“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” (Genesis 2:2 NKJV)
Cattle Egrets near feet of Bovine
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*** Did you notice the trend this last week? The number of the words was in red and also, the number of birds was the same as the number.***
“Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” (Exodus 16:26 NKJV)
Five-colored Munia (Lonchura quinticolor) ©WikiC
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Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) by S Slayton
TINY SUPERLATIVES AND GOD’S LOVE
“Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.” Psalm 10:14
Hummingbirds are among the most exquisite jewels in God’s creation. Many of their activities and habits seem almost unreal.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) by S Slayton
I know of no one who has ever tired of watching a hummingbird hover or fly backwards. Our sense of wonder is not decreased because we understand how the bird can do these tricks. Perhaps an even greater wonder is how these tiny, fragile creatures can make their way in a large and often hostile world.
Consider the broad-tailed hummingbird, for instance. This tiny hummingbird migrates 1,200 miles between Mexico and the Colorado Rockies each year. Its nesting site in the Rockies is filled with predators. In this setting, the mother searches for a protected branch where she will build her fragile nest. It’s best if there is another branch right above the nesting branch to provide shelter from the elements as well as visual cover from hawks and blue jays. She weaves her nest, about the size of half a golf ball, from spider webs and down from plants. It will take two and one-half weeks for her two pea-sized eggs to hatch. In the meantime, the tiny mother, who weighs less than one-eighth of an ounce, must keep herself and her eggs warm in temperatures that can drop below freezing.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) by Michael Woodruff
God has equipped the delicate hummingbird with intelligence and excellent flying ability, so that even though it is tiny and weak, it can make its living. The continued existence of this fragile creature glorifies its Creator, not the principle of survival of the fittest!
Prayer:
I am filled with wonder, Father, at how You have designed and cared for the hummingbird. When I am tempted to act by my own strength instead of Yours, remind me of Your care for the fragile hummingbird. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Notes:
Calder, William A. 1992. “Ten years on an aspen branch.” Natural History, July, p. 4. Photo: Broad-tailed hummingbird. Courtesy of Michelle Lynn Reynolds. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Other Creation Moments Articles
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“”Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
(Luke 12:6 NKJV)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) Five ©Indiatoday
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“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” (John 4:35 NKJV)
Birds Calling Out ©DailyMail
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“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” (Mark 8:31 NKJV)
Three Sparrows ©Tony Northrup
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“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” (Matthew 10:29 NKJV)
House Sparrows watching Parrot show at National Aviary by Lee
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“A Song of Ascents. Blessed is every one who fears the LORD, Who walks in His ways.” (Psalms 128:1 NKJV)
Comb-crested Jacana (Irediparra gallinacea) ©Wiki on Pads
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“And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”(Genesis 1:22 NKJV)
Seabirds at Shore in Brevard County. Take from wall of Sea Pines Rehab Hospital by Lee
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“The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.” (Proverbs 12:13 KJV)
Baby Turtle Emerging from the Sand for the 1st time – At Sea Pines Rehab Hospital by Lee
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“He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalms 91:4 KJV)
Great Egret preening – from Sea Pines Rehab Hospital Wall – by Lee [with phone while sitting in wheel chair :) ]
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“Where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.” (Psalms 104:17 KJV)
Dan’s Wood Stork Tree
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 