Start Birdwatching Today: Enjoy The Lord’s Paintbrush – U.S.

May 15, 2012 by Lee

Wood Duck by Dan at Lake Hollingsworth

I trust you are enjoying our “Start Birdwatching Today!” series. We have been trying to motivate you to go out and observe the many birds around you.

Seeing as our subtitle is “Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective,” I want to do a few articles that you won’t see in most birding books. We believe that the world and all that its critters were created by the Lord and not evolved.

For thus says the Lord–Who created the heavens, God Himself, Who formed the earth and made it, Who established it and did not create it to be a worthless waste; He formed it to be inhabited–I am the Lord, and there is no one else. (Isaiah 45:18 AMP)
O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions—
(Psalms 104:24 NKJV)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28 NKJV)

While creating the birds, the Lord has used a fantastic array of colors and designs. I can imagine Him using a fine brush when some of my favorite birds here in America were being dressed for “His pleasure.”

Look at this Blue Jay, seen in most parts of our country or his cousins out west. Can’t you just imagine a painter or artist putting the colors and marks on him?

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) by Daves BirdingPix

His cousin the Green Jay from down in the valley of Texas.

Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus) by S Slayton

Or, how about a Painted Bunting that looks like He just took a little dab of this and a little dab of that?

Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) ©©Flickr

The Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) Red-shafted ©WikiC

and its cousin the Acorn Woodpecker.

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) (3) by Raymond Barlow

Tiny birds that have iridescent colors like our Hummingbirds just glisten when the light shines on them the right way. Our eastern Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Ray’s Wildlife

and the western Magnificent Hummingbird.

Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) by Judd Patterson

Do you see a designer and a painter at work? My favorite one of all is the Wood Duck at the top. Dan took that at Lake Morton in Lakeland. (It really is a live duck, not a painting.) Those fine lines are just awesome to me. They actually have a cousin that hangs out more on the western side of America. It is the Harlequin Duck.

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) ©WikiC

There are many more that could be shown, but if you”Start Birdwatching Today” they may just pass by for you to take a look. Then thank the Lord for His many blessings to us.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33 NKJV)

See the whole “Start Birdwatching Today” series

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black-winged Petrel

May 14, 2012 by Ian

Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) by Ian Montgomery 1

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black-winged Petrel ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter – 5/14/12

Three weeks ago we had the Cape Petrel. Here is the Black-winged Petrel, another species, like the White Tern and Grey Ternlet, that I had seen twenty years ago on Lord Howe Island and was keen to photograph on Norfolk Island. With a length of 28-30cm/11-12in and a wingspan of 67cm/26in, this is quite a small species with elegant black, grey and white markings and a stubby, hooked bill, visible in the first photo.

It nests on both the main island and Phillip Island – where it was quite abundant – and was easy to find as, unlike most petrels and shearwaters, it is active around the breeding colonies in daylight. Most petrels and shearwaters come ashore under cover of darkness to reduce the risk of avian predators such as raptors and gulls, but the Black-winged has historically nested on predator-free islands. ‘Historically’ here means before human settlers introduced predators such as feral cats.

Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) by Ian Montgomery 2

Black-winged Petrels are accomplished fliers and spent much time in aerial acrobatics around and over cliffs. The generic name Pterodroma means ‘winged runner’ and refers to their aerial agility. The one in the second photo is coming in to land near its nesting burrow and passing some Norfolk Island Pines. All petrels and shearwater, except the Giant Petrels, have very weak legs and once on the ground are barely mobile using their wings to drag themselves along on their bellies.

Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) by Ian Montgomery 3

Like many island birds, they seemed unafraid and didn’t appear agitated when approached closely to have their photos taken. The fourth photo shows the tubular nostrils characteristic of this family of birds and their close relatives the albatrosses and storm-petrels. All these ‘tube-nosed’ birds are thought to have a strong sense of smell – very unusual for birds – that helps them find both marine prey and their nesting burrows on dark nights, and the birds themselves apparently have a strong musty odour during the breeding season.

Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis) by Ian Montgomery 4

The hooked bill helps the birds grasp slippery prey – mainly squid and small fish – and the bills have sharp cutting edges. The Black-winged is one of about 36 global species of Pterodroma petrels collectively and, I think unfairly, called Gadfly Petrels, in reference to their erratic flight. As I’m sure you know, Gadflies are nasty blood-sucking insects such as Horse and March Flies, and there must be other more congenial erratic fliers after which they could been named. Anyway, Gadfly Petrels feed on the wing by snatching prey from the surface of the water and rarely alight on the water or dive.

The Black-winged Petrel breeds on islands in the south Pacific including Lord Howe, Norfolk, various islands around New Zealand and on several in French Polynesia. Helped by protection and the removal of predators such as feral cats, its population is increasing and it has bred on Lord Howe only since the 1960s. There are unproven recent reports of it breeding on some islands on the east coast of Australia, where it is generally rare. Outside the breeding season, it is highly pelagic and ranges widely over the Pacific as far as southern Japan and Mexico.

Best wishes
Ian
**************************************************

Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Check the latest website updates:
http://www.birdway.com.au/#updates
**************************************************

Lee’s Addition:

Thanks, Ian, for another interesting Newsletter. Trust you all are enjoying Ian’s Bird of the Week newsletters as well as I do. They are so informative and he introduces us to such a variety of birds. His photograph is outstanding.

The Black-winged Petrel is a member of the Procellariidae – Petrels, Shearwaters Family which has 87 species. They are in the Procellariiformes Order. The order has 3 other families, the Storm Petrels, Diving Petrels and the Albatrosses.

And God said, “…and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” (Genesis 1:20 ESV)

See Bird of the Week for more articles by Ian.

Birds in Hymns – Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above

May 12, 2012 by Lee

European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) ©WikiC

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. (Psalms 84:10 KJV)

Words – Henry F. Lyte, 1834

Music – Benevento, arranged from Samuel Webbe, Sr., (1740-1816), 1792

Alternate tune: Maidstone, Walter B. Gilbert, 1863

Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above

Benevento

Maidstone

Pleasant are Thy courts above,
In the land of light and love;
Pleasant are Thy courts below
In this land of sin and woe;
O, my spirit longs and faints
For the converse of Thy saints,
For the brightness of Thy face,
For Thy fullness, God of grace.

Happy birds that sing and fly
Round Thy altars, O most High;
Happier souls that find a rest
In a heavenly Father’s breast;
Like the wandering dove that found
No repose on earth around,
They can to their ark repair,
And enjoy it ever there.

Happy souls, their praises flow
Even in this vale of woe;
Waters in the desert rise,
Manna feeds them from the skies;
On they go from strength to strength,
Till they reach Thy throne at length,
At Thy feet adoring fall,
Who hast led them safe through all.

Lord, be mine this prize to win,
Guide me through a world of sin,
Keep me by Thy saving grace,
Give me at Thy side a place;
Sun and shield alike Thou art,
Guide and guard my erring heart.
Grace and glory flow from Thee;
Shower, O shower them, Lord, on me.

Wordless Birds

Song Sparrow

Start Birdwatching Today: What is that Sound?

May 7, 2012 by Lee

Birds are very vocal at times and they give us a great clue as to what bird it is. Eventually as you become better in your birdwatching adventures, it will help to learn some of their sounds and noises.

As you are observing birds that are singing or calling, you can learn to associate that sound to that bird. That is the beginning and it is almost automatic. When you hear a bird, but do not see it, then you will either recall one you have seen and be able to ID it, or you can start studying the sounds so the next time you can know what the unseen bird is.

There are several methods that birders use. Audio CDs and computer programs have Bird sounds along with photos of the bird to assist your learning.

The Internet has places like the WhatBird, All About Birds, Birding by Ear Basics,

Here is an interesting video about blind people birding by ear. Very interesting.

Here are some of the birds you may already know. These are local birds here, but also seen around other parts of the country. Also a very nice verse to remember while “birding by sound.” I used this verse when taking my General Amateur License test that was all Morse Code. It helped calm my heart even though it refers to the Lord hearing us, but it helped me to hear those dots and dashes. (Only 8 of 115 of us passed the test that day.)

LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: (Psalms 10:17 KJV)

All of these sounds are coming from the Xeno-canto.org website.

Blue Jay in tree at Hampton Pines

Blue Jay

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) by Daves BirdingPix

Northern Cardinal

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) at Lake Howard, Winter Haven, Florida By Dan’sPix

Boat-tailed Grackle

Red-winged Blackbird at Bok Sanctuary

Red-winged Blackbird

Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) by BirdsInFocus

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Great Horned Owl – Lowry Pk Zoo by Lee

Great Horned Owl

How many did you all ready know?

Some like to put words to their sounds like these from Birding By Ear — Bird Song Identification

Listen here to a few bird songs and calls that have good mnemonic phrases:
Eastern Towhee — “Drink your tea-ea-ea”
Whip-poor-will — The name says it all.
Black-capped chickadee — Some music and talk first, then the “Chick-a-dee-dee-dee”
White throated sparrow — “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody”
Black-throated green warbler — “Zee zee zee zoo zee”
Barred Owl — “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all”

Links:
WhatBird
All About Birds
Birding by Ear Basics
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Start Birdwatching Today Series

Birds of the Bible – Silly Dove

May 5, 2012 by Lee

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Lee

Ephraim is like a dove, silly and without sense, calling to Egypt, going to Assyria. (Hosea 7:11 ESV)

I came across this verse yesterday in my reading of Scripture. Hadn’t noticed it before, at least that I recall. So what it is this about a “Silly Dove”? After checking Wikipedia, nothing showed up that indicates silliness. Then it was off to Cornell’s About Birds, still nothing indicating a silly dove. Even checked their PigeonWatch, no luck. (Doves and Pigeons are in the same family, Columbidae) At a dove hunting site, they indicated that they were easy to flush out to either shoot or capture.

Now it is time for e-Sword to help figure this out. Putting Hosea 7:11 in the compare mode revealed most of the versions used “silly”, but a few other words show up such as; mindless, foolish, senseless, decoyed, easily deceived.

The second part of the verse says the dove is “without sense.” Again here are some of the other translations; without understanding, not having a heart or heartless, without wisdom, fluttering back and forth, lacking sense, clueless, easily tricked.

When the commentaries were checked out, then the verse started making more sense. In context, Ephraim is being called the “silly dove” because of their trying to depend on others instead of God. God is trying to get them to turn back to Him, but they are “easily deceived.” Are people not like that today? They would rather search out other philosophies (like evolution) or religions instead of turning to their Creator God.

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) by Dan

Comments from the Commentaries:

(JFB)
like a silly dove — a bird proverbial for simplicity: easily deceived.
without heart — that is, understanding.
call to Egypt — Israel lying between the two great rival empires Egypt and Assyria, sought each by turns to help her against the other. As this prophecy was written in the reign of Hoshea, the allusion is probably to the alliance with So or Sabacho II (of which a record has been found on the clay cylindrical seals in Koyunjik), which ended in the overthrow of Hoshea and the deportation of Israel (2Ki_17:3-6). As the dove betrays its foolishness by fleeing in alarm from its nest only to fall into the net of the fowler, so Israel, though warned that foreign alliances would be their ruin, rushed into them.

(Believer’s Bible Commentary) Ephraim flew like a silly dove . . . to Egypt and Assyria for help, but God would catch the dove in a net and punish the people.

Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart – A bird that has little understanding; that is easily snared and taken; that is careless about its own young, and seems to live without any kind of thought. It has been made, by those who, like itself, are without heart, the symbol of conjugal affection. Nothing worse could have been chosen, for the dove and its mate are continually quarrelling.

(Exposing the Word) A Silly Dove- unstable, flitting from one hope to another. God stands trying to catch them in the snare accord to verse 12.

(Geneva Translation Notes) That is, without all judgment, as those that cannot tell whether it is better to cleave only to God, or to seek the help of man.

(Haydock) Decoyed. Hebrew, “stupid,” chap. iv. 11. The dove is the only bird which is not grieved at the loss of its young. (St. Jerome) — It returns to the same nest, though repeatedly robbed, forgetting past dangers. (Theodoret) — Thus Israel is not reclaimed, though idolatry has so often proved its ruin. — Egypt. Jeroboam had returned thither, and at his return brought about a division of the kingdom, 3 Kings xi. 40. Osee, the last king, applied to Sua, and this provoked the Assyrians to destroy the kingdom. They pretended that it was tributary to them, after Phul had been invited to assist Manahem for a thousand talents, 4 Kings xv. 19., and xvii. 4. Thus was a worldly policy confounded.

(John Wesley Explanatory Notes) Like a silly dove – Ephraim is now become like the dove in weakness and fear, as well as in imprudence and liableness to be deceived. Without heart – Without either discretion or courage. To Assyria – Instead of going to God, who alone can help.

(J Vernon McGee) This is another interesting illustration. If you have ever been dove hunting, you know that if a dove has a nest with eggs or little ones in it she will act as if she has a broken wing and actually let you get very close to her. She tries to lure you away from her nest. Actually, that is not a very smart move on the part of the dove for two reasons. When a dove lets you get that close to her, you know there is a nest nearby. Secondly, she endangers her own life.

Now here was Ephraim. She refused to run to God for help. So first she ran down to Egypt for help. When Egypt wouldn’t give her the help she wanted, she went up to Assyria and asked for help. She went back and forth like a silly dove. What a picture!

(Life Application Study Bible) Israel’s King Menahem had paid Assyria to support him in power (2Ki_15:19-20); King Hoshea turned against Assyria and went to Egypt for help (2Ki_17:4). Israel’s kings went back and forth, allying themselves with different nations when they should have allied themselves with God.

Mourning Dove by Reinier Munguia

The explanation I like the best comes from Dr. Joe Temple about the Dove. This is his understanding of it. I know I am quoting much, but it makes great sense.

The Innocent Dove

Hosea 7

11	Ephraim also is like a silly dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Assyria.

Here Ephraim is compared to a silly dove. A better word for silly would be innocent . Ephraim was innocent enough to think that Egypt and Assyria could come to her rescue when the chastening hand of God was resting upon her. Oftentimes Hosea had seen a dove ensnared because of its innocence, because it was not wary of that that would ensnare it. He recognized that characteristic of the dove and he said, “Ephraim is just like that.”

Go with me to the New Testament and notice the Lord Jesus Christ not only told us to be bird watchers, but He was a bird watcher Himself, for He noticed the characteristics of the dove and brought one of those characteristics to the attention of the people to whom He was speaking. This needs to be emphasized for us today. Notice, Matthew, chapter 10, verse 16. He said to His disciples:

Matthew 10

16	Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Notice: “…harmless as doves.” A better word for harmless is innocent . The reason that He said that is that He wanted us to be wise concerning the things of God and simple and innocent concerning the things that are evil. I think that one of the biggest lies that the Devil is telling Christian people today, particularly Christian parents, is that their children must not be too protected, for if they are, they will not know how to handle themselves in a world that is full of sin. The Devil is suggesting to people today that Christian people need to be familiar with all of the sinful things that are going on in the world so that they will know how to react when they face them.

I don’t believe that. I believe your children can be grounded in the Word of God so that they live by princiiples that are applicable to any situation in any generation, and I believe you can be likewise. I always respond to the suggestion that we need to know about sin so that we know how to react to it with a statement that a man from another generation made when he said, “You don’t have to go through the sewer to know how dirty it is. All you need to do is go down to the sewage plant and you will know. Go where the sewer comes out.” The devil would have us believe we have to be involved in order to know what is going on. We don’t. Remember the dove. Christ said, “I am sending you out into the world which is full of wolves, ready to pounce on you, but I want you to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

Links:

Cool Pigeon Facts – Cornell

Mourning Dove – All About Birds

Wordless Birds

Ian’s Bird of the Week – (Norfolk Island) Golden Whistler

May 4, 2012 by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – (Norfolk Island) Golden Whistler ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter: 5-4-12

My apologies for a belated bird of the week. When I was in Eungella recently chasing the so-named Honeyeater, I encountered a very obliging male Golden Whistler, below, so I’ve chosen it to introduce this week’s subject.

Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis) by Ian

It’s one of the most gorgeous of the woodland birds of eastern and southern Australia and one of those unusual birds that, unlike Rainbow Lorikeets for example, both look and sound strikingly beautiful. It featured as bird of the week in January 2005, but I don’t suppose you’ll mind me repeating it and I want to share with you the interestingly different Norfolk Island equivalent.

Australian Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island) (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta) by Ian

The bird in the second photo, one of a pair we encountered, is, or could be, an adult male Norfolk Island Golden Whistler. I say ‘could be’ because there, the adult males do not develop the striking yellow and black plumage of the mainland races and remain ‘hen-plumaged’, to quote Schodde and Mason. This was recognised early on in the settlement of the island and it was original described as a separate species, the Norfolk Island Thickhead (Pachycephala means ‘thick-head’) P. xanthoprocta, where xanthoprocta refers to the yellow vent. Here is a painting of a pair by John Gould.

Australian Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island) (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta) by Ian Drawing

He has labelled the bird in the foreground as a male, and the one in the background as a female. There are subtle differences in plumage, with the female being more lemon-yellow underneath and the male being more buffish yellow and. having darker dark lores. I haven’t been able to find whether these differences are consistent, but it seemed to me that the bird in photo above (141464) looks more like the Gouldian male than its partner below (141440).

Australian Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island) (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta) by Ian

Mainland juvenile Golden Whistlers have rusty margins on the wing feathers and this is the case with the Norfolk Island birds, as shown in the next photo taken on a different occasion when we were hanging around waiting for the Norfolk Island Parakeets to show up.

Australian Golden Whistler (Norfolk Island) (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta) Juv by Ian

To this day, the taxonomic status of the Golden Whistler ‘complex’ remains unresolved. There are different races on the mainland and in neighbouring locations such as New Guinea, New Britain and Fiji. The mangrove-inhabiting Golden Whistler of northern and western Australia has been elevated to specific status but the others have remained in the too-hard basket and are still lumped together as a single species. It seems to me unusual for avian taxonomists to be stumped by a problem like this, but maybe they’ve met their match.

Best wishes

Ian

**************************************************
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Check the latest website updates:
http://www.birdway.com.au/#updates
**************************************************
*

Lee’s Addition:

Very interesting and a beautiful bird. I couldn’t resist finding out what this “whistler” sounds like. It is very pretty sounding. Take a listen.

Sound of Golden Whistler

In that day the LORD will whistle for the fly that is at the end of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. (Isaiah 7:18 ESV)

The Whistlers are found in the Pachycephalidae – Whistlers and Allies. There are 58 members of the family. This Australian Golden Whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis xanthoprocta) is one of those subspecies; there are at least 7 subspecies. The “Norfolks” are found on the Norfolk Island, as Ian mentioned.

The Norfolk Golden Whistler (P. p. xanthoprocta) declined for many years due to habitat loss and fragmentation and possible due to introduced predators such as the Black Rat. Most of the population is now restricted to the Norfolk Island National Park. This has resulted in it being listed as vulnerable by the Australian Government.

Links:

Check out Ian’s other Whistlers

Australian Golden Whistler – Wikipedia

Pachycephalidae – Whistlers and Allies

Birdwatching at MacDill AFB, May 2012

May 3, 2012 by Lee

Dan and Black Skimmers

Today, Dan and I had to run over to Tampa for a couple of errands. We stopped by the MacDill AF Base to see how the birds were faring out on their beach on Tampa Bay. When we were there a month or so ago, there were lots of shorebirds. Since there have been many of reports lately from the Listing Service of migrants passing through the state, we thought we would take a look. Tampa is about 45 miles to the west of us and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. We didn’t have the time to go on over to the gulf.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Our biggest surprise, and the only one, was a pair of Yellow-crowned Night Herons along one of the canals. Down at the beach, we only found the usual Skimmers, Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls, two kinds of Terns; Royal and Sandwich, Turnstones, Willet, White Ibises, and the proverbial Brown Pelicans flying by in formation. A little disappointing, but enjoyable none the less. Even when I only see one bird, I enjoy my birdwatching adventures. I assume most of the birds have already passed by or they were not in much of a beach mood today.

Ruddy Turnstone

Even though few species seen today, aren’t they all amazing to watch? I am always amazed at the variety of birds that we get the pleasures of watching.

Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. (Job 9:10 KJV)

White Ibis

And

Some of the birds at the beach Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns and Black Skimmers

I also shot a video of some of the birds at the shore. There are Black Skimmers, which I think are cute walking around, Royal Terns, Sandwich Tern and Laughing Gulls relaxing together.

One other bird spotted out my back window a few days ago was this House Finch. All winter the normal House Finches and some orange variant ones visited the feeders. This one seems to have combined the two together. Thought it was rather different and wanted to share it. It was shot through the window and screen, so not the best shot.

Interesting House Finch at feeder

Genuine Blogger Award Given To This Blog

May 2, 2012 by Lee

Genuine Blogger Award

Sandra Conner has nominated me for the “Genuine Blogger” Award. What an honor and a very nice compliment from Sandra. Here is the e-mail I received from her.

Hi, Lee. I am writing to let you know that I have nominated you for the “Genuine Blogger” Award. You may have already received it, but I did not see it posted on your site. Assuming I am not mistaken, you will find the details on my site at this link: http://sandraconner.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/genuine-blogger-award/

This nomination is most “genuine” (no pun intended), because you are one of the most sincere and genuine bloggers that I’ve met on here.
I received this award myself on April 17, and I am only now getting other people nominated. Hopefully, with my awkward computer’s cooperation, I will be able to get to nominations for the “Versatile Blogger”Award tomorrow. (Which I nominated her for.)
Blessings. Sandra

Wow! I am overwhelmed. This is the second award received in the last few weeks. Sandra Conner is a very talented Christian Writer and produces the Sandra Conner … By The Book blog. She is looking at life from behind the pen of a Christian writer and doing a very fine job of it. She also produces her first blog “Hangin’ Out With God,” which is a site devoted exclusively to things about the Lord Jesus Christ and ministry. Her second, “Happy Patriot,” is a blog on which she feel free to comment on any number of subjects, but mostly on patriotic and political issues. Her third blog, Sandra Conner … By The Book, is where this award came from. I have enough problems keeping up with this blog and she is doing three of them. Please stop by her sites for a visit and you will be blessed.

By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 NKJV)

The rules for accepting this award require me to tell my readers 7 random things about myself and then, of course, pay the honor forward by nominating 7 other bloggers for the Genuine Blogger Award as well. So many of my blogging friends already have so many awards, I will try to be sure I choose from those who do not already have this one.

Seven Random Things About Me:

I am a born again Christian who accepted the Lord as my personal Savior in 1960.
Dan and I are coming up on our 49th Anniversary in July.
It took 16 years to finish my degree from Bob Jones University. (Slow learner)
I love going birdwatching and writing for this blog.
My favorite color is blue.
I am the last of nine children. (and the shortest)
I enjoy serving the Lord even though I grumble now and then. :0)

Now for my nominations for the Genuine Blogger Award. All of these bloggers are people whom I consider sincere people who appreciate their opportunity to blog and be a part of the WordPress blogging community — as I do. I’m listing them in no particular order. There are so many that it is going to be hard to only pick seven. All of them are great, and I encourage my readers to check them out.

My Nominations for the Genuine Blogger Award:

Christian Nature – See the glory of God’s nature!
ajmithra21 – Combines Birds and Music – very talented Christian
The Birding Bunch – Amateur ornithologists with a Christian worldview
Morningjoy’s Weblog – Thoughts and photos to share with you
Bill of the Birds – Editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, but also a great blogger
Ivman’s Blague – “one French and German teacher’s humorous and serious perspectives on life…”
Evidence of Design – “Creation Evidence in the World of Nature”

The rules for accepting the award are pretty simple:

Post an article stating that you have been nominated and include the name and link to the blogger who nominated you.

You should also include the logo of the award on your post, and in your sidebar (or on a permanent page) so that everyone who visits your site will know that you have won the award.

Tell your readers seven random things about yourself.

Pass the honor forward by nominating seven other bloggers that you feel deserve the award. Include links to their blogs in your post.

Notify those seven bloggers that you have nominated them.

There is no time limit for passing on the award. So if you don’t know very many bloggers yet, just go ahead and post the award on your site and nominate the few that you feel fit that category. You can always add more later after you get to know them.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Start Birdwatching Today: When Should I Go?

April 30, 2012 by Lee

Wood Storks in Trees in Fog at Circle B

Start Birdwatching Today: When Should I Go?

You can go birdwatching anytime, but you may or may not find many birds. There are benefits of finding out when the birds you are looking for is out and about. In the beginning stages of birding, you just want to find birds, right?

The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. (Song of Solomon 2:12 NKJV)

To start, most birds are active in the morning. Many around sunrise are getting up and are hungry from resting all night. Just like us, they need some “breakfast.” They start stretching, singing, searching for a meal. Give or take around 11:00 am they are resting or starting to settle down for most of the afternoon. Then around 3 or 4, depending on the time of the year, they start looking for a snack or meal before they again settle in for the night.

If you have feeders in your yard, the same is true. The morning and for a few hours before dark will be your most active times to see the birds.

Birds that roost together as a flock start heading to their night-time hangout. For instance, locally at Circle B Bar Reserve, the Herons, Egrets, Wood Storks, Ibises and White Pelicans (during winter) come back in to rest for the night. One of my neatest experiences was when the White Pelicans started arriving at Circle B around 4:45 pm for the night. (Ignore my crazy talk, I was just flabbergasted!)

If you like to see Owls, Nighthawks, Whip-poor-wills, and the other night birds, then, they are quiet in the daytime, but come out to “hoot” and “holler” right around dark and throughout the night. They start settling down around dawn.

Weather is a big factor also in when to go. Fog makes it hard. Windy days will cause the many birds to stay low. It is as if they are “grounded.” Rain of course makes it rough on you to go out and watch and they are seeking shelter which can make them harder to observe. They are out there and they still get hungry. Also, down here in the winter, we get lots of visiting birds and that is a good time of the year to watch our feathered friends.

Mom and Baby at Lake Hollingsworth

“Many birdwatchers occupy themselves with observing local species (birding in their “local patch”, but may also make specific trips to observe birds in other locales. The most active times of the year for birding in temperate zones are during the spring or fall migrations when the greatest variety of birds may be seen. On these occasions, large numbers of birds travel north or south to wintering or nesting locations. Early mornings are typically better as the birds are more active and vocal making them easier to spot.

Weather plays an important role in the occurrence of rare birds. In Britain, suitable wind conditions may lead to drift migration, and an influx of birds from the east. In North America, birds caught in the tail-end of a hurricane may be blown inland.” (Wikipedia)

This is not an in-depth study, just some of my tips to get you started in your birdwatching adventure. Trust you are enjoying our series, Start Birdwatching Today.

Links:

Best time of day to watch birds ? – Bird Forum

Bird Watching Tips – All About Birds

Start Birdwatching Today: What Kind of Bird is This?

April 23, 2012 by Lee

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) by Daves BirdingPix

What kind of birds is this? Are you kidding, Stephen, that is a wide open question? If you have been following this “Start Birdwatching Today” series you know that Stephen, our Assistant to the Pastor, asked me to do some new articles about birding for our church blog, The Fountain. He came up with the titles and I am writing the articles. This one can go so many directions and involves more effort than our previous blogs, for me and the readers. Now we are getting into the “heart” of birding or birdwatching.

I have been encouraging you to become aware of the birds around you and to take notes about them. This is where all birders begin to learn about the birds. When you go out birdwatching it is nice to go with someone who has been birding for awhile. They can tell you the bird’s name and something about it. Even those of us who have been doing it awhile don’t know every bird. Being by yourself or just seeing one out your window brings you to this question, “What kind of bird is this? So, what do you do?

Sandhill Cranes – Adult and Juvenile in yard 8/27/10

Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 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 1:20-23 NKJV)

This is where Bird Guides come in handy, but here in America there are over 900 species. Now begins the process of elimination. When the Lord created the birds, He did not put name tags on them, but in a way, He did. You will discover that each family of birds differs from other families, yet within families, there are different colors, markings, and subtle differences. If your bird is small and you have seen our local Sandhill Cranes, you can eliminate that whole Crane family. Most have seen a sparrow at one time. Was your bird about that size? Now you can eliminate almost the front half of your Guide. In other words, size is very important as a clue.

Blue Jay II at Bok Tower by Dan’s Pix

What color was it? Another clue. Most guides don’t list the birds by color, but there are some that do (The Easy Bird Guide), also on the Internet, there are places to find the bird by color. WhatBird is a great example of this. If you go to the Attributes Page you will see what are the main things to ask about the bird. Notice the list of birds above the buttons, it starts with all 924 birds. As you make selections, the number decreases and you eventually end up with just a few choices to make your selection from.

Location – Where did you see it? Florida, Georgia, etc.

Shape – Chicken like, Duck, Gull, Hawk, Hummingbird, etc.

Size – Very small, small, medium, large, very large

Color – Primary and Secondary colors

Habitat – Was it at the coast, mountains, desert, lake, etc.

Bill Shape – All purpose, cone, curved, dagger, etc.

Bill Length – Same as head, longer or shorter than head

Wing Shape – Broad, long, pointed, rounded, tapered, very long

Backyard Feeder – Frequently or rare

Others – Order, Family, Song pattern or call.

I think for now, that is enough. We will need to cover more in another article. I have put several photos on the page which you probably already know. Try using the What Bird tools and see if you can get to the right bird. Start with the Northern Cardinal. Put in Florida for Location (924 to 362), Shape=Perching-like (362 to 165), Color Primary=Red (165 to 8), Bill Shape=Cone (8 to 4). You now only have 4 choices to look at. Try it. As you click on the name you will see lots of information about that bird.

Links:

What Bird Tools
How to ID Birds – All About Birds
How to Identify Birds – Audubon
Bird Identification Tips – About.Com Birding/Wild Birds
How-to Videos:
How to Identify Birds
Topography (Parts of the Bird)

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Eungella Honeyeater

April 22, 2012 by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Eungella Honeyeater ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter – 4/22/12

Well, team, many thanks, your moral and spiritual support have done it again: here is the Eungella Honeyeater, photographed last Friday after some diligent searching. The field guides say: ‘noisy, wary, elusive’ and that I would agree is a good description. I heard several at the first location (Chelmans Road, Upper Dalrymple) but got only a brief glimpse of one in the rather dense rainforest regrowth. The second location, Digging’s Road near Eungella, proved more productive and, as I walked back to the car, I eventually encountered a flock of ten or so crossing the road and got photos of a couple of them.

Were it not for its distinctive song, rather scratchy like a very loud gerygone I thought, it would be easy to overlook, given its rainforest habitat, and, dare one say, rather drab colours even if tastefully highlighted by blue eyes.

And overlooked it was until 1976. Or more accurately, any earlier records, such as one collected in 1959, of this bird from the little studied Eungella/Clarke Range area were mistakenly assumed to be the closely related wet-tropics endemic, the Bridled Honeyeater, see the third photo.

The Bridled Honeyeater is much larger – 20-22cm/8-8.7in versus 16-18cm/6.3-7.1in – has a yellow base to the bill and rather different head markings. Their songs are quite different, sufficiently so for someone rather deaf like me to distinguish them easily. Early field guides, such as the 1974 Slater’s, shows the range of the Bridled Honeyeater extending the 300km or so from the wet tropics down to the Clarke Range west of Mackay.

In 1975, during a survey by the Australian and Queensland Museums, another specimen was collected and labelled as a Bridled Honeyeater. The following year, Wayne Longmore was working on the Honeyeater collection at the Australian Museum and realised that not only was this bird not a Bridled Honeyeater – based on the colour of the bill – but that it didn’t correspond to any known species. He organised further field trips to the Clarke Range in 1978 and 1980 in search of the mystery bird and found that the species was relatively common in a restricted area of upland rainforest. It was described in 1983 by him and Walter Boles and named Meliphaga hindwoodi (now Lichenstomus hindwoodi) in honour of Keith Hindwood, ornithologist and Wayne’s mentor. You can read the full story here. The fourth image shows the records from the BirdLife Australia Atlas Project.

So you don’t have to go to the wilds of Irian Jaya to discover new species of birds! What would you like next week?

Best wishes

Ian

Lee’s Addition:

I decided to produce this addition of Ian’s Bird of the Week in the exact format that I receive it. I am also happy that our collective prayers were answered for Ian’s latest adventure. The two Honeyeaters do look similar, but there is a difference. Thanks again, Ian, for letting us share in your birdwatching trips.

Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV)

See Ian’s other Birds of the Week

Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia – Wow! – II

April 18, 2012 by Lee

Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) by Dan at Zoo Miami

In Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia – Wow! – I our trip their was introduced. Now to continue with our adventure there. I am still sorting photos, but I have most of the water birds figured out.

First, here are two quotes about the aviary from Zoo Miami’s website. “Brilliantly colored pheasants, hornbills, pigeons and many other birds show off their shimmering, iridescent plumage in a large, lush free-flight enclosure that provides them with unencumbered flight. Tiny and large birds swoop overhead, perch on branches and even strut and stroll right by visitors. The air is alive with bird activity, beautiful birdsongs, trickling brooks and waterfalls.” They said that so much better than I could, but it is so true.

“The bird collection is quite diverse with rare, colorful species that sing attractive songs and make unusual vocalizations. Some of the birds are cranes, rails, mynahs, parrots, pheasants, thrushes, fruit-pigeons, barbets and woodpeckers. The birds, vastly different in size, range from 10-gram (.35 oz) Japanese white-eyes to 7000-gram (15.4 lb) sarus cranes… Many of these species are rare in zoo collections, and some can only be seen at Zoo Miami as part of our participation in wildlife conservation breeding initiatives such as the Species Survival Program.”

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) Zoo Miami by Lee

Strut some of them do! I’ll save the cranes for another article, but the Ruddy and Raja Shelducks were strolling all around. The Plumed Whistling Duck was checking out the entry door. Maybe looking for a way out or to see if the next visitors were on the way. Why would he want to leave such a fantastic surrounding?

Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni) Zoo Miami by Lee

Just in the Anatidae – Ducks, Geese & Swans Family there were 18 species that we were able to see and photograph. In addition there were 6 members of that family we found around the zoo (Amazon & Beyond and Cloud Forrest). Some we have seen previously, but most were ones not seen by us. Here is a list of those with a link to a photo and a slide show at the bottom. I am starting with these because they are the some of the first you encounter when you enter the aviary. By wandering around on the paths you actually arrive at three different heights with different bird species hanging out. More on that later.

Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) Zoo Miami by Lee

The Bar-headed Goose’s picture was selected because of its behavior. I am featuring it because the Bar-headed Goose is thought to be one of the world’s highest flying birds, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu (the fifth highest mountain on earth at 8,481 metres (27,825 ft)) and apparently seen over Mount Everest (8,848 metres (29,029 ft), although this is a second hand report). This incredibly demanding migration has long puzzled physiologists and naturalists: “there must be a good explanation for why the birds fly to the extreme altitudes […] particularly since there are passes through the Himalaya at lower altitudes, and which are used by other migrating bird species” quoted from Black & Tenney (1980). In fact bar-headed geese is now believed that they do take the high passes through the mountains. The challenging northward migration from lowland India to breed in the summer on the Tibetan Plateau is undertaken in stages, with the flight across the Himalaya (from sea-level) being undertaken non-stop in as little as seven hours. Surprisingly, despite predictable tail winds that blow up the Himalayas (in the same direction of travel as the geese), bar-headed geese spurn these winds, waiting for them to die down overnight, when they then undertake the greatest rates of climbing flight ever recorded for a bird, and sustain these climbs rates for hours on end.

The Bar-headed Goose is known to be well equipped for this incredibly challenging migration. It has a slightly larger wing area for its weight than other geese, which is believed to help the goose fly at high altitudes. Studies have found that they breathe more deeply and efficiently under low oxygen conditions. The haemoglobin of their blood has a higher oxygen affinity than that of other geese. Again we see a well designed avian creation by its Creator. The Lord knew the conditions and heights it would need to cross to reach the feeding grounds provided for it.

Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. (Genesis 1:30 NKJV)

I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. (Psalms 50:11 NKJV)

The Bar-headed Goose migrates over the Himalayas to spend the winter in parts of India (from Assam to as far south as Tamil Nadu. The winter habitat of the Bar-headed Goose is cultivated fields, where it feeds on barley, rice and wheat, and may damage crops. Birds from Kyrgyzstan have been noted to stopover in western Tibet and southern Tajikistan for 20 to 30 days before migrating further south. Some birds may show high wintering site fidelity.

The bird is pale grey and is easily distinguished from any of the other grey geese of the genus Anser by the black bars on its head. It is also much paler than the other geese in this genus. In flight, its call is a typical goose honking. The adult is 71–76 centimetres (28–30 in) and weighs 1.87–3.2 kilograms (4.1–7.1 lb). (Wikipedia)

One more tale to tell. The Common Merganser had just eaten and he started flipping his feet like crazy. He was splashing water everywhere. I suppose he was happy. I finally turned the video on and caught part of it. He even chased the White-headed Duck around.

The name in (parenthesis) at the front is the name the zoo uses. I use the I.O.C. World Bird Names here on the blog. These are in taxonomic order.

White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) Amazon and Beyond
Plumed Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni) – Dan’s
(Javan) Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica) – Dan’s
Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) – Dan’s
Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis)
Coscoroba Swan (Coscoroba coscoroba) Amazon and Beyond
Raja Shelduck (Tadorna radjah) – Dan’s
Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) – Dan’s
Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) – Male – Dan’s
(Pygmy Goose) Cotton Pygmy Goose (Nettapus coromandelianus)
Ringed Teal (Callonetta leucophrys) Male – Female – Dan’s Amazon and Beyond
Bronze-winged Duck (Speculanas specularis) Sign (Saw, but no photo) Amazon and Beyond
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) (Saw, but no photo)
Blue-winged Teal Female (I think) – Dan’s Amazon and Beyond
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) Dan’s
Sunda Teal (Anas gibberifrons)
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) (proof)
White-cheeked Pintail (Anas bahamensis) Amazon and Beyond
Baikal Teal (Anas formosa)
Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) – Dan’s
(Common White Eye) Ferruginous (Aythya myroca) – Dan’s
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) Male – Female – Dan’s
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) Male – Female & young – Dan’s
White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala)

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Links:

Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia – Wow! – I

Bar-headed Goose – Wikipedia

Zoo Miami – Miami, Florida

Wings of Asia – Aviary

Anatidae – Ducks, Geese & Swans Family

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

Tag Archives: Birds

Start Birdwatching Today: Enjoy The Lord’s Paintbrush – U.S.

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Black-winged Petrel

Birds in Hymns – Pleasant Are Thy Courts Above

Start Birdwatching Today: What is that Sound?

Birds of the Bible – Silly Dove

The Innocent Dove

Matthew 10

Ian’s Bird of the Week – (Norfolk Island) Golden Whistler

Birdwatching at MacDill AFB, May 2012

Genuine Blogger Award Given To This Blog

Start Birdwatching Today: When Should I Go?

Start Birdwatching Today: What Kind of Bird is This?

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Eungella Honeyeater

Zoo Miami’s Wings of Asia – Wow! – II

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The Innocent Dove

Matthew 10

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