Tag Archives: Birds

Golden Eagle Takes A Name

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Golden Eagle Takes A Name

by Golden Eagle

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Golden Eagle ©PD

Golden Eagle ©PD

Boys and girls, it’s me again! I have taken on a name: the GOLDEN EAGLE. So, if you send us messages you can simply call me the Golden Eagle. My very best friend, Jesus once said;”

Behold the fowls (birds) of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? (Matthew 6:26 KJV)

Hey, as you go through your day watch the birds! It really doesn’t look like they work to hard! Jesus is saying that His Father feeds and takes care of the birds each and every day! Now here’s a thought. I don’t know what part of the world you live in? The cool thing is that God feeds the birds every day! ALL the birds in the entire WORLD. If He takes care of the birds, He will surely take care of you in whatever situations you find yourself in. I know some things are hard to deal with, even as kids. But God is up to the task and really everything is easy for Him! So TRUST HIM! Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him (Jesus). Psalm 2:12

Boys and girls, Jesus also said in our Bible verse that you are better than birds. Now birds are neat! I am a birder, a rather new birder, I have been at this a few months. You see evolution teaches that we have evolved from a rock, an explosion, a single celled creature, etc. It teaches that we are all animals. But Jesus said you are better than the birds. The truth is that you and I were created just a little bit under the angels! And do you know that angels can fly? They fly very swiftly the Bible says! Daniel 9:21 Oh that verse is talking about the angel Gabriel coming to visit the prophet Daniel.

Remember, your Heavenly Father will take care of each of you today! You also each have a guardian angel that watches over you! Maybe we have more than one guardian angel. Eventually, we will fly like the angels! Gravity doesn’t affect them you know.

Hey, have you started your journal yet? You can write down all kinds of things. Don’t forget to send us your really cool bird stories. Have a great day and if possible attend a good church on Sunday, or any day for that matter! Until next time, this is the Golden Eagle saying Shalom!

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Read more of Golden Eagle’s articles

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The Rescue of the Canary Bird

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Yellow Canary (Crithagra flaviventris) Male ©WikiC

Yellow Canary (Crithagra flaviventris) Male ©WikiC

THE RESCUE OF THE CANARY BIRD

She Watched the Little Bird.

She Watched the Little Bird.

“I am going to tell you a really true story,” said daddy, “something which happened to-day. I was walking along a rather poor part of the city when I saw a number of children gathered in a group in a little side yard of a tenement house. The children were screaming to one boy: ‘Oh, catch him! Don’t let the awful cat get him!'”

“Oh, was it a bird?” asked Jack eagerly.

“Yes,” replied daddy; “it was a bird, but not just the usual kind of bird that is seen around city streets, for only the sparrows like the noise of a city. Most birds like the woods and the country, where they can have homes in the trees and can sing all day long.

“But this was a tame yellow canary who had flown out of an open window to pick up some goodies he saw on the ground, and a cat was after him.”

“Did they get him from the cat?” asked Evelyn eagerly, for she was devoted to animals and perhaps especially to birds.

“Yes,” answered daddy; “the little boy succeeded in rescuing him, but the poor canary had been so frightened that his little heart was beating, oh, so fast, and the children were afraid he was not going to live.

“They all followed the little boy who had caught the canary just in time into the tenement house. The cat had knocked several feathers from the bird’s tail.

“Another child told me the canary belonged to a little girl who lived in the tenement. He asked me to follow, too, for he said that the little girl had trouble with her back and had to lie flat all the time. She loved visitors, for so much of the time she was lonely. Her mother was poor and out all day sewing, so the little girl’s only companion was the canary, who would sing for hours and hours. He seemed to know he must keep her cheered up.

“So along I went too. We climbed some stairs until we came to a dingy room where on a cot by the window lay a little girl about eight years old. She had big dark eyes, and when I saw her her cheeks were bright red from all the excitement.

“All her friends had gathered around, each giving her a special description of how the bird had been rescued. She was smiling with joy and watching the bird, who was now busily engaged nibbling at a little piece of apple which had been given him. Before long he began to sing, oh, so joyously, for he knew he was once more back in his happy home, where he would take good care to stay in the future.

“I told the little girl of my Jack and Evelyn, and she said she wanted to see you both. Shall we all go to see her and her little bird some day?”

“We’d love to!” cried Jack and Evelyn delightedly.

Lee’s Addition:

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Psalms 18:2)

Another delightful story from Daddy’s book.

The Yellow Canary (Serinus flaviventris) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. They have been kept for pets for many years. They belong to the Fringillidae – Finches Family.

Its habitat is karoo and coastal or mountain valley scrub. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub.

The Yellow Canary is typically 13 cm in length. The adult male color ranges from almost uniform yellow in the northwest of its range to streaked, olive backed birds in the southeast. The underparts, rump and tail sides are yellow. The female has grey-brown upperparts, black wings with yellow flight feathers, and a pale supercilium. The underparts are white with brown streaking. The juvenile resembles the female, but has heavier streaking.

The Yellow Canary is a common and gregarious seedeater. Its call is chissick or cheree, and the song is a warbled zee-zeree-chereeo.

Another Bird Tales

From

Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks

By

Mary Graham Bonner

With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis

Daddys Bedtime Story Images

 

These stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.

Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.

Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner - 1917

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Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917

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Links:

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) ©©Flickr

 

 

  Bird Tales

 

 

 

 

 

  Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories

 

 

 

Spanish Sparrow (Passer Hispaniolensis) female ©WikiC

 

  Wordless Birds

 

 

 

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 Fringillidae – Finches Family

 

 

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Birds of the Bible – Patience Of…. A Duck?

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Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) and Pintail by Lee at ZM 2014

Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) and Pintail by Lee at ZM 2014

But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’ (Job 35:10-11)

We know that God has given us more insight and wisdom than the animals and birds. Unfortunately, sometimes we need to observe the birds to see how we should behave. There are many times we can learn from watching their behaviors.

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; (Job 12:7)

While at the Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia aviary, this behavior was captured on video. It’s between Ferruginous Ducks and a Mandarin Duck.

Can you think of some lessons that can be observed and learned? Are those ducks patient? Was one, the Mandarin Duck, jumping the line? What can be seen in their behaviors? Did you notice the eyes of the waiting duck? He wants it, but he is waiting. He even keeps his beak shut. Do we complain when things don’t go right? etc.

Here are some verses about patience, waiting and kindness that we can be taught from the birds.

Patience:

These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. (Psalms 104:27)

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. (Psalms 25:21)

Kindness:

Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. (1 Corinthians 11:33)

Breaking in Line – Mandarin:

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. (Psalms 37:7-8)

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The Ferruginous Duck, also Ferruginous Pochard (Aythya nyroca) is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurasia. The species is known colloquially by birders as “Fudge Duck”. They are members of the Anatidae – Ducks, Geese & Swans Family.

Their breeding habitat is marshes and lakes with a metre or more water depth. These ducks breed in southern and eastern Europe and southern and western Asia. They are somewhat migratory, and winter farther south and into north Africa.

The adult male is a rich chestnut colour with a darker back and a yellow eye. The pure white undertail helps to distinguish this species from the somewhat similar Tufted Duck. The female is similar but duller, and with a dark eye.

These are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as Tufted Ducks and Pochards.

These birds feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants with some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish. They often feed at night, and will upend (dabble) for food as well as the more characteristic diving.

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Birds of the Bible – Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

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Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Palm Beach Zoo by Lee

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Palm Beach Zoo by Lee

And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, (Deuteronomy 14:15 KJV)
And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind, (Leviticus 11:16 KJV)

While we were on our trip last week, we stopped by the Palm Beach Zoo. I now have another bird that I have fallen in love with. The Chestnut-bellied Malkoha is a beautiful bird and we were able to see him (or her) up close.

They are members of the Cuculidae – Cuckoos Family. When that was realized, that gave another Bird of the Bible article. There have been other Cuckoo articles written:

In those articles the Cuckoos and the Couas were introduced. Now I want to introduce you to another group within the Cuculidae Family, the Malkohas.

Malkohas are large birds in the cuckoo family Cuculidae, all in the genus Phaenicophaeus. The group name is derived from the Sinhala word for the Red-faced Malkoha; Mal-Koha meaning flower-cuckoo. These are all Asian tropical species. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek phoiniko– “crimson”, and phaes “eyes” or “face”, referring to the Red-faced Malkoha. However, the ‘œ’ was mistranscribed as ‘æ’.

Raffles’s Malkoha (“P.” chlorophaeus) is a highly distinct species and may not even be as closely related to malkohas as long believed. Its placement in a monotypic genus Rhinortha is supported by a morphological, molecular and behavioral evidence.
The Green Malkoha or Yellowbill seems also distinct from the typical malkohas; it is placed in the monotypic genus Ceuthmochares. (Wikipedia)

We encountered the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha a few years ago when we visited Wings of Asia (Zoo Miami) and then again on this trip at both the Wings of Asia and Palm Beach Zoo. This time there is a video to share and some close-ups. What a beautiful creation from the Lord. I love the eyes especially. They remind me of the Egyptian painting with their eyes. Maybe they saw the Malkohas and painted their eyes like them. Oh, by the way, the Cuckoos are on the “do not list.” Who would want to eat a beautiful bird like these? According to this sign at Zoo Miami, it says the male has blue eyes and the female has yellow eyes.

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Sign by Lee at ZM 2014

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris) Sign by Lee at ZM 2014

This video was taken at the Palm Beach Zoo 2014.

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Other Malkohas in the Cuckoo Family:

Raffles’s Malkoha (Rhinortha chlorophaea)
Blue Malkoha (Ceuthmochares aereus)
Green Malkoha (Ceuthmochares australis)
Sirkeer Malkoha (Taccocua leschenaultii)
Red-billed Malkoha (Zanclostomus javanicus)
Yellow-billed Malkoha (Rhamphococcyx calyorhynchus)
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus curvirostris)
Red-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus)
Chestnut-bellied Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus sumatranus)
Blue-faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus viridirostris)
Black-bellied Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus diardi)
Green-billed Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus tristis)
Rough-crested Malkoha (Dasylophus superciliosus)
Scale-feathered Malkoha (Dasylophus cumingi)

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Gospel Presentation

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Birds of the Bible – Harpy Eagle

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Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at ZM 2014

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at ZM 2014

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: (Eze 17:3)

Dan and I were off on a birdwatching adventure this week. This time we visited the Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia aviary and the Palm Beach Zoo. With over a thousand photos to sort through, I have some new photos to share. Because of the number, it will also be awhile before they are sorted and cleaned up.

At Zoo Miami we encountered a Harpy Eagle and its young one. As far as I know, this is a first for seeing this Eagle. Its holding area is quite large and has a fly area right over the walk path. The biggest problems were a fence and it was very shady there which made photographing them challenging. But what an amazing creation by the Lord. Love that “hair do”.

And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: (Eze 17:3)

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at Zoo Miami 2014

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at Zoo Miami 2014

I was able to get a few shots through the fence. I am not complaining about the fence being between me and that eagle. Looking at that beak makes one very thankful for a barrier between us.

Wikipedia says, “On occasion, larger prey such as capybaras, peccaries and deer are taken and they are usually taken to a stump or low branch and partially eaten, since they are too heavy to be carried whole to the nest. Red brocket deer, a species commonly weighing over 30 kg (66 lb), have been reportedly predated and, in such cases, the eagle may have to tear it into pieces or feed on at the killing site rather than fly with as it would be too heavy. The Harpy have been recorded as taking domestic livestock, including chickens, lambs, goats and young pigs, but this is extremely rare under normal circumstances. They control population of mesopredators such as capuchin monkeys which prey extensively on bird’s eggs and which (if not naturally controlled) may cause local extinctions of sensitive species.”

Here is a Capybara resting alongside a White Ibis and a Crested Screamer. It gives you an idea how large a critter the Harpy can take as prey. (The Capybara is problem happy it is at Palm Beach and not down in Miami with the Hapry.)

Capybara with White Ibis and Crested Screamer by Lee at PB Zoo

Capybara with White Ibis and Crested Screamer by Lee at PB Zoo 2014

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. (Lam 4:19)

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a Neotropical species of eagle. They are one of the 256 members of the Accipitridae – Kites, Hawks & Eagles Family. It is sometimes known as the American Harpy Eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan Eagle which is sometimes known as the New Guinea Harpy Eagle or Papuan Harpy Eagle. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found in the Americas, and among the largest living species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) canopy layer. Destruction of its natural habitat has seen it vanish from many parts of its former range, and it is nearly extirpated in Central America. In Brazil, the Harpy Eagle is also known as Royal-Hawk (in Portuguese: Gavião-Real).

Because of its endangerment, zoos are keeping them to help in breeding. In fact, there is a second Harpy in this enclosure. They have been successful in having chicks born. One was born in 2009 and again in 2013. I assume this young Harpy Eagle is the one born last year.

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at Zoo Miami

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) by Lee at Zoo Miami

It is sometimes cited as the largest eagle alongside the Philippine Eagle, that is somewhat longer on average and the Steller’s Sea Eagle, that is slightly heavier on average. The wingspan of the Harpy Eagle is relatively small, an adaptation that increases maneuverability in forested habitats and is shared by other raptors in similar habitats. The wingspan of the Harpy Eagle is surpassed by several large eagles who live in more open habitats, such as those in the Haliaeetus and Aquila genera.

Additional Facts: (From Nature PBS)

  • The harpy was first described by Linnaeus in his 1758 Systema Naturae as the Vultur harpyja, after the Greek mythological spirit that had the body of an eagle and the face of a human.
  • The harpy eagle is most closely related to the crested eagle (Morphnus guianesis) and the New Guinea harpy eagle (Harpyopsis novaeguineae).
  • The harpy eagle is Panama’s national bird.
  • Its talons can be as large as the claws of a grizzly bear.
  • As an apex predator, the harpy eagle is often believed to be a key indicator of the health of the forest ecosystem. Where there are healthy numbers of harpy eagles, there are healthy numbers of the species it preys upon.
  • The exact number of harpies is not known. Birdlife International estimated that there were between 20,000 and 50,000 birds in 2009, but those numbers are far from definitive.

The Harpy Eagle is on the Coat of Arms of Panama – Harpy Eagle at Top – Wikipedia

To find out more about the Harpy see the links below. There a numerous verses in the Bible about Eagles and these are just a few more of them.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Pro 23:5)

The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws. (Dan 4:33)

Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. (Job 39:27-28)

See:

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The Naughty Little Sick Snowbird

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Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by Ray

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by Ray

THE NAUGHTY LITTLE SICK SNOWBIRD

The Bird Began to Recover.

The Bird Began to Recover.

 

 

Daddy had been encouraging Jack and Evelyn to feed the little birds that came outside the window. So one evening when it was time for their story he told them about the Christmas a little snowbird had had the year before.

“He was a very self-willed little fellow,” commenced daddy, “and he thought no one knew so much about life as he did. During the autumn he had become very chummy with the sparrows. His daddy and mother didn’t like that much, as they were afraid he would become as rude and noisy as the sparrows were.

“When the cold weather came the snowbirds decided to leave, but the little wilful snowbird was nowhere to be found. ‘Where could he have gone?’ asked Mother Snowbird, and daddy said, ‘Oh, probably he left this morning with the robins and wrens, for I saw him playing with them!’ That eased Mother Snowbird’s fears, and off they started.

“When the little snowbird saw that his family had flown away he came out from his hiding-place. He really felt a little homesick and was sorry he hadn’t gone, too; but, of course, he didn’t dare admit it, for the sparrows had told him only stupid children were obedient. They admired his naughty disobedience and thought it was a great joke to worry his family.

“A few weeks went by, and the days became colder and colder. One night he felt so cold and so unhappy that he flew away from the sparrows, expecting to die any moment.

“The next morning he was found, half dead, by a little girl. She took him in her house, warmed his frozen feet and fed him bits of crumbs and drops of water. Slowly he began to recover.

“It was the day before Christmas, and he was perched on the window-sill in the sun, when, to his huge joy, he saw Daddy and Mother Snowbird outside the window. He flew against the window-glass. The little girl came rushing into the room to see what the trouble was. She was sure from his joyous actions that the other two snowbirds were his daddy and mother, so she opened the window, and the little bird flew out.

“‘Oh, dear, we’ve been so frightened!’ said Mother Snowbird.

“‘Yes,’ said Daddy Snowbird; ‘we’ve been on ever so many trips looking for you, but now we’ll hurry down home and fly fast, so as not to get cold, and then we’ll be there in time for Christmas day. All the little birds will be there waiting for the Christmas party.’

“You may be quite sure the little snowbird never had a happier Christmas, and he realized that the older birds knew what was best for him.”

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by J Fenton

It might have been a Snow Bunting by J Fenton

Lee’s Addition:

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

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Another Bird Tales

From

Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories – Gutenberg ebooks

By

Mary Graham Bonner

With four illustrations in color by
Florence Choate and Elizabeth Curtis

Daddys Bedtime Story Images

 

These stories first appeared in the American Press Association Service and the Western Newspaper Union.

Many of the sketches in this volume are the work of Rebecca McCann, creator of the “Cheerful Cherub,” etc.

Daddy's Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner - 1917

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Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories by Mary Graham Bonner – 1917

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Links:

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) ©©Flickr

 

 

  Bird Tales

 

 

 

 

 

  Daddy’s Bedtime Bird Stories

 

 

 

Spanish Sparrow (Passer Hispaniolensis) female ©WikiC

 

  Wordless Birds

 

 

 

 

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) by J Fenton

 

 

 Calcariidae – Longspurs, Snow Buntings – Family

 

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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Chestnut-breasted Mannikin/Munia

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Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) by Ian

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Chestnut-breasted Mannikin/Munia ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter ~ 1-23-14

Please accept my apologies that it is over a month since the last bird of the week. I seem to have been distracted by Christmas, New Year, etc.

Anyway, here is a spontaneous one. I’m in the public library in Ingham at the moment getting my car serviced. I was planning to work on the book Where to Find Birds in Northeast Queensland, but had a nagging feeling that I should really do the bird of the week. I found a table at the back of the library with a pleasant view over the adjacent Tyto Wetlands and spotted 3 Chestnut-breasted Mannikins feeding on the ornamental grass seeds just outside the window.

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) by Ian

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin (Lonchura castaneothorax) by Ian

I had my camera with me and got a couple of photos of one before they noticed me (second photo) and flew away. The photos are a bit cloudy having been taken through glass, but it was good quality plate glass. Members of the genus Lonchura are usually called Mannikins in Australia but they also occur in Asia where the name Munia is used.

This incidentally, is the view of Tyto Wetlands from the library. The dark speck on the lawn in the foreground on the left hand side is the bird in the first two photos.

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin at Tyto Wetlands by Ian

Chestnut-breasted Mannikin at Tyto Wetlands by Ian

Tyto Wetlands gets its name from the Barn Owl genus Tyto as it is a known haunt of the elusive Eastern Grass Owl Tyto longimembris which nest sometimes in the grassy area between the wetlands and the local airstrip. I have seen them here on a number of occasions and they have been reported here quite recently, but no photos unfortunately yet.

Ingham is quite a small sugar-cane town so it is greatly to their credit that they, under the guidance and encouragement of John Young of recent Night Parrot fame, have created this wonderful wetland and sanctuary. There is also a large wetland centre near the highway, well worth a visit if you are passing this way.

Now back to the book. I finished the bird section and am now taking photos of as many as possible of the locations and that quest has taken me to some interesting spots that I’ve never visited before.

Best wishes
Ian

Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: 0411 602 737 +61-411 602 737
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/
Recorder Society http://www.nqrs.org.au

Lee’s Addition:

Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. (Job 40:10 NKJV)

Sounds like you were as busy as the rest of us. What a beautiful bird. I love the clean lines where the colors change. Another neat creation.

Munia and Mannikins belong to two different families. This Chestnut-breasted Mannikin is actually one of the 151 species in the Estrildidae – Waxbills, Munias & Allies Family. There is a family with Manakins that can confuse someone because of the close spelling.  (Mannikin vs Manakin) The  Pipridae – Manakins Family has 52 species in their family.

See:

Ian’s Bird of the Week

Ian’s Estrildidae Family Photos

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Yellow-rumped Munia/Mannikin

Estrildidae – Waxbills, Munias & Allies Family

Pipridae – Manakins Family

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Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush

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Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi) at Cincinnati Zoo by Lee

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV)

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My Faith Still Holds by the Faith Baptist Orchestra. (Used With Permission of Faith Baptist Church)

(Music and photos are used by permission. If copied, you must obtain permission also.)

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Laughingthrushes are members of the Leiothrichidae – Laughingthrushes Family.

See:

Falling Plates

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More Sunday Inspiration

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Sunday Inspiration – Eagles

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But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

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Listen to music as the slideshow presents some of the Lord’s beautifully created birds.

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Don’t Give Up © by The Hyssongs (Used With Permission of the Hyssongs)

(Music and photos are used by permission. If copied, you must obtain permission also.)

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Eagles are members of the Accipitridae – Kites, Hawks and Eagles Family.

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More Sunday Inspiration

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Bird of the World – Blue-Cheeked Bee-eater

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What a neat video of the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. I have seen photos of them, but seeing birds in action is always special. There are some birds that just hit my fancy as I admire the Lord’s Handiwork. The Bee-eaters are one of those.

By Igor Byshnev

Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV
(25) “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
(26) 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?
(27) Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
(28) “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;
(29) and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
(30) Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
(31) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
(32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
(34) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Bee-eaters belong to the Meropidae – Bee-eaters Family which has 27 species.

As the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by sallies from an open perch. While they pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet. Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) comprise from 20% to 96% of all insects eaten, with honey bees comprising approximately one-third of the Hymenoptera. (Wikipedia with editing)

Articles Mentioning Birds From This Family:

Other Websites that have photos of this Family:

Gideon

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Greetings From …?

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Greetings From …?

by Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle ©PubDom

Golden Eagle ©PD

Oh, I know you don’t know them all, neither do I! But that is how we learn about God’s Creation. We use the five senses that Jesus created us with. Hey, can you let us know what the five senses are?

Also, in your very own journal, write down interesting bird stories. We all have one I am sure.

Let’s start this amazing journey together. If you stay with me, at the end of your life, you will also fly like a bird all the way to a place called Heaven, if you are saved!

The first book of the Bible is a book of beginnings! It is called Genesis for good reason, it means beginning. On day number five the Bible says in Genesis1:20

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl (birds) that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 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.

So boys and girls, birds have been with us since day number five! A long time, not millions of years, but thousands of years! Another interesting bit of knowledge: The great whales are actually the sea monsters that maybe you have heard about, yes that’s right, the dinosaurs of past ages. Also, the land animals and land dinosaurs were created the day after the birds. You know evolution teaches us that birds have evolved from the dinosaurs! However, the Bible says that God made dinosaurs and birds at the same time!

Well, I must fly away for now, I have other things that I must do today! Bye until next time!

Oh, thanks for joining us on this amazing journey into the world of birds and the Word of God!

Golden Eagle

See Ya!

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Read more of Golden Eagle’s articles

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Golden Eagle’s Greeting (Relocated)

 

Bible Birds – Wood Storks

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Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) by Lee

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) by Lee

While we were on the same birdwatching trip to Circle B (American Bittern), we encountered a Wood Stork. There are five verses in the Bible that mention the Stork:

And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (Leviticus 11:19 KJV)

And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. (Deuteronomy 14:18 KJV)

Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. (Psalms 104:17 KJV)

Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 KJV)

Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. (Zechariah 5:9 KJV)

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) by Lee Landing

Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) by Lee Landing

While we were birdwatching at Circle B just before Christmas, a Wood Stork flew over and landed in a tree a good way from us. Thanks to the zoom on my camera, I was able to capture its picture. They amaze me that they are “ugly” up close, but when they fly, they are so beautiful and graceful to watch. We see them quite often here and I have been known to feed them at Lake Morton. They also fly over our house and land in our community pond.

Lee feeding Wood Stork at Lake Morton by Dan

Lee feeding Wood Stork at Lake Morton by Dan 2011

As mentioned above, Storks are birds in the Bible and are members of the Ciconiidae – Storks Family. Currently there are 19 Storks in this family. The Bible does not tell which one is being mentioned, but most like one of the Storks that lived in Israel.

Our Wood Stork here is a broad-winged soaring bird that flies with its neck outstretched and legs extended. It forages usually where lowering water levels concentrate fish in open wetlands; it also frequents paddy fields. Walking slowly and steadily in shallow water up to its belly, it seeks prey, which, like that of most of its relatives, consists of fish, frogs and large insects. It catches fish by holding its bill open in the water until a fish is detected. (Wikipedia)

“Tall and long-legged, the wood stork is the largest wading bird native to America. It is white with black flight feathers, distinctive because of its dark, featherless head (down to the upper neck) and thick, down-curved bill. Wood storks fly with neck and legs extended, interrupting strong wing beats with brief glides; their wingspan is 5 1/2 feet.” (FL FWCC) Their length is 33.5–45.3 in (85–115 cm) and weigh between72.3 to 93.1 oz (2050–2640 g). (NatGeo)

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