Tag Archives: Birds

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Green-backed Gerygone

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Green-backed Gerygone by Ian

Green-backed Gerygone by Ian

Ian’s 9/3/09 Newsletter – Bird of the Week: Green-backed Gerygone

Once again, my apologies for a late posting. I’ve just spent 5 days – with a 2 night stop at Mataranka – driving the 2,500km from Townsville to Darwin for the photography trip I mentioned last week. I usually prepare a trip wish-list of target species: this one has 35 on it, consisting of 9 that I haven’t seen before (the “tick” list), 9 that I have seen but haven’t photographed (the “click” list) and the remainder are candidates for better photos.

Last week’s bird was the widespread songster the White-throated Gerygone, so maybe it’s appropriate that the first target achieved – one of the 9 potential clicks – was the Green-backed Gerygone. The photo shows its diagnostic features: grey head, greenish-grey back and red eye. It may look rather nondescript but the greenish back is quite noticeable and it has a distinctive song. It feeds in typical gerygone style, foraging in the middle canopy of trees and hovering around foliage. There was a typo in last week’s email: gerugonos, not gerugogos, means something like “born of sound” in Greek but you were all too polite to point it out.

In Australia, it has a restricted distribution, occurring only in the Top End of the Northern Territory and the adjacent Kimberley region of northwest Western Australia. It is, however, quite common and we had no trouble finding it at Buffalo Creek near Darwin, where I’d seen it on a previous trip in 2002. It also occurs in New Guinea. Buffalo Creek is famous among birders as a stake-out for the elusive Chestnut Rail – http://www.birdway.com.au/rallidae/chestnut_rail/index.htm – which proved typically elusive this time even though several were to be heard in the mangroves.

We leave Darwin for Kakadu tomorrow and will probably spend a week there. So, I plan send you a catch-up bird of the week before we leave, as we’ll be camping most of the time and may not have internet access.

Best wishes,
Ian
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Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: +61-411 602 737
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: Birdway

Lee’s Addition:

Fairy Gerygone (Gerygone palpebrosa) by Ian

Fairy Gerygone (Gerygone palpebrosa) by Ian

Gerygones, as one might expect, is not a bird I have enjoyed seeing, except through the lens of Ian and others. With the internet’s ability to share things, you get to learn about and “see” things you would not get the chance to do as easily. Thanks, Ian, for sharing your birding adventures.
Gerygones belong to the Australasian Warbler – Acanthizidae Family and are in the Gerygone species of which there are 19 of them. They are the Brown, Grey, Norfolk, Chatham, Fan-tailed, Treefern, Golden-bellied, Rufous-sided, Mangrove, Plain, Western, Dusky, Large-billed, Biak, Yellow-bellied, Ashy, Green-backed (this one), White-throated (last week’s), and the Fairy Gerygones. The ones with links will take you to Ian’s photos.

It was a little hard to find out much about the Gerygone, but here are some of my finds for the missing birds that Ian still needs to go find.

Grey Gerygone – video ,   Golden-bellied – video ,    Plain-Sound , all at IBC (Internet Bird Collecton)

Sounds like Ian has found a “catch.” It is always exciting when you find and photograph a rare bird. That is a part of the joy of birdwatching. When you search, scan, listen, know it’s there and then finally find that prize.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. (Matthew 18:12-13)

Birds of the Bible – Birds of Every Sort

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American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) by Africaddict

American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) by Africaddict

When I came across this verse about “every kind of bird” and “birds of every sort,” I decided it would be great to show some of the really fantastic birds that I have seen recently in the photos I am sorting for the Birds of the World blog. This will be done, but also the verses themselves are very interesting.

Thus says the Lord GOD: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the LORD; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezekiel 17:22-24 ESV)

Tufted Puffin by Dave's BirdingPix

Tufted Puffin by Dave's BirdingPix

Nebuchadnezzar had placed one of the family of David on the throne in Judah. This signified taking the seed of the land and planting it, but it did not succeed. But as these verses tell of a future time when there will be a “tender one” from the topmost twigs, referring to the Messiah, the tender one, and the tribe of Judah, main tribe. The Messiah is often referred to as a branch in prophecy.

Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus) by Nikhil

Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus) by Nikhil

“Nebuchadnezzar and Zedekiah was made on this ground, and the name of Jehovah was brought in to confirm it. It was not the Gentile who broke the covenant. Zedekiah added to his other sins that of rendering impossible the existence of a people and a kingdom that belonged to God. The name of Jehovah was more despised and trampled under foot by him than by the Gentile king. He intrigues with Egypt to escape from the dominion of Nebuchadnezzar, whom God Himself, in judgment, had set up as supreme. This filled up the measure of iniquity, and brought on the final judgment. But it left room for the sovereignty of God, who would bring down the high tree and exalt the low tree, who would dry up the green tree and make the dry tree to flourish. His grace would take the little forgotten branch of the house of David and raise it up in Israel upon the mountain of His power, where He would cause it to become a goodly cedar, bearing fruit, and sheltering all that would seek the protection of its shadow. All the powers of the earth should know the word and the works of Jehovah.” From John Darby’s Synopsis.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by J Fenton

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by J Fenton

“The twig planted by the Lord will grow there into a glorious cedar, under which all birds will dwell. The Messiah grows into a cedar in the kingdom founded by Him, in which all the inhabitants of the earth will find both food (from the fruits of the tree) and protection (under its shadow). For this figure, compare Daniel 4:8-9. צִפֹּור כָּל־כָּנָף, birds of every kind of plumage (cf. Ezekiel 39:4, Ezekiel 39:17), is derived from Genesis 7:14, where birds of every kind find shelter in Noah’s ark. The allusion is to men from every kind of people and tribe. By this will all the trees of the field learn that God lowers the lofty and lifts up the lowly.” From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on Old Testament

Salvation is open to all people no matter what background, nationality, or tongue you speak. As the birds of every sort enjoy the shade and provisions of the tree, may you enjoy the Salvation of Lord and all His blessings He provides.

See: Wordless Birds

This is Birds of Every Sort – Part 1 (Non-Passerines)
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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Red-legged Kittiwake

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Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) by Ian

Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) by Ian

Ian’s Newsletter 02/17/2009

If, like me, you were a birdwatcher in the British Isles in the 1960s, you would have been been familiar with the Kittiwake, a delightful small gull usually seen at its dense nesting colonies on steep cliffs, and named after its call. You may also have wondered why, as British birdwatchers became less insular, the name was later qualified by the description “Black-legged”. This was done somewhat reluctantly, naturally, and my 1999 Collins Bird Guide still calls it (Black-legged) Kittiwake. Anyway, or as they say now, whatever, here is the reason: the Red-legged Kittiwake.

Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) by Ian

Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) by Ian

This was one of my must-see birds on St Paul Island in the Bering Sea on my trip to Alaska last June. Although not nearly as common as its Black-legged relative, it wasn’t hard to find. The red legs were a poor field mark, however, as the birds were either sitting on water, sitting on nests or flying past with their legs tucked snugly and sensibly into their vent feathers. With a little practice, it wasn’t hard to distinguish them by their darker wings and wing-linings, shorter, rather stubby bills and slightly smaller size, as in the photo of the Red-legged Kittiwake on the left sitting on its nest beside its similarly-occupied relative.

In fact red legs became an obsession, so that on the last morning seeing them became my only goal in life, and I set up my camera on a cliff-top with an incubating Red-legged Kittiwake in the sights and waited patiently. Eventually, I was rewarded and a rather stiff bird got up to stretch its legs and check its single egg, as in the second photo. After that, of course, the Kittiwakes came out to play and I saw red legs everywhere both on birds in flight and perched showily on rocks, third photo.

Red-legged and Black-legged Kittiwakes by Ian

Red-legged and Black-legged Kittiwakes by Ian

The Red-legged Kittiwake breeds at only 6 sites in the Bering Sea, the most important of which is St George, near St Paul, with 60% of the estimated world population of 100,000 pairs. It has more specialized feeding habits than the Black-legged, feeding mainly on squid and small fish. Its population is declining, breeding success is poor and it is classed as vulnerable. Commercial trawling is though to be responsible. It’s call is described as a high, falsetto, repeated ‘suWEEEr’, quite different from the ‘kitt-i-waake’ of the Black-legged. Maybe it should be renamed and we can go back to simple “Kittiwake”. Recent website revisions: Thrushes (http://www.birdway.com.au/turdidae/index.htm); Old World Flycatchers (http://www.birdway.com.au/muscicapidae/index.htm); Fringillid Finches (http://www.birdway.com.au/fringillidae/index.htm) and Estrildid Finches (http://www.birdway.com.au/estrildidae/index.htm). Best wishes, Ian — Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd, 454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818 Phone: +61-7 4751 3115 Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au Website: http://birdway.com.au

Lee’s Addition:

 

“On the cliff he dwells and lodges, Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place. (Job 39:28 NASB)

This verse applied to the Eagle, but it is also applicable to the Kittiwakes.

Ian’s Bird of the Week – White-throated Gerygone

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White-throated Gerygony by Ian

White-throated Gerygony by Ian

Bird of the Week: White-throated Gerygone

My apologies for a late posting this week – I’ve been trying to clear the decks in preparation for a trip to the Northern Territory in a few days. I hope this trip will fill a few gaps in Northern birds that I can share with you in the coming weeks.

Here’s a bird at the other end of the size scale from the Wedge-tailed Eagle of last week: the White-throated Gerygone. With a length of 10-11.5 cm./4-4.5 in., it’s not much bigger than Australia’s smallest bird, the Weebill (8-9 cm). Size isn’t everything, however – unless you’re an eagle – and the White-throated Gerygone has perhaps the most beautiful song of any Australian songbird. The field guides wax lyrical – let me quote Michael Morecombe: ‘Loud, clear, carrying. Usually begins with several loud, piercing, high notes immediately followed by pure, high, clearly whistled, violin-like notes that descend in an undulating, silvery, sweet cascade, at times lifting briefly, only to resume the downward, tumbling momentum. Abruptly returns to the initial louder, sharper notes to repeat the whole sequence, often with slight variations.’

This species is widespread in eastern and northern Australia from Adelaide in South Australia to the western Kimberleys in Western Australia. In addition to its distinctive song, it can be identified by its white, throat, yellow breast, red eye and white spots on the tips of the tail feathers.

There are eight species of Gerygone in mainland Australia and another twelve or so in the rest of Oceania (New Zealand to New Guinea). They used to be called Warblers, but are usually called Gerygones now (the name of the Genus) to avoid confusion with the unrelated Old World Warblers and the Wood Warblers of the New World – the Gerygones belong to the family Acanthizidae, along with other small birds including Thornbills, Scrubwrens, Heathwrens and Whitefaces. All the Gerygones are accomplished vocalists, and the word derives from the Greek – gerugogos – meaning something like ‘born of sound’. There has been much debate on how to pronounce Gerygone, but Sean Dooley had the final word in his book Anoraks to Zitting Cisticolas: ‘Not Jerry gone (or Gerry with a hard G), but more like Ja-rig-eny, rhyming with aborigine.’ It’s ironic that such beautiful singers should be be lumbered with such an ugly name.

My thanks to those who supported the petition to stop the poisoning of Golden Eagles in Ireland. Members of the list from at least Australia, Italy, Ireland and the USA added their names and Australia moved from 9th (85 signatures) to 8th (116 signatures) in the list of countries.

Best wishes,
Ian
—
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: +61-7 4751 3115
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au

Another Whtie-throated Gerygone by Ian

Another Whtie-throated Gerygone by Ian

Lee’s Additions:
He’s not the only one behind in posting. So there will be another one right soon. Since his next one is also going to be about another Gerygone, I’ll save my additions for there.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)

Here’s are two  interesting videos of a White-throated Gerygone at the nest. From Internet Bird Collection by Nick Talbot – CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE

Saddle Creek Birdwatching – 09/05/09

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Saddle Creek Park - Polk County, FL

Saddle Creek Park - Polk County, FL

Today Dan and I headed out to join the group at Saddle Creek, who do a walk each Saturday from Mid-August to October. By the time I figured out that my legs would cooperate and decided to go, the group had already gone down the trail. So we just birded on our own. In just the hour we stayed there, we were able to see or hear at least 26 species, plus the few unknowns.
When we first entered the park, we were greeted by over 40 Wood Storks (see photos). They were standing around, flying around and sitting in trees, so an accurate count was difficult. On the way to the trails we spotted, Great Blue Herons, Anhingas, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret, Common and Boat-tailed Grackles, Northern Mockingbird, Eurasian-collared Doves and Mourning Doves and a Muscovy Duck.

Wood Storks at entrance

Wood Storks at entrance

Back at the parking area for the trails, we heard wood being banged on and sure enough a Pileated Woodpecker was right in the tree above our heads. Later we also heard a Downy and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Along the open area by the pond were several female Common Yellowthroats, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron and in the pond were several Common Moorhens being kept company by two large alligators.

Wood Stork Tree

Wood Stork Tree

While we were watching them, 3 Sandhill Cranes flew over and then some Fish Crows flew by. As we walked along the bushes at the edge of the lake we spotted a Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, Belted Kingfisher and heard a Carolina Wren.
All in all, it was a nice birding morning. It was 75° when we started with about 85% humidity. Other than the humidity, it was a great day to enjoy God’s Creation.

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Birds of the Bible – Hoopoe II

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Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) by Ian

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) by Ian

The Hoopoe was introduced in Birds of the Bible – Hoopoe and would like to add more information about the Hoopoe.

The Hoopoes are in the BUCEROTIFORMES Order which includes Hoopoes, Wood Hoopoes, Hornbills and Ground Hornbills. I have revised this information since the 1st article. Wikipedia (now updated) had them with the woodpeckers, but the records I am using from the I.O.C. (2009) places them with the hornbills and in the Upupidae Family

The three Upupidae members are the Eurasian, African, and Madagascar Hoopoes. (Some say these three are basically the same.) The Wood Hoopoes are in the Phoeniculidae Family that consists of the Forest, White-headed, Green, Black-billed, Violet and Grant’s Wood Hoopoes. That family also has the Black, Common and Abyssinian Scimitarbills.

“The Hoopoe is a medium sized bird, 25–32 cm (9.8-12.6 in) long, with a 44–48 cm (17.3-19 in) wingspan weighing 46-89 g (1.6-3.1 oz). The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base. The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies. The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats.” (Wikipedia) It appears that the Lord has created this bird with just what it needs find its food.

Eurasian Hoopoe

Eurasian Hoopoe

“The Hoopes have well developed anti-predators defences in the nest. The uropygial gland of the incubating and brooding female is quickly modified to produce a foul-smelling liquid, and the glands of nestlings do so was well. These secretions are rubbed into the plumage. The secretion, which smells like rotting meat, is thought to help deter predators, as well as deter parasites and possibly act as an antibacterial agent. The secretions stop soon before the young leave the nest. In addition to this secretion nestlings are able to direct streams of faeces at nest intruders from the age of six days, and will also hiss at intruders in a snake like fashion. The young also strike with their bill or with one wing.” This point could well have been why the Hoopoe was placed on the “unclean list” of birds not to eat.

the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (Lev 11:19 NKJV)
the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat. (Deu 14:18 NKJV)

Hoopoe Feeding Young from an email

Hoopoe Feeding Young from an email

“The lapwing – דוכיפת duchiphath, the upupa, hoopoe, or hoop, a crested bird, with beautiful plumage, but very unclean. See Bochart, and Scheuchzer. Concerning the genuine meaning of the original, there is little agreement among interpreters.” from Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible says, “and the lapwing; the upupa or hoopoe; it has its name in Hebrew, according to Jarchi, from its having a double crest; and so Pliny (o) ascribes to it a double or folded crest, and speaks of it as a filthy bird; and, according to Aristotle (p) and Aelian (q), its nest is chiefly made of human dung, that by the ill smell of it men may be kept from taking its young; and therefore may well be reckoned among impure fowl. Calmet (r) says, there is no such thing as a lapwing to be seen in any part of England; but there are such as we call so, whether the same bird with this I cannot say:”

The LORD was teaching the Israelites to obey by not eating certain animals and birds, but it appears that this was also beneficial for their health and well being.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV)

See also:

Birds of the Bible – Hoopoe I
Hoopoe Photos
Hoopoe Videos
Hoopoe at Wikipedia
Hoopoes Upupidae by Bird Families of the World
Wood hoopoe by Wikipedia

https://leesbird.com/bb/hoopoe/hoopoe-videos/

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus)

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Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) by Daves BirdingPix

Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) by Daves BirdingPix

While going through the photos for the Birds of the World pages to get them ready to post, I came across this amazing bird.

The Common Potoo (or Lesser) (Nyctibius griseus) is almost hard to find in this photo. Their camouflage colors of brown, black, and grey plumage makes them look just like tree bark. They sleep during the day sitting up and look like a dead branch. Their mouth is quite large which lets them catch prey (flying insects) when they make “quick, short, silent flights.” The Potoo is active at dawn and dusk. They are related to the nightjars and frogmouths and are sometimes called Poor-me-ones, because of the haunting calls. There are seven species in the Nyctibius genus in tropical Central and South America. They seem to prefer humid forests, but a few occur in drier forests.

They do not build a nest, but find a limb with a depression and lay their single egg there. Both parent help with incubation, which takes 30-35 days.

The Great Potoo is 48-60 cm (19-24 in) long, and the Lesser or Common is 33-38 cm (13-15 in) long.
The following Potoo sounds are from xeno-canto America
Great Potoo – Long Tailed Potoo – Northern Potoo – Andean Potoo – Common or Lesser Potoo – White-winged Potoo

Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis) by Ian's Birdway

Great Potoo (Nyctibius grandis) by Ian’s Birdway

The potoos are:

The Lord created the Potoo’s with a great plumage that blends in so well. This is for its protection and it serves the bird well. The thing that amazed me about the Potoo is how well it conforms to its surroundings. We are told in Romans 12:2 that we are not to be conformed to the world or to look and act like the unrighteous around us. We are to be transformed or changed by the renewing of our mind.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)

Interesting Links:
Potoo by Wikipedia
Common Potoo Nyctibius griseus by Mangoverde World Bird Guide

Lee’s Birds of the World

When I Consider! – Woodpecker and Bones

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When I Consider!

When I Consider!

“Evidence from Biology”

“In His Word, God tells us that He cares for His creatures. One can observe repeated examples of this in nature. Every creature on Earth has been programmed to take care of itself. An example is the female Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, which changes her diet to include more calcium at egg-laying time. Scientist have found that the woodpecker starts gathering, storing, and eating bone fragments a few days before laying her eggs. Bones contain an extremely high concentration of calcium, which is needed for the shells of the woodpecker’s eggs. After her eggs are laid and her body requires less calcium, the woodpecker shows little interest in pieces of bone.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) by Daves BirdingPix

Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) by Daves BirdingPix

Where did this instinct to eat bones originate? How does the woodpecker know when she can stop eating bone fragments? Would this process have taken place before the Fall, when the world was a perfect paradise? No one knows, but it is apparent that this instinct had to be programmed into the woodpecker for it to survive in the current fallen world. What a leap of faith to believe that the woodpecker’s ability to meet her need for increased calcium just “evolved” by chance!

Letting God Create Your Day, Vol.3, p.22″

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26 NKJV)

A Closer Look at the Evidence, Aug 5, by Richard and Tina Kleiss

An excerpt from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, “Red-cockaded Woodpecker Picoides borealis”

“Red-cockaded woodpeckers rarely come to the ground. They even bathe in water-filled depressions on tree limbs. Recent research notes that female red-cockaded woodpeckers search for bone bits on the forest floor and stuff them in tree crevices. Zoologists say it is the first known instance of a bird hoarding something for its mineral, rather than caloric, content. Calcium-rich bone is not rare, but the birds probably seek it to ensure stronger eggshells. They stash it in a tree so they won’t have to eat on the ground where they are vulnerable to predators.”

Birds in Hymns – Awake, Thou Careless World, Awake

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Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Luke 21:33 KJV)

Words: Jo­hann Rist, Neu­er Him­lische Lied­er son­der­bahr­es Buch (Lün­e­burg: 1651), p. 248 (Wach’ auf, wach’ auf, du sich’re Welt);
trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth, Cho­rale Book for Eng­land (Lon­don: Long­man, Green, Long­man, Ro­berts and Green, 1863), num­ber 27.
Music: Com­pos­er un­known.
Johann Rist (1607-1667)

Awake, Thou Careless World, Awake
For the Music

Awake, thou careless world, awake!
That final judgment day will surely come;
What Heav’n hath fixed time cannot shake,
Time never more shall sweep away thy doom.
Know, what the Lord Himself hath spoken
Shall come at last and not delay:
Though Heav’n and earth shall pass away,
His steadfast Word can ne’er be broken.

Awake! He comes to judgment, wake!
Sinners, behold His countenance
In beauty terrible, and quake
Condemned beneath His piercing glance.
Lo! He to whom all power is given,
Who sits at God’s right hand on high,
in fire and thunder draweth nigh,
To judge all nations under Heaven.

Bird Caught in a Snare

Bird Caught in a Snare

Awake! thou careless world, awake!
For none can tell how soon our God shall please
That suddenly that day should break?
No human wisdom fathoms depths like these.
O guard thee well from lust and gree;
For as the bird is in the snare,
Or ever of its foe aware,
So comes that day with silent speed.

Yet He in love delayeth long
The final day, and grants us space
To turn away from sin and wrong,
And mourning seek in time His help and grace.
He holdeth back that best of days,
Until the righteous shall approve
Their faith and hope, their constant love;
So gentle us-ward are His ways!

But ye, O faithful souls, shall see
That morning rise in love and joy,
Your Savior comes to set you free,
Your Judge shall all your bonds destroy:
He, the true Joshua, then shall bring
His people with a mighty hand
Into their promised father-land,
Where songs of victory they shall sing.

Rejoice! the fig tree shows her green,
The springing year is in its prime,
The little flowers afresh are seen,
We gather strength in this great time;
The glorious summer draweth near,
When all this body’s earthly load,
In light that morning sheds abroad,
Shall was as sunshine pure and clear.

Arise, and let us night and day
Watch for our Lord, and study o’er His Word,
And in the Spirit ever pray,
That we be ready when His call is heard;
Arise, and let us haste to meet
The Bridegroom standing at the door,
That with the angels evermore
We too may worship at His feet.

Go to more Hymns – CLICK HERE

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Cedar Waxwing

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Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by Ian

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by Ian

Ian’s February 9, 2009 Newsletter

An American birder once said to me something to this effect: “you’re so lucky in Australia, all our North American birds are so drab by comparison”. It may be the case that American Parrots are thin on the ground since the sad demise of the Carolina Parakeet, but I think, nonetheless, that there are lots of fascinating American birds, and I’ve expressed regret in the past for the lack of Woodpeckers in Australia, for example. Here is one that is exotic by any standards, the Cedar Waxwing, and is quite common across the United States and, in summer, southern Canada.

This bird was one of a flock in a small reserve (McClellan Ranch Park) on the edge of Cupertino in the Bay Area last May. Waxwings are very partial to berries and range widely looking for food. The get their name from red, waxy tips to the secondaries, but these are often indistinct or missing, and are not visible in the photograph.

There are three species of Waxwings, the other two being the Japanese Waxwing and the (Bohemian) Waxwing of Western North America and northern Eurasia. The Bohemian Waxwing, slightly larger than the Cedar one, occasionally makes it to the British Isles in winter from northern Scandinavia and I remember seeing some once as a teenager in a suburban street in Dublin in the early 1960s. They looked very exotic to me then too.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by Ian

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) by Ian

Here in North Queensland, we have felt very helpless watching the rain deluging down while terrible bush fires have raged in Victoria. The website has benefitted, though, from my being confined to home. In the past week I’ve updated the galleries for Wrens (http://www.birdway.com.au/troglodytidae/index.htm), Mockingbirds (http://www.birdway.com.au/mimidae/index.htm), Tits and Chickadees (http://www.birdway.com.au/paridae/index.htm), Cormorants and Shags (http://www.birdway.com.au/phalacrocoracidae/index.htm), and Grebes (http://www.birdway.com.au/podicipedidae/index.htm).

Best wishes,
Ian
—
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: +61-7 4751 3115
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au

Japanese Waxwing (Bombycilla japonica) ©Wikipedia

Japanese Waxwing (Bombycilla japonica) ©Wikipedia

Lee’s Additions:

Cedar Waxwings have a diet of “fruit, flower petals, and insects.” They sometimes pass fruit back and forth and have been known to become very intoxicated by eating too many ripe berries. They are about 7 in (17.8 cm) long with a wingspan of 11-12.25 in (27.9-31.1 cm). Both the Bohemian and Cedar have a yellow trim on their tails, whereas, the Japanese waxwing has a red-trimmed tail.

See (Info and Sounds):

Bombyacillidae – Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing – WhatBird.com
Bohemian Waxwing – WhatBird.com
Japanese Waxwing – Wikipedia

Updated – More Species Pages

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Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) by Nikhil Devasar

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) by Nikhil Devasar

I have updated several more pages for the species:

Jacanidae – Jacanas

Meropidae – Bee-eaters

Tinamidae – Tinamous

On the slides, a “©” copyright symbol indicates a photo from the web and a “by” indicates one of the photographers with links on our sidebar. Please visit their sight to see many more fantastic shots.

As I obtain more photos of the missing species they will be added.

Bird Name Challenges

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Seychelles Black Parrot is actually Lesser Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis nigra) by Bob-Nan

Seychelles Black Parrot is actually Lesser Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis nigra) by Bob-Nan

As I have been working, behind the scenes to obtain photos for the Birds of the World pages, it has been a challenge to match the birds up with their new names. Apparently the I.O.C. (International Ornithological Congress) has a goal to standardize the English names of birds. That is a good thing, but it has problems.

Fantastic photographers (see sidebar-Photographers) have given their permission to use their photos, but the titles they use, don’t always coincide with the new names. So the progress has been slow trying to match the two together. It is not their fault, but changes just keep occurring. When all is said and done, when you link to a photo of theirs and the name is not the same as you clicked, not to worry. I have done my best to match them up properly. Many also give the Scientific name which is a great aid. I have had to “Google” many of the old names to try to come up with the correct new one.

An article puts all of the Naming in good perspective. “New Standard Bird Names – do we need them?” by Sumit K. Sen, from the Birds of India website does that. Here is just one his thoughts:

Bird renaming it seems is not a task, but a passion. Year after year birds are renamed by whoever has the ability to get anything printed. Some birds are particularly at risk and go through name changes as fast as their numbers decline. The only relief for them may be extinction – but that may still not be ‘name-change’ relief for us. We may suddenly be told that it was not a yuhina that went extinct – but was an epornis all the time! I am still waiting for someone to propose that the Dodo is entirely inappropriate (especially as there are some suggestions that the etymology of the word ‘dodo’ may have derogatory connotations associated with it) and the bird should certainly be called a ‘Mauritius Flightless Pigeon’ and we will soon learn that ‘as dead as a Mauritius Flightless’ is more appropriate usage over ‘as dead as a dodo’. It is coming, believe me!

Madagascar Bee-eater is the Olive Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) by Bob-Nan

Madagascar Bee-eater is the Olive Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) by Bob-Nan

You will find his comments interesting. In the mean time, the birds have been merrily doing what God told them to do, and that is reproduce and fill the earth. Luckily, they do not wear name tags that have to be replaced every so often to keep up with their new names.

Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth. (Genesis 8:17 NKJV)