The Wordless Book by jmiketish
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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14 NKJV)
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See the Wordless Birds
View Though Patio Door
When I showed the first From My Window, you could see this is just a neighborhood with a small retention pond behind our home. Well, the latest photo, taken by Dan, came as a surprise.
While I was finishing up my breakfast, I noticed, what I thought was a crumpled up paper on the other side of the bank. I kept watching as it “floated” toward our side of the pond. As it got closer, I mentioned to Dan that it looked like two eyes. I stopped eating and walked to the door so I could watch closer.
WHOA!!
Finally, my suspicions were verified. A back popped up behind those eyes. AN ALLIGATOR!!!
Alligator in pond between the yards. By Dan
Dan’s camera was handy, but he didn’t have his zoom lens on. So this is the best we could do. Here is the photo after I cropped it.
Alligator in pond between the yards. Zoomed By Dan
It was not a very large one, maybe four or five feet long. Just a guess. I have been watching for it since Thursday, but so far haven’t seen it again.
We have noticed all the ducks that were around the pond have disappeared. They must have flown off to one of the other ponds in the neighborhood. Playing it safe. I doubt that the gator could have eaten all of them in one day. We saw the ducks on Wednesday.
I did watch an Anhinga swimming with just his head up today. Typical for the Anhingas, but he came out after a while without getting eaten. Plus, a Great Blue Heron safely fished along the bank today. So, maybe Mr. Beedie Eyes [as I have named him] has left.
Stay Tuned!!
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (Galatians 5:14-15 NKJV)
“Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.” (Exodus 10:10 NKJV)
Snowy Egret Viera Wetlands – 12-31-2018 by Lee
“Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will sing praises to Your name.” (Psalms 18:49 NASB)
Thank You!!, Thank You!! again for all visits and views of this blog. Last night (Oct 31, 2019) sometime the counter flipped over the Two Million mark on the visitor counter on the left side of the blog.
2 Million Views
Here’s a closer view:
Close-up of Two Million Views
On October 20th in 2013, we hit the One Million Mark. See:
Now, here we are just a tad over 6 years to the two million mark. Who ever thought that we would still be blogging after all these years. We have now been using WordPress for over 11 years, and the blog is almost 12 years old. It was begun in February 2008, but when it was moved to WordPress the counter was reset.
I am so thankful to the Lord for letting this blog be used to present His beautifully Created birds. Also, without you readers, it would not have been successful. Thank You for every visit, pages viewed, and the many comments. Those comments have come many times when I was thinking of quitting and giving up. But, just when I needed a little extra encouragement, along came a comment that was perfectly timed to keep me going.
Red-crested Turaco at Brevard Zoo by Lee
After these many years, we have met so many people from around the world, and many have become personal friends. [At least I consider you personal friends.]
Also, those that write for the blog have made great contributions: James J.S. Johnson. or Dr. Jim, as I call him; Emma Foster and her Emma’s Stories, have been two of the newest writers used during this six year span. Also, Golden Eagle drops by occasionally. Our Ian Montgomery has provide numerous post from his birding adventures.
“God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” (Genesis 1:21-22 NASB)
Thank you, Lord, for giving us so many birds to learn and write about. Thank you, readers, for every visit to this blog. I trust that the Lord will allow me the wisdom, strength, and curiosity about the Avian Wonders from His Hand to keep writing about them.
Feeding White Ibises at Lake Morton, by Lee [Dr. J.J.S. Johnson, Baron, and Dan]
Ian’s Birds of the “Moment” always surprise me. When he wrote all the Birds of the Week posts, he was very regular. Now?? Whenever the “moment” arrives, I am delighted. So, here is his latest. The Sunbittern is also a favorite of ours. Especially, when the one at Lowry Park Zoo (Zoo Tampa now) opened its wings up for a good view.
Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) by Lee at Lowry Park Zoo
“Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.| (Psalms 96:6 NASB)
“How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!” (Romans 10:15 NASB)
“My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.” (Psalms 119:148 NKJV)
Most of us don’t need coffee to open our eyes, but some do. Owls would not need to worry about being awake during the night watches, because that is when they are most active.
Just thought you might enjoy a few “tickles” from the Owl family members.
Coffee Owls ©Pinterest
Try This – Boreal Owl ©Robbie George Photos
“At the noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses, At the rushing of his chariots, At the rumbling of his wheels, The fathers will not look back for their children, Lacking courage,” (Jeremiah 47:3 NKJV)
Moist Owlet ©Pinterest
Owl You Need Is Love ©Pinterest
“But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;” (1 Thessalonians 4:9 NKJV)
Owls and a Kitten ©Pinterest
“Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NASB)
Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) by Dan
“16 a falcon, and a swan, and a ciconia,
17 and a dipper, a porphyrio, and a rearmouse, a cormorant,
18 and a calidris, all in their kind; also a lapwing and a bat.” Deuteronomy 14:16-18 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
Now here is an interesting interpretation of these 3 verses. We are going to look at these verse in a few blogs. Normally, these verses would read something similar to this:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 KJV
(16) The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
(17) And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
(18) And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) ©WikiC
or like this:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NKJV
(16) the little owl, the screech owl, the white owl,
(17) the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the fisher owl,
(18) the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) by Bob-Nan
Or maybe the New American Standard’s Version:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NASB
(16) the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
(17) the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
(18) the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat.
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) ©WikiC parent and chick
In the first post about the Wycliffe translation, the Dipper was mentioned. Part II was about the Circonia or Stork. Now, let’s look at the third bird – Part III in these verses from the Wycliffe’s
“The Porphyrio is the swamphen or swamp hen bird genus in the rail family. It includes some smaller species which are usually called “purple gallinules”, and which are sometimes separated as genus Porphyrula or united with the gallinules proper (or “moorhens”) in Gallinula. The Porphyrio gallinules are distributed in the warmer regions of the world.”
“The genus Porphyrio was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the western swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) as the type species. The genus name Porphyrio is the Latin name for “swamphen”, meaning “purple”.
Another point about this name Porphyrio that the name used for the Order and the Family use a similar name:
Check out a previous article in more depth about these birds: Name Study of the Swamphen or Waterhen
This version, Wycliffe, was taken from Bible Gateways site.
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) by AestheticPhotos
“And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,” (Leviticus 11:18 KJV)
The Pelican is mentioned in three verses in the Bible (KJV). In Leviticus 11:18 and in Deuteronomy 14:17, the Pelican is listed as one of the “Do Not Eat” birds. The Jewish people, from God’s chosen people, were given a list of birds that they were not to eat. [My “Do Not Eat” birds]
In Psalms 102:6, it mentions the Pelican in the wilderness. That will be mentioned in a later article.
Pelicans are huge birds that are larger than swans and have a remarkably enormous bill. The lower part of the bill is like a large pouch or bag that can expand to hold quarts of water. The pelican places the fish they catch in this lower part of the bill.
Brown Pelican with fish in pouch and a Laughing Gull
The White Pelican was recording holding three gallons of water in that pouch. Wow! They belong to the Pelecanidae family which is in the Pelecaniformes Order. There are eight species of Pelicans:
Mature Brown Pelican by Dan at MacDill AFB
Great White Pelican, Pink-backed Pelican, Spot-billed Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Australian Pelican, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, and the Peruvian Pelican.
Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis) by Lee at Honeymoon Is SP
McGuffey Readers were a series of graded primers for grade levels 1-6. They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling. [Posting these for young readers to enjoy and practice reading while school is out.]
Here is a story of Kingbird from the Second Grade Reader. (From Gutenberg)
McGuffey Reader Set ©WikiC
New Words:
ber’ries strikes rob’in ea’gle short king rid
foe dart fails sharp hawk worms ac’tive
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) by Margaret Sloan
1. The kingbird is not bigger than a robin.
2. He eats flies, and worms, and bugs, and berries.
3. He builds his nest in a tree, near some house.
4. When there are young ones in the nest, he sits on the top of a tree near them.
5. He watches to see that no bird comes to hurt them or their mother.
6. If a hawk, a crow, or even an eagle comes near, he makes a dash at it.
7. Though he is so small, he is brave, and he is also very active.
8. He never fails to drive off other birds from his nest.
9. He flies around and around the eagle, and suddenly strikes him with his sharp bill.
10. He strikes at his eye, and then darts away before the eagle can catch him.
11. Or he strikes from behind, and is off again before the eagle can turn round.
12. In a short time, the great eagle is tired of such hard blows, and flies away. He is very glad to get rid of his foe.
13. Is not the little fellow a brave bird?
14. Because he can drive off all other birds, he is called the KINGBIRD.
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NKJV)
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Title: McGuffey’s Second Grade Reader – Gutenberg – Author: William Holmes McGuffey
Release Date: June 29, 2005 [EBook #14668] – Language: English
Western Screech Owl (Megascops kennicottii)(captive) by Raymond Barlow
McGuffey Readers were a series of graded primers for grade levels 1-6. They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling.
oak dusk fight squeak ruf’fled
bag Fred whoo a wake’ creep’ing
1. “Where did you get that owl, Harry?”
2. “Fred and I found him in the old, hollow oak.”
3. “How did you know he was there?”
4. “I’ll tell you. Fred and I were playing ‘hide and seek’ round the old barn, one night just at dusk.
5. “I was just creeping round the corner, when I heard a loud squeak, and a big bird flew up with something in his claws.
6. “I called Fred, and we watched him as he flew to the woods. Fred thought the bird was an owl, and that he had a nest in the old oak.
Barn Owls (Family Tytonidae) with catch ©Pixelbirds
7. “The next day we went to look for him, and, sure enough, he was there.”
8. “But how did you catch him? I should think he could fight like a good fellow with that sharp bill.”
9. “He can when he is wide awake; but owls can’t see very well in the daytime, and he was taking a nap.
Northern Barred Owl (Strix varia) LPZ by Dan 2014
10. “He opened his great eyes, and ruffled up his feathers, and said, “Whoo! Whoo!’ ‘Never mind who,’ Fred said, and slipped him into a bag.”
Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) by Nikhil Devasar
May kinds of owls are mentioned in the Bible. Most of them are listed as birds to not eat.
“… the short-eared owl, ;… the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; the white owl,… (Leviticus 11:16-18 NKJV)
McGuffey’s Reader for 2nd Grade:
[Illustration: Bird perched on tree branch.] MacGillivray’s Warbler
twit-twee bough (bow) twit-twit top’most lock
spray mate close’ly ros’y an’swer (an’ser)
1. Why do you come to my apple tree,
Little bird so gray?
Twit-twit, twit-twit, twit-twit-twee!
That was all he would say.
2. Why do you lock your rosy feet
So closely round the spray?
Twit-twit, twit-twit, twit-tweet!
That was all he would say.
3. Why on the topmost bough do you get,
Little bird so gray?
Twit-twit-twee! twit-twit-twit!
That was all he would say.
4. Where is your mate? come, answer me,
Little bird so gray.
Twit-twit-twit! twit-twit-twee!
That was all he would say.
Alice Cary.
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Title: McGuffey’s Second Grade Reader – Gutenberg – Author: William Holmes McGuffey
Release Date: June 29, 2005 [EBook #14668] – Language: English
“And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” (Matthew 18:5 KJV)
Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi) ©©SanDiegoShooter
“16 a falcon, and a swan, and a ciconia,
17 and a dipper, a porphyrio, and a rearmouse, a cormorant,
18 and a calidris, all in their kind; also a lapwing and a bat.” Deuteronomy 14:16-18 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
Now here is an interesting interpretation of these 3 verses. We are going to look at these verse in a few blogs. Normally, these verses would read something similar to this:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 KJV
(16) The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
(17) And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
(18) And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
or like this:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NKJV
(16) the little owl, the screech owl, the white owl,
(17) the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the fisher owl,
(18) the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.
Or maybe the New American Standard’s Version:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NASB
(16) the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
(17) the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
(18) the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat.
In the first post about the Wycliff translation, the Dipper was mentioned.
Since names change sometimes in translations, our new one seems to be a bit strange. This is not as hard to figure out. Ciconia is the Latin name used to for a genus of Storks. See Wikipedia. One of the differences here is that it shows up in verse 16 and not in verse 18 as these mentioned. Whatever, it is still a kind of bird that was not to be eaten. It (Circonia) is used today for these Storks:
Wet Abdin’s Ibis at Jacksonville Zoo by Dan
Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii)
Woolly-necked Stork
Woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus)
Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi) by Dan at Zoo Miami
Storm’s Stork (Ciconia stormi)
Maguari Stork (Ciconia maguari) ©©ClaudioTimm
Maguari Stork (Ciconia maguari)
Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana) ©©Hiyashi Haka
Oriental Stork (Ciconia bouciana)
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) ©WikiC
Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
Another point about this name Ciconia is that the name used for the Order and the Family use a similar name:
Maybe, the Ciconia could be referring to the whole Order of Storks. See Birds of the Bible – Storks or Wikipedia Storks. I believe that is what most of the translations is indicating.
This version, Wycliffe, was taken from Bible Gateways site.
Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii) WikiC
“16 a falcon, and a swan, and a ciconia,
17 and a dipper, a porphyrio, and a rearmouse, a cormorant,
18 and a calidris, all in their kind; also a lapwing and a bat.” Deuteronomy 14:16-18 Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
Now here is an interesting interpretation of these 3 verses. We are going to look at these verse in a few blogs. Normally, these verses would read something similar to this:
American White Pelicans at Lake Hollingsworth
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 KJV
(16) The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
(17) And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
(18) And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
or like this:
Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) ©WikiC
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NKJV
(16) the little owl, the screech owl, the white owl,
(17) the jackdaw, the carrion vulture, the fisher owl,
(18) the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.
Or maybe the New American Standard’s Version:
Deuteronomy 14:16-18 NASB
(16) the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,
(17) the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
(18) the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat.
The bird that caught my attention first was the Dipper. A Dipper?? Nothing similar to a Pelican or a Jackdaw are they? Huh? Well at least a Pelican dips into the water for its fish. But a Jackdaw? Not very similar to the Dipper, other than they are both dark colored.
Since names change sometimes in translations, this one seems to be a bit strange. [At least to me] Stay tuned as we look further into these different birds. Do you have an idea as to how these birds vary in the translations?
This version, Wycliffe, was taken from Bible Gateways site.
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 