“And they said, “If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return Him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” (1st Samuel 6:3)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) Egg in Eastern Phoebe Nest ©WikiC
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“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18)
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) by Raymond Barlow
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“And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. (1st Samuel 5:4)
Geese Flying Early in the Morning ©©
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Chestnut-capped Brushfinch (Arremon brunneinucha) ©WikiC
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God. (Psalms 84:3 KJV)
Sunday is here again, and it’s time to continue with the Emberizidae Family of Buntings, New World Sparrows and their allies. First, aren’t we thankful that the Lord has created the world and set up a seven day week. He set the pattern for us to rest after six days of work. He was tired, nor has he stopped working, He was just setting an example, because the human body needs rest. He ought to know, He created us.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” (Genesis 2:1-3 KJV) (emphasis mine)
I for one look forward to Sundays. We rest and attend church, eat and fellowship with our friends, and attend the evening service and rest some more. These Sunday Inspirations, which have been going on for some time now, take several hours to put together, and then are scheduled for 1 or 2 minutes after midnight Sunday morning. When WordPress puts them up, I will already be resting in bed and enjoying the start of my Day of Rest. Enough of the personal information, let’s see what these birds are up to this week.
The first Sunday, we showed the Buntings in this family, last week, we showed most of the New World Sparrows in this Emberizidae family, so, let’s see who these “allies” are.
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) by Ray
Towhees typically have longer tails than other emberizids. Most species tend to avoid humans, so they are not well known, though the eastern towhee P. erythrophthalmus is bolder. This species, and some others, may be seen in urban parks and gardens. Also, in with the Melozone genus are four Ground Sparrows.
Prevost’s Ground Sparrow (Melozone biarcuata) ©Flickr Richard Gibbons
Arremon is a genus of neotropical birds in the Emberizidae family. With the exception of the green-striped brush finch, which is endemic to Mexico, all species are found in South America, with a few reaching Central America.
Chestnut-capped Brushfinch (Arremon brunneinucha) ©Flickr Amy McAndrews
“Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV)
“Be Thou My Vision” ~ by Ladies and Girls Choir on Mother’s Day
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Sunday Inspiration – Emberizidae’s – Buntings
Sunday Inspiration – Emberizidae – Part II
Emberizidae – Buntings, New World Sparrows & Allies
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“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37 KJV)
Gathering Her Chicks Under Her Wings ©Flickr Jorge Elias
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“Where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble.” (Esther 1:6 KJV)
Lord Derby’s Parakeet (Psittacula derbiana) ©WikiC
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“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:” (James 1:19 KJV)
Northern Long-eared Owl by DavesBP
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“With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalms 136:12 KJV)
Steller’s Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) with Man ©WikiC
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“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 KJV)
Scarlet Myzomela (Myzomela sanguinolenta) by Ian Montgomery
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Thought I would repost Cher Ami’s story in honor of Memorial Day. Thank all of you who have served our country or your country to help preserve peace.
To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, (Luke 1:74 NKJV)
Cher Ami – Homing Pigeon Hero
Cher Ami – WW1 Hero
While researching for a hero for an article on our church blog, I tried to find out about my father, who was in WW1. Being as he died when I was four years old, it is hard to find out a lot of details. All I knew is that he was in the trenches where they were poisoned with mustard gas and that it took years, but he died as a result of that gassing. Talking to my family, I also found out that he was at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (Argonne Forrest) in which 117,000 of our American troops gave their lives and that he was in a company that had few survivors. Also found that he had fought hand-to-hand with bayonets. But the actual details are still a mystery. So, my dad and all of our men that fought in WW1 are my heroes.What I did find is a hero of the avian kind. His name was Cher Ami and he was a homing pigeonc which had been donated by the pigeon fanciers of Britain for use by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I and had been trained by American pigeoneers. He helped save the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division in the battle of the Argonne, October 1918.
On October 3, 1918, Charles Whittlesey and more than 500 men were trapped in a small depression on the side of the hill behind enemy lines without food or ammunition. They were also beginning to receive friendly fire from allied troops who did not know their location. Surrounded by the Germans, many were killed and wounded in the first day and by the second day, only a little more than 200 men were still alive. Whittlesey dispatched messages by pigeon. The pigeon carrying the first message (“Many wounded. We cannot evacuate.”) was shot down. A second bird was sent with the message, “Men are suffering. Can support be sent?” That pigeon also was shot down. Only one homing pigeon was left: ‘Cher Ami’. He was dispatched with a note in a canister on his left leg,
“We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it!”
Actual Message Sent
As Cher Ami tried to fly back home, the Germans saw him rising out of the brush and opened fire and for several minutes, bullets zipped through the air all around him.The men of the Lost Battalion saw Cher Ami tragically shot down, but miraculously, he was airborne again soon. He managed to arrive back at his loft at division headquarters 25 miles to the rear in just 25 minutes, helping to save the lives of the 194 survivors. In this last mission, Cher Ami had delivered the message despite having been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, covered in blood and with a leg hanging only by a tendon.
Cher Ami had become the hero of the 77th Infantry Division, so army medics worked long and hard to save his life. They were unable to save his leg, so they carved a small wooden one for him. When he recovered enough to travel, the little one-legged hero was put on a boat to the United States, with General John J. Pershing personally seeing Cher Ami off as he departed France.
Upon return to America, Cher Ami became the mascot of the Department of Service. The pigeon was awarded the Croix de Guerre Medal with a palm Oak Leaf Cluster for his heroic service in delivering 12 important messages in Verdun. He died at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, on June 13, 1919 from the wounds he received in battle and was later inducted into the Racing Pigeon Hall of Fame in 1931. He also received a gold medal from the Organized Bodies of American Racing Pigeon Fanciers in recognition of his extraordinary service during World War I.
Cher Ami – WWI Homing Pigeon Hero – WikiC
Cher Ami was as well-known as any human World War I heroes. Cher Ami was later mounted by a taxidermist and donated to the Smithsonian where he is enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution, and is currently on display with Sergeant Stubby in the National Museum of American History’s “Price of Freedom” exhibit.
Who are these who fly like a cloud, And like doves to their roosts? (Isa 60:8)
Pigeons and Doves are in the Columbidae Family of the Columbiformes Order.
(Wikipedia and other internet sources)
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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) ©Flickr Stan Lupo
Temperance means “self-control” * The Blue Jay is “not hogging it all.”
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“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:13 KJV)
Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) ©WikiC
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 