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TO THE GLORY OF GOD
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Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV)
Snowy Egret and Lee at Gatorland by Dan (even birdwatching)
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Category Archives: Birdwatching
Lee’s Four Word Thurday – 3/31/16
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THE LOVE OF GOD
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And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5 KJV)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) Jax Zoo by Lee
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Lee’s Three Word Wednesday – 3/30/16
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WE FLY AWAY
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The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalms 90:10 KJV)
Birds Flying over Tampa Bay by Lee
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Arctic Terns Set Mileage Records As Frequent Fliers
ARCTIC TERNS SET MILEAGE RECORDS AS FREQUENT FLIERS
Dr. James J. S. Johnson
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country… (Matthew 25:14a)
Arctic Terns (Sterna paradisaea), which weigh only about a quarter-pound, are the ultimate example of global migrants, accomplishing the longest-known migrations, every year, from near the top of the world to near the bottom, then vice versa. In fact, some Arctic Terns fly >50,000 miles in their pole-to-pole-and-then-back-again migration! (And, if an Artic Tern lives 30 years, as some do, that could mean about 1½ million miles on his or her lifetime “odometer”, which is comparable to 3 round trips to the moon (i.e., that’s like 3 times, to the moon and back again)!
Imagine how inconvenient it would be for a bird to arrive at the South Pole during May or June, when the weather is freezing cold and food is scarce. Or imagine a similar scenario at the North Pole during November or December, when the weather there is harshest. Thankfully, arctic terns follow the opposite schedule, synchronizing with temperature and seasonal food availability.
Why? These birds are purposefully preprogrammed to operate by these schedules; God fitted them to do so. This programming is critical for these migratory birds to travel over the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and vice versa, every year. At more than 40,000 miles round trip, they are the ultimate frequent fliers! A recent study pointed out:
The study of long-distance migration provides insights into the habits and performance of organisms at the limit of their physical abilities.
The Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea is the epitome of such behavior; despite its small size (<125 g), banding recoveries and at-sea surveys suggest that its annual migration from boreal and high Arctic breeding grounds to the Southern Ocean may be the longest seasonal movement of any animal. Our tracking of 11 Arctic terns fitted with miniature (1.4-g) geolocators revealed that these birds do indeed travel huge distances (more than 80,000 km [>50,000 miles] annually for some individuals).…
Arctic terns clearly target regions of high marine productivity both as stopover and wintering areas, and exploit prevailing global wind systems to reduce flight costs on long-distance commutes.
Ecologically speaking, it’s all a demonstration of “survival of the fitted”. Arctic terns, like all birds, survive because they are divinely fitted to survive all of the interactive factors in their diverse and geographically extensive environments.
Providentially, the arctic terns select season-synched flight times that repeatedly avoid the harsh winter months at both the North and South Poles. Likewise, the terns select flight plans that take advantage of global wind patterns and incorporate helpful stopovers for rest and refueling.
Timing factors are interactive throughout this cyclical migration: the seasonal weather cycle, wind patterns influenced by daily rotation of the earth, food availability influenced by annual seasons, and the reproductive cycle of the terns themselves.
In all of this, providential programming is both complicated and critical!
[Quoting James J. S. Johnson, “Survival of the Fitted: God’s Providential Programming”, Acts & Facts, 39 (10): 17-18 (October 2010), quoting Carsten Egevang, et al., “Tracking of Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea reveals longest animal migration”, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(5): 2078-2081 (2010). See also Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, “The Longest Animal Migration in the World Revealed” (press release, n.d.), quoting Carsten Egevang — and “The Arctic Tern Migration Project” website — showing “the impressive journey of the Arctic tern from the breeding grounds in Greenland to Antarctica and back in this Google Earth Tour combining maps, animations and photos”.]
Arctic Terns are circumpolar, i.e., their range largely covers the polar regions. Its “normal” turfs include its breeding grounds, spread variously over Arctic lands (like Iceland and Greenland), as well as the sub-Arctic parts of Eurasia (such as Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) and North America, — plus its migratory “timeshare” stopover lodgings, — plus its Antarctica wintering grounds (such as Wilkes Land), including “down under” islands near Antarctica, such as Weddell Sea islands or New Zealand’s South Island.
Thus, the historic fame of Thingvellir, Iceland not only derives from hosting the annual Althing events (ever since Viking times), but also from hosting the critical-habitat nesting activities of breeding Arctic Terns!
Unsurprisingly, these noble and courageous seabirds have been celebrated by postage artists and philatelists alike in Nordic countries (and quasi-autonomous jurisdictions), such as the Åland, the Færoe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Sweden — as well as in Canada — and in other countries (or quasi-countries, like the Isle of Man) that appreciate either the Arctic or Antarctic activities of this globe-flier.
Yet even the ever-traveling Arctic Terns have their share of enemies – such as predatory Arctic Foxes who are happy to raid Arctic Tern nests, if they can. But, Arctic Terns won’t tolerate such predatory thefts without a fight – the Arctic Tern colony defenders will challenge (“mob”) such foxes! ><> JJSJ
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Lee’s Two Word Tuesday – 3/29/16
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TEACH THEE
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I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalms 32:8 KJV)
Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) Male ©WikiC
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The Substitute Teacher by Emma Foster
Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) by Lee at Gatorland
The Substitute Teacher
~ by Emma Foster
Once there was an elementary school in the middle of Florida. The third grade class of that school had a class pet parrot named Beatrice. Every day, Beatrice would sit and watch as the teacher, Miss Kendall, taught the class. During recess, however, Beatrice would sneak over to the teacher’s desk and read over all of the material. She wanted to not only know what was being taught, but also wanted to know how to teach it to the class.
Beatrice wanted to be sure that she knew everything for Thursday. This was because Miss Kendall was going to be gone on Thursday and Friday for jury duty, and Beatrice was chosen by the school board to teach the class because she was the only one who knew the material so well.
Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) ©WikiC
On Thursday, when all of the third grade class entered into the classroom, they were surprised to find that Miss Kendall wasn’t there. Instead, Beatrice was sitting on top of her desk. Each of the students sat down and waited as Beatrice called the role. After she finished, Beatrice had the class say the pledge of allegiance like they did every morning, and she whistled the “Star Spangled Banner” along with the class afterwards.
Because Beatrice was a parrot, she was able to explain to the class why she was substituting for the day, and moved onto the first subject of the day: reading. Beatrice had the entire class read a few pages in the book they were supposed to read for a book report. During that time, Beatrice read over all that she had to do that day. The next subject was penmanship. This was the tricky part because Beatrice had to use her talons. She was able to shakily write the first few letters of the alphabet on the board. The class did much better than she did.
Blue-and-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna) ©WikiC
Finally it was time for lunch. Beatrice made sure all of the class stayed in a line as they walked down to the cafeteria. She brought along the crackers Miss Kendall kept in her desk for her and ate them there. When lunch was over, Beatrice let all of the third grade class go outside to the playground. She climbed the monkey bars upside down; the class considered this the best part of the day so far.
Blue-and-yellow Macaw by Dan at Gatorland
Then Beatrice and the class came back inside for science. This week was Botany. Because Beatrice used to live in the Amazon before coming to America to become the class pet, she was able to tell them all about the different plants in the jungle.
The last subject of the day was math. This was the students’ least favorite subject. Fortunately, the best Beatrice could do when it came to math was count to five, so it was going to be difficult teaching the class anything. The students didn’t mind, however. Beatrice would have to explain to Miss Kendall that they didn’t get much done.
When the class was dismissed they all told their parents when their parents picked them up how much fun they had, and Beatrice believed she had done a good job. She had the feeling that when she taught tomorrow it would be even better than the first day. And when Miss Kendall returned, she was surprised when the entire class asked if she could repeat jury duty again next week.
Lee’s Addition:
Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’ (Job 35:11 NKJV)
Thanks, Emma, for another delightful story. Birds are very capable of teaching us about their great Creator. Maybe not quite in a classroom like Beatrice, but still, they can be teachers to humans. Those who study birds and other animals, can see the Hand of God at work, if their eyes are open.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:9-10 KJV)
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See more of Emma’s delightful stories
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Friendly and Welcome Visitors
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. (Psalms 96:1-4 NKJV)
For the last two weeks, I have had to stay close to home. First, the disc in my back slipped a little more, causing great pain and lack of mobility. (The biggest slip was back in August) Then, after making it almost through the winter without bronchitis, it caught up with me. The pollen was so heavy, that it was necessary to just stay home to get things back in control. So, this was all mentioned for several reasons. 1) Prayers are always accepted. 2) I was able to work on my online course from the School of Biblical Apologetics. 3) Best of all, the Lord kept sending Avian Wonders for me to watch and be reminded that He always cares for them and us.
“[Even the migratory birds are punctual to their seasons.] Yes, the stork [excelling in the great height of her flight] in the heavens knows her appointed times [of migration], and the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time of their return. But My people do not know the law of the Lord [which the lower animals instinctively recognize in so far as it applies to them].” (Jeremiah 8:7 AMP)
The most surprising was the American Goldfinches that started coming to my feeders. Very seldom do any come by to dine. Maybe one or two at most. Several times over a week or so, we saw as many as 14 at one time. We figured that they were probably a small flock making their way north for the summer, and with the Lord’s help, landed here to rest and “tank-up” for the rest of their journey. They seem to have now continued their migration. Haven’t seen but the one or two who come by occasionally for the last two days. (OOPS!!!) Just looked out the window while working on this article and now there are at least 10 of them out there feeding. YEAH!!
Here are some of the photos of them, unfortunately, photographed through a screened window.
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Goldfinches at feeders by Lee thru screen
Sandhill Youngster in Yard 3-26-16
Then on Saturday, mom and pop Sandhill Crane came to the yard with their two new youngsters. This time, Dan was able to take the camera and get a few photos of them.
Sandhill Youngster in Yard 3-26-16
Sandhill Youngster in Yard 3-26-16
Sandhill Youngster in Yard 3-26-16
Sandhill Youngster in Yard 3-26-16
Yesterday, Easter, we drove over to Tampa to the Bayside Community Church to hear Dr. James J. S. Johnson from the Institute for Creation Research speak. On the way over, we had two Swallow tailed Kites fly right over us. They migrate through here this time of the year. They seem to stay for about 2-3 months and then head on north. They are so beautiful to watch.
Swallow-tailed Kite
We always have the Lord’s Wonders to behold, if we just stay alert. He sends blessings to us, even when we may think we are “down.”
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Lee’s One Word Monday – 3/28/16
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Wood Duck by Dan at Lake Hollingsworth
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) by Dan
NAME
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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)
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Lee’s Six Word Saturday – 3-26-16
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Gallic Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) ©WikiC
THE ROOSTER WHO TATTLED ON PETER
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The Olivet Discourse concludes with Christ prophetically announcing His own crucifixion at the upcoming Passover festival (Matthew 26:2). Obviously the Passover feast (which the ritualistic Jews had culturally transformed into a religious festival) is a Messianic type that foreshadowed Jesus the Christ (1st Corinthians 5:7), the unique Lamb of God [23] Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The Passover continues to be mentioned by Matthew, from its celebration by Christ, in the “upper room” (Matthew 26:20-29), through the events of Christ’s crucifixion, which was the ultimate Passover, teleologically speaking.
Again, Christ is the great Shepherd of the “sheep” (i.e., believers, called “the flock of God” in 1st Peter 5:2), and He refers to His disciples as His “sheep” (Matthew 26:31) which He protects, redemptively, as He satisfies the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7.
The Matthew reports a disappointing incident in the life of the usually bold apostle Peter: Peter’s betrayal of Christ, as predicted by Christ.
Of course, this is the famous tattle-tale rooster, Gallus gallus domesticus — featured within Flag That Bird! – (Part 1)
This display of Peter’s imperfect courage and loyalty (even though his inward belief never failed) is linked to the thrice-crowing of a “cock” [alektôr], i.e., a rooster (Matthew 26:34), the last allusion to an animal in Matthew’s Gospel. What a sad note to end with!
Peter’s Denial
Yet, dispensationally speaking (i.e., in light of Romans chapters 9-11), the temporary failure of Peter, then, illustrates how the Jewish nation temporally failed to courageously and loyally endorse its Messiah, when He first came to them (John 1:10-11). But God’s rejection of unbelieving Israel is only temporary, as Romans chapter 11 indicates (see especially Romans 11:25).
Matthew’s Gospel documents who the Jewish nation failed her Messiah, so the newly promised “Church”-building (Matthew 16:17-18) program was established by God, as He put His workings through Israel on “hold”.
But the predicted thrice-crowing of the rooster [24] is not the last animal lesson in Christ’s cosmic curriculum. While we serve our Lord, daily (by His grace), we know and await that glorious day when He shall return to His own creation, not meekly riding a donkey with its colt, but triumphantly and powerfully galloping—on a white “horse” [hippos]—to Earth as Kings of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:11-16)!
After the rooster crowed thrice (Matthew 26:69-75)—showing Peter’s moral weakness and Christ’s prophetic foreknowledge,–Christ offered Himself up, for our sins, as the true Lamb of God (Matthew chapter 27). After He fulfilled the “sign of Jonah”—rising from the dead (!) triumphing over death itself (Matthew chapter 28),—Christ visited His disciples and charged them (and us in their wake) with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Meanwhile, as we await the eschatological consummation of God’s foreordained plan for Earth history (which always fits His divine foreknowledge and decision-making – 1st Peter 1:2-4 & Romans 8:18-30), we are equipped by His indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:9-1), and by His holy Scriptures (2nd Peter 2:16-21), which provide us with revealed truth even more sure than the miraculous experience that Peter had, seeing Christ’s glory, when Peter was an eye-witness on the Mount of Transfiguration (2nd Peter 1:16-19).
May we appreciate Christ’s glory and truth as we treasure that “more sure word of prophecy”, the written Word of God which reveals to us the living Word of God!
<> JJSJ
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Lee’s Five Word Friday – 3/25/16
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THEY CLOTHED HIM WITH PURPLE
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And they clothed Him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about His head. (Mark 15:17)
Purple Glossy Starling of Tanzania aka Purple Starling ©s-media-cashe.
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Lee’s Four Word Thursday – 3/24/16
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SHEEP OF THE FLOCK
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Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. (Matthew 26:31)
The Nat’l Geo photograph is identified as being from Vashlovani National Park in eastern Georgia (i.e., former Soviet Union “Georgia”, not the one that produces peaches in America!).
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Lee’s Three Word Wednesday – 3/23/16
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CROWN OF THORNS
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And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! (Matthew 27:29 KJV)
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) in thorns ©WikiC
The idea for using a bird in thorns came from Living In The Thorns
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 