According to Birds and Bloom magazine site, there are Birds of the Month.
“You’ve probably heard of birth month gemstones and birth month flowers, but have you heard of birth month birds? It might come as a surprise to learn every month of the year has not only a representative jewel and flower, but also a bird. From owls to ravens, here are the birds that represent everyone’s birthdays.”
It can be hard to spot a common nightingale, especially if you live in North America (their range stretches through much of Europe). They’re elusive birds that keep to themselves, content to remain out of sight in brush or thickets. Belonging to the same family as the American robin, these May birth month birds give a wide variety of calls and songs.
Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus mexicanus) by Michael Woodruff
The Wood Thrush is a member of the Turdidae – Thrushfamily. There are 185 species, including Rufous Thrushes, Whistling Thrushes, Ground Thrushes, our Bluebirds, Solitaires, Nightingale-Thrushes, Cochoas, Shortwings, and our American Robin.
Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons; And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush Observe the time of their migration; But My people do not know The ordinance of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 NASB)
And the same John [i.e., John the Baptist] had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (Matthew 3:4)
Sometimes you see a bird that “should” be somewhere else: “Hey, bird, you’re not supposed to be here!”
PILEATED WOODPECKERS (3 males below; 1 female above) John James Audubon painting
Earlier this month, to my surprise, I saw a red-crested black-and-white woodpecker in one of my trees. The woodpecker’s mostly-black-with-white plumage, plus the characteristic red crest, proved it to be a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). Unable to see if its “mustache/neck stripes were red or black, I’m not sure if it was a male or a female. Regardless of that, what is a Pileated Woodpecker doing in Denton County, Texas? Pileated woodpeckers are well-known as year-round residents within the Piney Woods of East Texas, but how did one end up in the Cross Timbers suburbs of Denton County?
PILEATED WOODPECKER female, eating insects Andrew Brownsword (Wikipedia/public domain)
Yet, I am not the only one claiming to have seen a Pileated Woodpecker inside Denton County, recently. Today, online, I found a report of 2 Pileated Woodpeckers observed on April 13th (A.D.2025) by “Hannah U.”, at Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center (in Denton, Texas — https://ebird.org/region/US-TX-121/bird-list?yr=cur ). Of course, wooded riparian habitats are known to attract insectivorous woodpeckers. If your trees have ants, these woodpeckers would love to feast on those ants! Other bug-plucking woodpeckers recently reported (on that same ebird.org website), inside Denton County (Texas), include Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, and Red-headed Woodpecker. But Pileated Woodpeckers are easily recognized by their scarlet-red crests, plus they are conspicuously large — crow-sized (sometimes longer than 16″)!
WOODPECKERS (AvianReport.com image credit)
In fact, Pileated Woodpeckers are known to casually frequent Texas as far west as Fort Worth, according to Keith A. Arnold, of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, at Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas — https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/pileated-woodpecker/ ), saying: “DISTRIBUTION: This species is fairly common locally to uncommon in wooded portions of eastern third of Texas, west casually to Gainesville and Fort Worth [emphasis added], rarely to Bastrop and Palmetto State Park, south irregularly to Victoria (Oberholser and Kincaid 1974).” [Quoting Keith A. Arnold, “Pileated Woodpecker”, The Texas Breeding Bird Atlas, Texas A&M AgriLife Research (viewed 4-15-AD2025).]
Woodpeckers, unsurprisingly, seek to eat insects found on and in trees.
“The Pileated Woodpecker’s primary food is carpenter ants, supplemented by other ants, woodboring beetle larvae, termites, and other insects such as flies, spruce budworm, caterpillars, cockroaches, and grasshoppers [notice: “locusts” are a type of grasshopper, so these woodpeckers have part of their diet in common with that of John the Baptist!]. They also eat wild fruits and nuts, including greenbrier, hackberry, sassafras, blackberries, sumac berries, poison ivy, holly, dogwood, persimmon, and elderberry. In some diet studies, ants constituted 40 percent of the diet, and up to 97 percent in some individuals. Occasionally, Pileated Woodpeckers visit backyard bird feeders for seeds or suet.” [Quoting “Pileated Woodpecker”, ALL ABOUT BIRDS, CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY, posted at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/lifehistory .]
PILEATED WOODPECKERS Mass Audubon (Massachusetts Audubon) image credit
What beautiful birds — and, considering their large size, imagine how many carpenter ants (and other insects) that a Pileated Woodpecker eats, over its lifespan of perhaps more than 10 years. That a lot of insects!
Yes, some insects are eaten by humans — such as the locusts that John the Baptist was famous for eating — but I still think that I’d rather have eggs, bacon, and some buttered rye toast, with coffee.
There are over 350 articles that have been published here on Lee’s Birdwatching Adventures over the years. Just thought I would share some of those posts. The main theme when we started posting, was to introduce the different Birds of the Bible. So, let’s look back and see some of those. (And maybe update them some)
My goal in starting this blog was to introduce the birds that are mentioned in the Bible. It has grown from there and now there are many posts to review and different writers to check out.
The very first birds mentioned by name were just “every winged bird” or “every winged fowl.” God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply. That was on the fifth day of creation.
“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.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”
(Genesis 1:21-23 NKJV)
Mixed Flock Flyiing 122717 Merritt Is NWR by Lee
Then in Genesis 2:19 the Lord God brought the birds to Adam and let him name them:
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.” So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:21-23 NKJV)
All the different kinds of the birds were placed on the ark to be kept alive. Then after the Flood, the birds were released and told to repopulate the earth. They did and today we have an array of beautiful avian wonders to watch and enjoy.
Today, I would like to show one of the very first blogs when we began:
According to Birds and Bloom magazine site, there are Birds of the Month.
“You’ve probably heard of birth month gemstones and birth month flowers, but have you heard of birth month birds? It might come as a surprise to learn every month of the year has not only a representative jewel and flower, but also a bird. From owls to ravens, here are the birds that represent everyone’s birthdays.”
Perhaps it’s fitting that the bird for the month of Peeps candy is the canary. Some canaries live in the wild, but others, such as the domestic canary, are kept as pets. They’re not all yellow, either; some are red, while others are yellow and black. As part of the finch family, they are cheerful birds with a delightful song. To find them in the wild, you’d need to go to the Canary, Madeira or Azores Islands.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psalms 8:3-9 KJV)
“And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.” (Leviticus 11:19)
This is just a quick note, from my part of Texas, to report seeing some white egrets lately.
GREAT WHITE EGRET, wading in pond-water (Cornell Lab of Ornithology photo credit)
So much of (our part of) Texas is urbanizing–and suburbanizing. So, frequenting a rural area, where birdwatching is convenient, is like hunting for an endangered species.
Last Sunday, in a journey that included driving through parts of Denton County and Tarrant County (Texas), my wife drove our car, as I looked out my car window–for birds in pastures and ponds. Ponds attract heron-like birds, such as foraging Great White Egrets (a/k/a “Great White Heron”). Likewise, pastures (with bovine cattle grazing), attract foraging Cattle Egrets.
GREAT WHITE EGRET in flight (Wikipedia photo credit)
Thankfully, I saw several kinds of birds, from place to place, in field and trees, and besides ponds and drainage ditches. Among those birds, observed that day, were two kinds of heron-like wading birds–Great White Egret and Cattle Egret. Which led to composing this limerick:
GREAT WHITE & CATTLE EGRETS, OBSERVED WHILE TRAVELLING
Cute critters—some are wild, some are pets;
Yesterday, I observed white egrets!
Standing, beside a pond;
Others, in grass beyond …
Go birding—you’ll have no regrets!
It’s good to know that, so far, there are still some pastures and ponds, where we can still view egrets.
Yes, we can all thank the Lord for making and sustaining these oft-ignored (yet magnificent) wild white wonders (Job 9:10).
According to Birds and Bloom magazine site, there are Birds of the Month.
“You’ve probably heard of birth month gemstones and birth month flowers, but have you heard of birth month birds? It might come as a surprise to learn every month of the year has not only a representative jewel and flower, but also a bird. From owls to ravens, here are the birds that represent everyone’s birthdays.”
Flame Robin (Petroica phoenicea) by Ian
More from Birds and Bloom:
March: Robin
Fans of warm weather, brightly colored flowers and returning migrating birds adore the American robin. After all, many view it as the first sign of spring. To identify the March birth month bird, look for a medium-sized songbird with a red breast, gray upperparts and a yellow beak. Their sweet cheerily, cheer-up, cheerio song rings out on spring mornings.
“My husband and I were walking through the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden in Greensboro, North Carolina, in June. I saw this little birdbath with what I thought was a fake bird… but then I heard it singing! I love the colors of this American robin, and I absolutely love photographing these beautiful birds!” says Teri Quintal.
According to Birds and Bloom magazine site, there are Birds of the Month.
“You’ve probably heard of birth month gemstones and birth month flowers, but have you heard of birth month birds? It might come as a surprise to learn every month of the year has not only a representative jewel and flower, but also a bird. From owls to ravens, here are the birds that represent everyone’s birthdays.”
More from Birds and Bloom:
Spunky, smart, colorful and filled to the brim with personality, parrots always inspire smiles. While they’re perhaps most recognizable for sitting on pirates’ shoulders, there are more than 350 types of parrots in the world—and plenty of them live in the wild.
“I love this this bird because every single time my shutter would snap, he would pose. I took this picture at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska,” says Katelyn Cheek.
Red-winged Parrot (Aprosmictus erythropterus) by Ian
Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee
The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:16 NKJV)
Did you know that there is a bird assigned to each month like they do stones? I was not aware of these for birds. September, which is my birthday month has a Saphire. I’ll reveal September’s when we get to that post.
According to Birds and Bloom magazine site, there are Birds of the Month.
“You’ve probably heard of birth month gemstones and birth month flowers, but have you heard of birth month birds? It might come as a surprise to learn every month of the year has not only a representative jewel and flower, but also a bird. From owls to ravens, here are the birds that represent everyone’s birthdays.”
Great Horned Owl Youngsters at Circle B Bar Reserve by Lee
“January: Owl
Wise and formidable, owls preside over the woods at night. They’re commonly seen as a symbol of smarts, with great horned owls showing up on many a graduation card. Identify these January birth month birds by their large eyes, rounded heads and hooked beak. Listen for their hooting when the skies grow dark.”
They didn’t say which kind, so here are some of the articles we have done about Owls:
Adventurous Cattle Egret outside Wendy’s. When I pulled up to go into Wendy’s yesterday, this adventurous Cattle Egret decided to check my window. Later, as we were leaving, I noticed him riding on a man’s truck as he drove off. When the driver sped up, he finally hopped off.
If you notice the sign on the wall behind him/or her, it is Loitering.
Egret on Car in front of Wendy’s – no trespassing
We have written about these Cattle Egrets before, but this was a very close encounter. They love to ride on cattle or whatever critter they can catch a ride on and try to find food. Here are a few of previous photos of Cattle Egrets.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not there, but waters the earth, and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be, that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing to which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)
MALLARDS in rain-filled drainage ditch (Ian Sullens / U.S. Air Force photo credit)
Mallards like to float about in rainwater-runoff puddles and pools—in fact, a group of Mallards is sometimes called a “puddle” of Mallards. Mostly unnoticed by humans (even though Mallards are the world’s most ubiquitous duck), these delightful ducks serenely enjoy their own small part of God’s great global water cycle.
At my home, our front yard is bounded by roadside drainage ditches—so, when it rains a lot, those drainage ditches become brook-like pools of flooded rainwater.
Year after year after year, during the colder months (such as December), migratory Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) seasonally seek out southern ponds and lakes, for over-wintering, yet they also frequent shallow rainwater-filled drainage ditches and rain-pooled puddles.
As dabbling ducks (a/k/a “puddle ducks”), they often “upend” in water, thus grazing on water-covered plants that they easily reach by flipping upside-down at the pooled water’s surface.
Dabbling ducks feed by straining food from the water’s surface or by submerging their heads while their tails remain out of the water. Male dabblers are usually brightly colored while females are drab. Plants make up most dabblers’ diets. Their method of taking flight is a sort of leap from the water’s surface. Look for them on rivers and close to shorelines. The most widely known dabbler duck is the mallard. The male has a dark green head while the female is dusky brown. Another dabbler species is the American black duck. Both male and female American black ducks look similar to mallard hens, only darker. Other dabblers include the American wigeon, green-winged teal, northern pintail (the male has long black tail feathers), and northern shoveler (named for its large, spatula-like bill). [Quoting CHESAPEAKE BAY JOURNAL, 33(9):40 (December 2023), posted at www.BayJournal.com ]
Since dabblers don’t dive into deep water, they don’t need large paddle-like feet for underwater propulsion mobility. So, it makes sense that God did not design dabbling ducks to have the larger paddle-shaped feet that diving ducks have. Also, it makes sense that dabbling ducks have legs (and feet) positioned near the middle of their bellies, for balancing themselves as they tread water, upside-down in shallow puddle-water, while the dabblers are grasping water-covered (and water-softened) acorns, nuts, seeds, and underwater plants.
God, in His providential care for the ducks He created, fitted His ducks with appropriate anatomies for the places they “fill” on Earth. Likewise, their behaviors fit their family life roles and territorial needs.
MALLARD male (R) & female (L) (Richard Bartz / Wikipedia photo credit)
Ornithologist Donald Stokes informs us that Mallards not only display sexual dimorphism (i.e., the 2 sexes have very different plumage, with the male being the distinctive “greenhead”), their vocalizations differ based upon sex:
When I first started studying Mallards I was surprised to find that the males and females make entirely different sounds. The quacking sound, which I had assumed all Ducks make, can be made only by the female. The male has two other calls of his own—a nasal rhaeb sound and a short Whistle-call. . . . An added advantage to knowing Mallard displays is that closely related species of Ducks such as Black Ducks, Gadwalls, Pintails, Widgeons and Teals have similar displays. Therefore, once you learn some of the patterns of Mallard behavior you will have a good start on being able to understand the behavior of these other Ducks as well. The Black Duck is particularly close in this respect, having nearly the same display repertoire as the Mallard. [Quoting Donald Stokes, GUIDE TO BIRD BEHAVIOR: VOLUME ONE (Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Company, 1979), pages 31-32]
Of course, hybrid ducks are common, proving that such hybridizing ducks really belong to the same created kind. For example, ornithologist Eugene McCarthy has documented that the Common Pintail (Anas acuata) is known to hybridize with the Mallard, as well as with American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), various pochards, various widgeons, various teals, Gadwall (Anas strepera), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), and more. [See Eugene M. McCarthy, HANDBOOK OF AVIAN HYBRIDS OF THE WORLD (Oxford, UK: Oxford Univ. Press, 2006), pages 71-73.]
MALLARD MALE close-up (Chuck Homler / Wikipedia photo credit)
Interestingly, Mallards can be permanent (i.e., “year-round”) residents or migrants.
One of the reasons why mallard ducks are so plentiful is because they’re highly adaptable to climate, geography, temperature and diet. Particularly, they love shallow ponds, marshes and wetlands, as those calmer waters tend to produce the most aquatic bugs and plants—more so than fast moving rivers or deeper lakes. Mallards mate in pairs, and while some migrate to warmer temperatures, many are permanent residents in their nested homes throughout the United States. [Quoting Camo Trading, at www.camotrading.com/resources/the-upside-down-life-of-dabbling-ducks/ ]
MALLARD male & female, in shallow wetland pool (TrekOhio.com photo credit)
In other words, God gave ducks what they need, anatomically and genetically (and even behaviorally)—for building families where they live—so that God’s ducks can be fruitful, multiply, and “fill” parts of Earth that God providentially prepared for their homes.
And they shall take gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.
EXODUS 28:5
Cardinal males are red birds, easy to see. Yet cardinal females have a softer-hued beauty of their own.
male Cardinal (Wikipedia / Rhododendrites photo credit)
Just as the Old Testament Tabernacle blended theological meaning with aesthetically attractive colors—as exemplified by Exodus 28:5 (quoted above), some birds are gold (e.g., Goldfinch, Yellow Warbler, Evening Grosbeak), or blue (e.g., Mountain Bluebird, Indigo Bunting), or purple (e.g., Purple Starling, Purple Honeycreeper), or scarlet (e.g., Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal), or white as fine linen (e.g., Snowy Egret, White Ibis, Trumpeter Swan).
male Cardinal feeding female Cardinal (Wikipedia / Ken Thomas photo credit)
In fact, the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is often nicknamed the Redbird, because the male cardinal is almost all-covered in bright red plumage. Male cardinals, being bright red, are conspicuous—so conspicuous that they get noticed! Cardinals are so popular, in fact, that 7 states have officially adopted the Northern Cardinal as their official state bird: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. (That’s more states than any other bird represents!)
Recently (i.e., during December of A.D.2024), it has been my prized privilege to hear Northern Cardinals chirping happily in and around trees, where I live and also in places that I visit. Perhaps the cardinals are extra talkative at this time of year. Or maybe I am paying better attention to the cardinals’ movements and vocalizations. Sometimes I see a cardinal flitting about, or hopping among leaf litter at the bottom of bushes, shrubs, or tree-trunks. Sometimes I see cardinals perching on tree branches. Then, suddenly, a cardinal might fly off to a nearly spot on the ground–or to a branch of another tree. Also, cardinal chirping–which can be a somewhat squeaky whistle–is often easy to recognize.
CARDINAL IN WINTER SNOW (All About Birds / Brad Imhoff photo credit)
What wonderful birds! What beauty the Lord built into these winged wonders!
The Cardinal is a favorite bird of many people and it’s easy to see why. The brilliant scarlet plumage of the male and the subtle shades of the female, combined with their clear melodic song, make them enjoyable to watch in any season. Male and female Cardinals sing equally well, a fact not generally known by those used to the widespread [yet erroneous] assumption that only male birds sing. Song is an important coordinating behavior in the life of a Cardinal. . . . In countersinging, one bird will sing one phrase several times and then the other [cardinal] will match it. Then the leader will sing a new phrase and the other will again match it. This type of countersinging that involves copying [musical] phrases functions to synchronize and unify members fo a pair; and when given between males, helps settle territorial disputes. [Quoting Donald Stokes & Lillian Stokes, “Northern Cardinal”, A GUIDE TO BIRD BEHAVIOR, volume II (Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Company), page 247]
CARDINAL with grasshopper (Wikipedia / Arthur Windsor image credit)
The Cardinal males are so brightly colored, with crimson-red wings and scarlet-red bellies, contrasting with black face-masks that showcase their red beaks. Female cardinals also have bright scarlet-red beaks, yet they are more camouflaged in their plumage hues—soft beige-cream bellies with russet-brown wings and head feathers, accented by reddish crests.
Cardinals are year-round residents—they don’t migrate to avoid cold winters. Rather, cardinals tough out winter weather—hence many scenic photographs display bright-red cardinals perched in tree branches against backdrops of snow-drifts. What beautiful pairs they are, to see in December, braving cold winds and chilly rains or snowfall.
NORTHERN CARDINAL RANGE MAP (Wikipedia image credit)
So, as you journey through winter months, remember that there are times when you should stop being so busy, just long enough to gaze upon busy cardinals that flit about, outside, sharing with us overlapping bits of space and winter weather.
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) by Daves BirdingPix
The other day while I was filling my gas tank, I looked up and spotted a Hawk flying overhead. He (or she) kept flying back and forth slowly. I have no clue as to what kind of hawk it was, but wondered which verses mentions the hawk? We have written about hawks many times here on the blog, and know it is one of the Birds of the Bible.
Job 39:26 is a great verse that asks a very thought-provoking question.
“Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” (KJV)
I have Bible Gateway loaded on my computer and brought up that verse and asked to show all the various Bible versions. Looking through the various ways of asking or questioning God about His hawks was interesting. As I read through the various versions, it makes us realize how little we know about The Creator’s Wisdom.
Raptor Bird of Prey, Juvenile Red Tailed Hawk profile, William Wise
“Was it through your know-how that the hawk learned to fly, soaring effortlessly on thermal updrafts? Did you command the eagle’s flight, and teach her to build her nest in the heights, Perfectly at home on the high cliff face, invulnerable on pinnacle and crag? From her perch she searches for prey, spies it at a great distance. Her young gorge themselves on carrion; wherever there’s a roadkill, you’ll see her circling.”
“Whether an hawk spreading abroad his wings to the south, beginneth to have feathers by thy wisdom? (Be it by thy wisdom that a hawk haveth feathers, and spreadeth his wings towards the south?)”
I’m very thankful that the Lord instructs the Hawks do spread their wings and come down here to Florida!! Especially in the winter!!
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