“But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.” (Genesis 8:9 KJV)
Dove resting on board the Ark Encounter by Lee
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Newsletter – 10/14/16
Masked Booby was bird of the week in May 2011, but here it is again to acknowledge the recent use of one of my photos in an Australian, or more specifically, Norfolk Island, stamp.
Here is the original photo taken on Philip Island just off Norfolk Island in 2012. The differences between the sexes in Masked Boobies are subtle, with the main difference being in the colour of the bill: yellower in males than in females which have a bluish tint to the bill.
Here is another male Booby from the 2011 bird of the week, taken on an island in the Coral Sea east of Townsville. Note the difference in the colour of the eye. Masked Boobies generally have yellow irises, but those breeding on Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Kermadec Island (off New Zealand) have dark brown irises and are sufficiently different in other less obvious respects to be treated as a separate race, sometimes known as the Tasman Booby (Sula dactylatra tasmani).
The next photo shows an adult female Masked Booby on Norfolk Island itself. Here you can see another difference characteristic of the tasmani subspecies: the legs and feet are khaki (those of the race personata found in the Coral Sea, off Western Australia and elsewhere across the Pacific have dark, almost black legs and feet.
Here is a juvenile at the same site on Norfolk Island as the female bird. The juveniles are somewhat similar in appearance to adult Brown Boobies and the best distinguishing field mark is the complete white collar of the juvenile Masked Booby. In Brown Boobies the brown of the head and neck is contiguous with the brown of the back and, in front, extends as far down as level with the wings and is sharply demarcated from the white breast.
Here is another photo of a juvenile Masked Booby, this time in flight and at Lord Howe Island, the other Australian breeding colony of the Tasman subspecies. The white collar is clear visible in flight too, as is the extensive amount of white on the breast.
Masked Boobies breed on isolated islands throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. As well as occurring across the Pacific, they breed in the eastern and western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and in the western and central Atlantic. The adults normally stay close to the breeding colonies, though young birds and some adults do range farther afield. So, they do occur occasional along the coast of mainland Australia.
The largest colony is found on an uninhabited coral cay called Clipperton Island or Ile de al Passion – it’s a French territory – off the coast of Mexico, with a population of perhaps 100,000 birds.
It was visited in 1958 by an American ornithologist called Kenneth Stager who was shocked to find that feral pigs had reduced the population of Masked Boobies to a mere 150 birds. Being an old-fashioned ornithologist, he had a gun with him to collect specimens so he singlehandedly shot all of the pigs, 58 in number, restoring the cay to to its pre-human state.
Other animals to benefit were the local red crabs and other nesting seabirds. It has the second largest colony of Brown Boobies and one of the relatively few colonies of the eastern Pacific Nazca Booby, very similar in appearance to the Masked, but better known on the Galapagos island and Isla de al Plata off the coast of Ecuador.
Ian Montgomery – Birdway – Photos
Lee’s Addition:
It has been well over a month since Ian produced one of his articles for us to enjoy. I wrote to Ian to see if he was okay, and here is part of his response. I trust he doesn’t mind, but this will help us think about and pray for his recovery.
“I did have problems with the second cataract operation as an interruption to the blood supply to the retina caused some loss of sight to the central part of the field of view – cloudiness, blurriness and lack of colour vision. Naturally that was a bit of a shock and for a while it made me reluctant to do anything which made me more conscious of it, particularly photography and working with images on the computer.
Anyway, the eye is gradually improving, though whether it will recover completely over the next six months or so is uncertain. Your email prompted me to stop vacillating about the bird of the week and get me into action, so thank you for that.”
More Ian’s Bird of the Week articles
Ian’s Bird of the Week – Long-tailed and White-winged Trillers – previous one
Gideon
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“These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season.” (Psalm 104:27)
Wood Thrush. Nest ©Audubon Society
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The Door of the Ark by Lee
This is the third article in the Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter. Below are links to the other articles. This time I would like to share some of the ways they showed how critters and birds were provided with provisions to sustain them. [All the bolding is added emphasis by me.]
In Genesis 6, the God was instructing Noah about building an Ark with all the directions or instructions. Then He informs Adam that his family and the critters are to be onboard also. They were to “keep them alive.”
Genesis 6:18-22 KJV
(18) “But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
(19) 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.
(20) 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.
(21) And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
(22) Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”
How Could They…?
That is a huge undertaking. How would they do that? On the Ark Encounter, it was interesting to see how they visualized this part of their commission to keep the critters alive, especially the birds. That is what this is concentrated on. Also, that same command was given again in:
Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 7:3 KJV)
They Went In the Ark
They went in:
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (Genesis 7:11 KJV)
And came out:
“And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry. And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with thee. Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.” (Genesis 8:13-17 KJV)
Now if we do the math, Adam, his family, and the critters were in the ark at least one year and 10 days. That is a lot of provisions to have on board! So, let’s see how the Ark Encounter stored their provisions and provided for all on board.
Here are some of the ways thy stored water and grain:
Now that they have provisions stored, the next photos are food preparations for the humans, I suspect:
In the first articles of the series, you were shown the birds and their cages, but now, they have to be fed. Here are some of the photos from the Ark Encounter suggesting how some of this could have taken place. [Please forgive the photos, they were shot in low light, after all the Ark didn’t have modern lights and fluorescent lighting like today.] I tried to get as many close-ups of the signs as I could. Reading their signs is how the different operations are explained.
As I have been putting this together, it appears we will need a part II. Stay tuned!
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See Also:
Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – The Doves
Birdwatching On Board the Ark Encounter – More Birds
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Introduction
Avian Kinds on the Ark – What Is A Kind?
Avian Kinds on the Ark – Birds Embarking
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“The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.” (Psalm 104:22)
Gathering of Parrots ©I.Ytimg
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“Thou makest darkness, and it is night wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.” (Psalm 104:20)
Birds at Night – ©BirdFeeders.com
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“Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.” (Psalm 104:17)
Storks At Their Nest ©Science Photo Library
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Dr. James J. S. Johnson
EURASIAN JAY (photo by Richard Steel)
And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. (Joshua 24:26)
Oak Leaves (southern Finland – public domain)
Oaks are well-known for foliage that provides shade from sunlight. However, for birds, oak trees are probably more appreciated for their branches and their acorns – branches for nesting and perching, and acorns for eating.
One bird that loves acorns, for eating, is the Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius). These jays are called Geai des chênes in French, meaning “jay of the oaks”.
For some youtube footage, showing some Eurasian Jays eating quite energetically, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkx2mDE4pGc — “Crazy Jays” by Paul Dinning), one group photo from which youtube video is shown (below).
Eurasian Jays foraging (from Paul Dinning’s “Crazy Jays” youtube)
Busy, busy, busy! There is nothing lackadaisical about how these jays hunt for food!
A fairly shy but common woodland bird seen in highest numbers in autumn; Jays shuttle between the ‘home wood’ and the district’s oak trees to gather in supplies of acorns for the winter. In longer flights the wingbeats are fluttering and the flight course slow and unsteady. Flying along a woodland edge it glides in gentle undulations. … Breeds in both deciduous and coniferous trees favouring coppice and stands of young spruce or pine trees, has also colonized parks and suburban areas. Feeds on insects, tree fruits, eggs and young of passerines etc.
[Quoting Lars Jonsson, BIRDS OF EUROPE WITH NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST (Princeton University Press, 1993), page 488, emphasis added.] These jays are called Geai des chênes in French, meaning “jay of the oaks”.
Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) / credit: Nat’l Geo
Acorns are the nuts produced by oak trees. As seeds, they are ready for planting, capable of producing a new generation of oak trees. Like other nuts, acorns are often eaten, by animals (including birds and squirrels) and some humans! Nuts are even mentioned in Scripture as food worthy of cultivation, valuable enough to be used in gift-giving (see Genesis 43:11 & Song of Solomon 6:11).
Eurasian Jay with acorn (by Hans-Jorg Hellwig)
On the 7th of July AD2006, in a park-like tall-treed area next to a restaurant at Haikko Manor, Finland (about 3-to-4 miles from Porvoo, on Finland’s southern coast), my wife and I watched an energetic Eurasian Jay, hopping about, foraging – then it decided, for a moment, to perch upon a rock. (A passer-by took a photograph of my wife and me, just before we walked through the parking lot toward the restaurant, by which we saw the busy “Jay of the Oaks” – the Eurasian Jay.)
JJSJ & wife Sherry, July 7th 2006 (Haikko Manor, near Porvoo, Finland)
But when I tried to photograph the Eurasian Jay, using the same camera, it hopped sideways, flitting about, so quickly I missed getting a focus – and then it then flew away. Was it camera-shy? Or was it just humans-shy, regardless of any camera? (It didn’t say.) But busy it was, and it appeared to find a few bugs to eat, just before it flew off.
Eurasian Jay in flight (by Lennart Hessel)
Regardless, it was fun while it lasted – watching the colorful Jay hop and hunt for acorns (and bugs), then rest briefly upon a rock, then flit away, to somewhere under the huge, dark, old-growth oak trees (mixed with occasional clusters of birch and evergreen trees) that shaded the lawn, in the garden-like area next to the Finnish restaurant.
Suffice it to say: southern Finland is stunningly, refreshingly, relaxingly beautiful, beyond words — and a wonderful, clean, marvelous, splendid, country for birding.
Eurasian Jay with acorn (by Phil Winter)
The Jay of Eurasia is a permanent resident of virtually all but the northern-most parts of Europe, plus various swaths of Asia (see range map below), so it is no surprise to see one hopping sideways under shady oak trees, in a wooded park, near coastal Porvoo.
Eurasian Jay range map (Wikipedia)
This oak-loving corvid is colorful, matching this bird-book’s description:
Pigeon-sized [i.e., about 13 inches long]. Colourful woodland corvid, notoriously shy and wary – generally glimpsed as a coloured bird with black tail and white rump [who] flashes through the trees, screeching its harsh warning. Typical call is a dry, rasping skaak, a familiar woodland sound. Adult: Overall pinkish-brown coloration is relieved by the beautiful shining blue shoulder patch and thick black moustache. All plumages similar. Noisy and excitable; short crest is readily erected, exposing dark streaking. Flight: Action is hesitantly undulating on broad, blunt wings; rising birds initially show black tail contrasting with white rump and wing flashes, and bright blue shoulder patches. Unlikely to be confused [with any other local bird], but compare similar-sized Hoopoe. From below, the black tail contrast with pinkish-brown body.
• Common woodland bird, but especially with oaks – acorns a favourite food
• In recent decades, has moved increasingly into towns; in many city parks, has become bold and fearless
• Feeds on ground, jauntily hopping sideways as it searches for acorns [or insects or berries, such as blackberries]
• Their long persecution by gamekeepers as an egg-thief [i.e., snatching eggs of other birds] belies their importance as a planter of forests; Jays bury acorns throughout the autumn – indeed a single Jay can plant 3,000 acorns in a month
• Rarely seen far from the shelter of trees, a party usually breaks cover one at a time, hurriedly flapping across a clearing or valley
• As well as its angry screeches, wide repertoire of calls includes a buzzard-like mewing note [as well as other calls demonstrating mimicry].
[Quoting Chris Kightley, Steve Madge, & Dave Nurney, POCKET GUIDE TO THE BIRDS OF BRITAIN AND NORTH-WEST EUROPE (Yale University Press, 1998), page 264, emphasis added.]
Thus, as both an eater and planter of oak-seeds (which is what acorns are), the Eurasian Jay’s behavior is not unlike that of the Pinyon Jay, which both eats and plants Pinyon Pine seeds, in America’s Great West. [See “Providential Planting: The Pinyon Jay”, CREATION EX NIHILO, 19(3):24-25 (June 1997), posted at http://creation.com/providential-planting .]
Eurasian Jay perching (by Luc Viatour)
What clever birds God has made these busy woodland-dwelling corvids to be!
Who knows? Maybe my wife and I will get to re-visit Scandinavia, sometime, for more birdwatching. If so, I hope to see another Eurasian Jay – that colorful character that the French rightly call Geai des chênes: “jay of the oaks”. ><> JJSJ profjjsj@aol.com
Eurasian Jay, taking a bow (by Charlie Fleming)
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More article from James J. S. Johnson
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“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. ” (Psalms 118:23 KJV)
Marvelous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) ©©Dubi Shapiro
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“By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.” (Psalms 104:12 KJV)
Birds Singing from BeliefNet
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Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) at Riverbanks Zoo SC by Lee
“Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labor is in vain without fear; Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding. What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.” (Job 39:13-18)
Today we have thirteen (13) birds that are in four (4) Orders with a total of five (5) families. As mentioned before, these will be much easier than the LARGE Passeriformes Order that took months to view. Our Orders are the Struthioniformes, with one (1) family, Struthionidae that has two (2) Ostritches; the Rheiformes has one (1) family, Rheidae, with two (2) Rheas; and then the Casuariiformes Order has two (2) families, Casuariidae with three (3) Cassowaries and the Dromiidae family with a solo Emu; Apterygiformes Order with the Apterygidae family with five (5) Kiwis.
Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Closeup by ©WikiC
Struthioniformes, with one (1) family, Struthionidae that has two (2) Ostritches – “Ostriches are large, non-flying birds that live in Africa. Besides in their natural environment, ostriches are often breed as farm animals because some people like to eat their meat, eggs or to wear fashion products made of their skin. Although they are killed for commercial purposes, they are not endangered. There are around 2 million ostriches that can be found around the globe.” (SoftSchools)
Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) by ©Wayne Deeker
Rheiformes has one (1) family, Rheidae, with two (2) Rheas – “Rhea is a member of the group of flightless birds. This is the largest bird in the South America. There are two species of rhea: Greater or American Rhea and Lesser or Darwin’s Rhea. They differ in size and in type of habitat they inhabit. Rhea can be found in open grasslands, pampas and woodlands of Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Brazil. Rhea is also kept on farms because of its meat, eggs and skin. Number of rhea in the wild is decreased due to habitat loss, but they are still not listed as endangered species.” (SoftSchools with editing)
Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) by Ian
Casuariiformes Order has two (2) families, Casuariidae with three (3) Cassowaries – “The bird order Casuariiformes has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary, and the only remaining species of emu. The emus are classified in the family Dromaiidae, while the cassowaries are all located within the Casuariidae family. All four members of the order are very large flightless birds native to Australia-New Guinea.” (Wikipedia)
North Island Brown Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) by Derek©WikiC
Apterygiformes Order with the Apterygidae family with five (5) Kiwis – “Kiwi (pronounced /kiːwiː/) or kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae. At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites (which also consist of ostriches, emus, rheas, and cassowaries), and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world. DNA sequence comparisons have yielded the surprising conclusion that kiwi are much more closely related to the extinct Malagasy elephant birds than to the moa with which they shared New Zealand. There are five recognized species. All species have been negatively affected by historic deforestation but currently the remaining large areas of their forest habitat are well protected in reserves and national parks. At present, the greatest threat to their survival is predation by invasive mammalian predators.
Kiwi is the nickname used internationally for people from New Zealand,[1] as well as being a relatively common self-reference. The name derives from the kiwi, a flightless bird, which is native to, and the national symbol of, New Zealand. Unlike many demographic labels, its usage is not considered offensive; it is generally viewed as a symbol of pride and endearment for the people of New Zealand..” (Wikipedia with editing)
New Zealand Stamp with Kiwi ©WikiC
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”
(1 John 4:14-15 KJV)
“Hosanna, Messiah Has Come” ~ Choir and Solo by Lisa Brock
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“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” (Psalms 107:29 KJV)
Flocks Settling at the Shore by Lee
Praise the Lord, Hurricane Matthew is departing our area and the seas are calming back down. Thanks for all the prayers. Our Haitian and Bahamian friends need much prayer as they try to rebuild their lives.
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 