’t seem to understand
the time to sow or the time to reap..

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (Ecclesiastes 3:2)

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) by Kent Nickell

Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) by Kent Nickell

The very specific habitat requirements
of this species are the main cause of its threatened status.
Despite nesting on the ground,
Kirtland’s Warbler will only nest amongst
9 – 13 year old jack pines (Pinus banksiana);
taller stands are abandoned for a new site.

Is it because the birds know that
there is going to be another fire very soon?
How amazing our GOD is?
HE has tuned the birds to HIS plans
and that is the reason the birds know,
when to nest among the pines and when to abandon them..
Do we know that we have to abandon this earth?
Do we know that there is going to be an eternal fire very soon?

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

Your’s in YESHUA,

A J Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

White-fronted Bee-eater – The Life Guards

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White-fronted Bee-eater – The Life Guards – by A. J. Mithra

White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) by Bob-Nan

White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) by Bob-Nan

The White-fronted Bee-eater, Merops bullockoides, is a species of Bee-eater
widely distributed in sub-equatorial Africa.
This species, like other bee-eaters, is a richly colored, slender bird,
with a distinctive black mask, white forehead, square tail and a bright red throat.
The upperparts are green, with cinnamon under parts and their call is a deep squeak…
They nest in small colonies, digging holes in cliffs or earthen banks
but can usually be seen in low trees waiting for passing insects..
They hunt either by making quick hawking flights or gliding down
before hovering briefly to catch insects….

Our LORD, the provider and protector of the Universe, can still be seen
hanging on the Cross waiting for those passing souls to accept HIM as their savior…
Remember that HE had taken our place on the cross..
HE became a curse, so that we may be blessed…
What are you waiting for, invite JESUS into your life now, for, this is the day
that the LORD has made for you to invite HIM and rejoice forever and ever…

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:25)
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: (Galatians 3:13)

Until the 1960s, scientists held that natural selection favors only those behaviors
that boost the survival chance of the individual and its offspring.
A bird that postpones its own reproductive potential to help another would seen doomed
from that evolutionary standpoint, but, many white-fronted bee-eaters
willingly place their relatives’ needs before their own to help close kin survival..

White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) by Africaddict

White-fronted Bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) by Africaddict

Family ties made the difference in nearly every case, with helpers foraging
for the most closely related nestlings 94 percent of the time.
Most in-law bee-eaters are females that have left their natal clan to join
the extended family of a mate and are socially integrated in the mate’s clan
but are genetically unrelated to members other than their own offspring.
These in-laws rarely “lift a feather,” even though their mates may be working hard
to bring in enough bees and other delectables for a related couple’s hungry brood…

In-laws may fly back to their natal clan during times when
the colony experiences a food shortage, and birds temporarily left their partners’ clans
to help their parents, or a parent and a stepparent, raise a family.
All of these helpers returned to their mates after the breeding season.

Though GOD loves the Jews- His chosen people, HE willingly places the needs of us,
the Gentiles, before the needs of HIS own people…
And HE seems to be postponing HIS marriage, so that no one is left out…
Nature is giving out signs to show that these are the last day…
Are we ready to meet THE KING?

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2: 18)

White-fronted African bee-eaters will face even spitting cobras when it comes to
defending its kin, and forage tirelessly for bees and delay having their own young—
all to help close relatives raise a clutch of baby birds.
Years of direct observation have led researchers to suggest this altruism is an inherited
trait that gives the “helper” bird’s family a survival edge in the harsh African Savannah….

Why would any bird engage in such magnanimous behavior?
Is it courageously noble in mind and heart?
Or is it generous in forgiving; eschewing resentment or revenge; unselfish behavior?

These birds are ready to face poisonous cobras to save the lives of its kin..
Did not our Savior JESUS give HIS life on the Cross to defend us
from the venomous serpent?

Did HE not generously give HIMSELF on the Cross to forgive our sin?
Did HE not show HIS unselfishness to take our place on the Cross?
Shall we all, once again rededicate our lives and run into the
nail-pierced, outstretched hands of our Savior?

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Have a Holy Friday..

Your’s in YESHUA,
A J Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

See – The Gospel Message

Inspired by this Bird through an article on Science News by Kathy A Fackelmann http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n23_v135/ai_7680117/ dated June 10th 1989…

Birds of the Bible – Cormorant II

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And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, (Deuteronomy 14:17 KJV)

In the first Birds of the Bible – Cormorant, it was mentioned that they are one of the “unclean birds” not to be eaten, they have their own desalination system, and that they have been used for centuries in the Orient to catch fish for fishermen. Now, let’s look into some more facts about this family of birds.

Rock Shag (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) by Daves BirdingPix

Rock Shag (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) by Daves BirdingPix

There are 36 Cormorants are in the Phalacrocoracidae Family of the Pelicaniformes Order. The family includes the Microcarbo genus (5) which has the Little Pied, Reed, Crowned, Little, and Pygmy Cormorants. The Phalacrocorax genus (21) includes Cormorants and Shags. The Leucocarbo genus (10) are all called Shags except for the Guanay Cormorant.

“There is no consistent distinction between cormorants and shags. The names “cormorant” and “shag” were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, Phalacrocorax carbo (now referred to by ornithologists as the Great Cormorant) and P. aristotelis (the European Shag). “Shag” refers to the bird’s crest, which the British forms of the Great Cormorant lack. As other species were discovered by English-speaking sailors and explorers elsewhere in the world, some were called cormorants and some shags, depending on whether they had crests or not. Sometimes the same species is called a cormorant in one part of the world and a shag in another, e.g., the Great Cormorant is called the Black Shag in New Zealand (the birds found in Australasia have a crest that is absent in European members of the species).” Apparently, they are just appearing after “their kind.” There is variation in size, names and colors, but they are all related.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his 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 fowl multiply in the earth. (Genesis 1:21-22 KJV)

King Shag (Leucocarbo albiventer) by Daves BirdingPix

Cormorant” is a contraction derived from Latin corvus marinus, “sea raven”. Cormorants and shags are medium-to-large seabirds. They range in size from the Pygmy Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus), at as little as 45 cm (18 in) and 340 g (12 oz), to the Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi), at a maximum size 100 cm (40 in) and 5 kg (11 lb). The majority, including nearly all Northern Hemisphere species, have mainly dark plumage, but some Southern Hemisphere species are black and white, and a few (e.g. the Spotted Shag of New Zealand) are quite colorful. Many species have areas of coloured skin on the face (the lores and the gular skin) which can be bright blue, orange, red or yellow, typically becoming more brightly colored in the breeding season. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet have webbing between all four toes, as in their relatives.

They are coastal rather than oceanic birds, and some have colonised inland waters – indeed, the original ancestor of cormorants seems to have been a fresh-water bird. They range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands.

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) by J Fenton

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) by J Fenton

All are fish-eaters, dining on small eels, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface, though many species make a characteristic half-jump as they dive, presumably to give themselves a more streamlined entry into the water. Under water they propel themselves with their feet. Some cormorant species have been found, using depth gauges, to dive to depths of as much as 45 metres.

After fishing, cormorants go ashore, and are frequently seen holding their wings out in the sun. All cormorants have preen gland secretions that are used ostensibly to keep the feathers waterproof.

Cormorants are colonial nesters, using trees, rocky islets, or cliffs. The eggs are a chalky-blue colour. There is usually one brood a year. The young are fed through regurgitation. They typically have deep, ungainly bills, showing a greater resemblance to those of the pelicans’, to which they are related, than is obvious in the adults.”

The Cormorants and Shags are another of the Lord’s fantastic creations from an All-powerful Creator.

Some quotes from Wikipedia

Visit the Cormorant Page

Hoatzin – The Stinker

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Hoatzin – The Stinker by A. J. Mithra

Hoatzin ( Opisthocomus hoazin) by Robert Scanlon

Hoatzin ( Opisthocomus hoazin) by Robert Scanlon

One of the most unusual birds, this interesting animal is
one bird that no one wants to keep in a cage.

The Hoatzin weight about 2 pounds, and is about 2 feet long, sometimes a bit more.
They have an almost entirely bare head, with a crest on top of it that is red,
and blue skin around the red eyes.

The Hoatzin is a rainforest bird, and lives in the lowland areas in the Amazon basin.
They love slow moving or swampy standing water, and the floods or small lakes..
It lives entirely in trees, vines and bushes, and is thus independent
of the different kinds of aquatic foods that each of these water types support.
In many areas the species is frequently associated with giant arums,
especially those of the genus Montrichardia, which constitute a favorite food.
In coastal zones Avicennia mangroves can be similarly important.
Hoatzins eat mostly young green leaves from rain forest plants.
An enlarged foregut containing bacteria helps them break down cellulose
and digest their food, an arrangement similar to that found in cattle.
When it has been ingested, the plant materials are fermented which gives
the bird a fairly foul odor, earning them the common name of Stinkbird..
Digestion takes many hours, and Hoatzins are often observed
resting the sternum on a branch.

The foregut of the Hoatzin accounts for a quarter of the bird’s weight,
and is so large that there is little room for flight muscles.

This accounts for the Hoatzin’s poor flying capability.

In many bird species, the period of time for which food is retained
is often measured in minutes, but the Hoatzin holds the record.
In experiments, liquids were retained for about 18 hours, and solids for 24-48 hours;
these retention times are similar to those found in sheep,
and are long enough to maintain stable populations of gut bacteria.

Hoatzin(Opisthocomushoazin) by Kent Nickell

Hoatzin(Opisthocomushoazin) by Kent Nickell

Like these birds who live by the waters,
We too live by the Living Waters, where we have protection and providence…
Like how these birds which live only on leaves and buds,
Some of us are still live like milk-fed spiritual babies..Why?
Is it because we always want to be mouth-fed?
Or is it because we have a fear to take responsibilities of a grown up?

For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrew 6:13,14)

We too don’t venture far and wide, like these birds,because,
We have not yet learnt to fly yet… You know why?
We eat lots of spiritual food, but we don’t exercise our faith…Do we?

These birds take 24 to 48 hours to digest their food, but,
we haven’t yet digested the spiritual food which we had years back….

GOD has called us to be fliers like an Eagle and not clumsy climbers like Hoatzin…
When are we going to start exercising our faith and get rid of those
Spiritual cholesterol which hinders our spiritual flight?

But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. (1Timothy 4:7)

Hoatzin ( Opisthocomus hoazin) by Robert Scanlon

Hoatzin ( Opisthocomus hoazin) by Robert Scanlon

They live in groups, so the Hoatzin will have as many as 25 or 30 nests in one single tree.
Social groups of Hoatzins consist of a pair and their adult (mostly male) offspring …
The Hoatzin makes its nest in low branches in trees that hang out over the water
to avoid the predatory birds that might make a meal of their offspring.

Some of us are like these birds; we carry the Bible for protection…
Whereas, GOD expects us to carry HIS word in our hearts….
Even JESUS needed the word of GOD to fight against the devil when HE was tested
by satan, when HE started HIS ministry on earth…. Mathews 4:1 to 11
But, sadly, we still have our Bibles near our pillows for fear of evil..
Is THE BIBLE a scare-crow?

Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. (Deuteronomy 11:18)

The female Hoatzin will lay either two or three eggs, in a nest that is built of small twigs,
and hangs out over the water from a tree branch.
The two parents will both take turns keeping the eggs warm.
After about twenty eight days they will hatch.
The young Hoatzin will be fed by the parents the plant material
that the parents regurgitate.
All members participate in the feeding of chicks….
Hoatzin chicks have two claws on each wing, a feature that makes it easy for them
to climb and cling in the branches of trees.
Hoatzin chicks leave the nest frequently and may even dive into water
below the nest when danger threatens.

Drugs, sex, violence, hatred, pre-marital sex has become
the order of the hour for our youth…
Where is the NX-GEN heading?

Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. ((Colossians 3:20)

Look at these Hoatzin chicks; they leave the nest frequently,
Like how our children leave us without our knowledge…
What sort of spiritual nourishment do we regurgitate?
Ministry starts at home and GOD has given us children as gifts,

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. (Psalm 127:3)

It is our duty to take care of them, the way GOD wants us to…

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. (Colossians 3:21)

Have a blessed day!

Your’s in YESHUA,

A J Mithra

Please visit us at: Crosstree

Lee’s Addition:

Oilbird – Opisthocomidae Family
Interesting Things – Hoatzin

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