Tag Archives: Photography

Peaceful Stream

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Trees along the Roaring Fork Drive

Trees along the Roaring Fork Drive

The trees have not turned that much yet, but the two videos below are just relaxing to watch. In about two weeks or so the leaves should really be at prime.

He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. (Psalms 78:16 KJV)

But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. (Amos 5:24 KJV)

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11 NKJV)

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Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush Leiothrichidae Family

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Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Dan at Wing of Asia ZM

Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Dan at Wing of Asia ZM

A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22 NKJV)

Every since we saw Laughingthrushes for the first time at Zoo Miami’s Wing of Asia aviary, I fell in love with these birds. The photo above is the one I like to call “Joe Cool.” Their “sunglasses” makes them look rather “Cool” don’t you think? They are fun to watch and most of them like to hop around instead of walking.

Joe Cool

(Black and White) Sumatran Laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) by Lee “Joe Cool”

The Laughingthrush Family, called Leiothrichidae, has 133 species and is our next passerine family. Actually there was a Sunday Inspiration about them previously. Sunday Inspiration – Laughingthrush

The Laughingthrushes are the genus Garrulax of the large Old World babbler family of passerine birds. They occur in tropical Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in the Himalaya and southern China.
These are rangy, medium-sized, floppy-tailed landbirds with soft fluffy plumage. These birds have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight.

Streaked Laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus) by Nikhil Devasar

Streaked Laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus) by Nikhil Devasar

A few, like the Streaked Laughingthrush occur in fairly open habitats, but most are jungle species, difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer.

Like other babblers, these are noisy birds, and the characteristic laughing calls are often the best indication that these birds are present. As with other babbler species, they frequently occur in groups of up to a dozen, and the rainforest species like the Ashy-headed Laughingthrush often occur in the mixed feeding flocks typical of tropical Asian jungle. (Wikipedia)

Red-tailed Laughingthrush at Wings of Asia by Lee

Red-tailed Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron milnei) by Lee

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. Bring back our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:2-6 NKJV)

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“Ten Thousand Joys” ~ Choir – Lisa Brock – Jessie Padgett (Faith Baptist)

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More Sunday Inspirations

Laughingthrush – Leiothrichidae Family

Who Paints The Leaves?

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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Fuscous Honeyeater

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

Newsletter ~ 10-14-15

Townsville is experiencing one of its driest years on record, with only 258mm/10.2in of rain so far this year, with most of that in January. Farmers feel the effects of the dry the most of course from a human perspective, but the wildlife is suffering too. Any remaining open water whether on farms or in gardens is very popular. My bird bath and pond are visible from the window of my study so I have been watching the variety and abundance of visiting wild- (and feral-) life and keeping an eye out for unusual birds. These include some which here are mainly restricted to highland rainforest such as Macleay’s and Lewin’s Honeyeaters and other dry country species such as the Fuscous Honeyeater, normally found west of the coastal range in North Queensland.

Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus) by Ian

This one, here ten days ago on the edge of my bird bath, is the northern race subgermanus. This race has a yellow wash on the face which makes it look rather like the closely related Yellow-tinted Honeyeater, a species I’ll say a bit more about shortly. This northern race occurs between Bowen/Mackay and the Atherton Tableland. Further south the nominate race ranges through the remainder of eastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales and through Victoria as far as about Adelaide in South Australia. The second photo shows an example of the nominate race west of Sydney. Fuscous Honeyeaters have different bill and eye-ring colour in breeding and non-breeding plumage. Non-breeding (and juvenile) birds have yellow bases to the bill and a yellow eye-ring (first photo) while breeding birds have dark bills and dark eye-rings (second photo) – unusual for the breeding plumage to be less colourful.

Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus) by IanThe third photo shows a non-breeding (or juvenile) nominate-race individual in Victoria and both the yellow eye-ring and yellow base to the bill show up well. ‘Fuscous’ comes from the Latin for ‘dusky’ while the generic name ‘Lichenostomus’ means ‘lichen-mouth’ or ‘moss-mouth’ in Greek and refers to the brush-like tongues of members of this genus, adapted for feeding on nectar. Compare that with ‘Trichoglossus’ – ‘hair tongue’ – a similar adaptation in Lorikeets of that genus, such as the Rainbow Lorikeet.

Fuscous Honeyeater (Lichenostomus fuscus) by IanThere are five closely related species of Lichenostomus, referred to as a ‘super-species’ which, although they overlap in some places, effectively carve up mainland Australia. The Fuscous as we’ve seen is an eastern and southeastern species; the Yellow-plumed (L. ornatus) occurs along the south coast from Victoria to SW Western Australia; the Grey-fronted (L. plumulus) is an inland and western-coastal species; the White-plumed (L. penicillatus) has a similar range to the Grey-fronted but extends to the coast in Victoria and New South Wales (e.g. suburban Sydney); while the Yellow-tinted (L. flavescens) occurs across northern Australia from NW Western Australia through the Northern Territory to western Cape York in Queensland (fourth photo). There is also an isolated population in south-eastern Papua New Guinea.

In case you’re wondering, subgermanus, the name for the northern race of the Fuscous doesn’t refer to Germany or a taxonomist called Germain. ‘Germanus’ means something like ‘sibling’ in Latin (literally ‘having the same parents’) and is the origin of ‘hermano/hermana’ in Spanish (brother/sister). ‘Sub’ is often used to indicate closeness in taxonomic matters, so subgermanus means something like ‘almost siblings’ and presumably refers to its similarity to the Yellow-tinted. That’s my guess, anyway, as my usual source of such gems, A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names, OUP, doesn’t delve into races.

Yellow-tufted Honeyeater (Lichenostomus melanops) by IanThe range of the Yellow-tinted comes within about 100km of that of the yellowish northern Fuscous Honeyeater and the two species were formerly lumped into one. Recent studies have shown that although they look similar they don’t intergrade, so treating them as separate species seems justified. In the Yellow-tinted, the yellow base to the bill is a feature of just juvenile birds. All have yellow eye-rings, so there is no difference in appearance between breeding and non-breeding adults.

Fire Chopper by Ian

Fire Chopper by Ian

The dry season is an anxious time in bushland areas of North Queensland and this year particularly so. Last week a fire started beside the Bruce Highway on Saturday 3rd October and travelled the seven kilometres to my place over the next three days and then burned along the dry bed of Bluewater Creek near my house for three days. The last photo shows the bottom of my yard being water bombed on Thursday morning as I was heading down there yet again with a rake. The hill in the background is black all over. All is quiet now and we have the biggest firebreak in the country (at least 11km long covering 24 square kilometres) so I hope we’re probably relatively safe now until the wet season which should start in a couple of months, El Nino permitting. The firemen had some funny stories to tell about their arrival at a nudist colony in a secluded area about 4km west of my place.

Greetings
Ian

**************************************************
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/
Recorder Society http://www.nqrs.org.au

Lee’s Addition:

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:  (Pro 24:13)

Thanks, Ian, for telling more about your amazing Honeyeaters, especially the Fuscous ones. Sound like a bird I would like landing on my bird bath. Though he would have to fly a loooooong way to get here. :)

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Ian’s Bird of the Week

Ian’s Honeyeaters

Meliphagidae – Honeyeaters

Who Paints The Leaves?

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Collared Aracari – Beautiful Creation

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(Crooked) Collared Aracari Sign at Houston Zoo by Lee

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11 NKJV)

When we visited the Houston Zoo this last spring, we saw a sign for the Collared Aracari. We were able to photograph two other Aracaris, but this one was “off exhibit.” Not sure why, but I was very disappointed, because it is such a neat creation from the Lord.

While checking through some more of Ray Barlow’s photos, guess what I found? Some really great photos of a Collared Aracari Ray had taken, and “without bars” like we get at a zoo. So I trust you will enjoy some more photos from Raymond Barlow.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

An aracari or araçari is any of the medium-sized toucans that, together with the saffron toucanet, make up the genus Pteroglossus. They belong to the Ramphastidae – Toucan Family. This Collared Aracari is not even one of the prettiest, but it is still very becoming.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

They are brightly plumaged and have enormous, contrastingly patterned bills. These birds are residents in forests and woodlands in the Neotropics.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

All the species of Aracari are basically fruit-eating, but will take insects and other small prey.

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

They are arboreal and nest in tree holes laying 2–4 white eggs. The Collared Aracari breeds from southern Mexico to Panama; also Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Costa Rica.

And now for the best one of Ray’s photos for the Collared Aracari, at least to me:

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) ©Raymond Barlow

That beak is not painted by none other than the Creative Hand of the Lord Jesus Christ.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16 NKJV)

Click on photos for larger view

Birds of the World – Ramphastidae – Toucan Family

Raymond Barlow’s Site

Ray’s Flickr Site

Collared Aracari – Wikipedia

Wordless Birds

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Birdwatching At Lake Morton Finally – Part 2

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Anhinga Drying at Lake Morton by Dan

Anhinga Drying at Lake Morton by Dan

Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19 NKJV)

After I finished posting Birdwatching At Lake Morton Finally Part 1, about 15 minutes later, Dan came in and handed me his photos. Okay, so what to do? Add to the one I just posted or do a Part 2? You are reading Part 2. So, I am going to share his better photos for you to enjoy.

Wood Stork sitting at Lake Morton by Dan

Wood Stork sitting at Lake Morton by Dan

“Even the stork in the heavens Knows her appointed times; And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow Observe the time of their coming. But My people do not know the judgment of the LORD. (Jeremiah 8:7 NKJV)

The Wood Storks were there. Maybe five or six and at least one Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. Like mentioned in the first article, there weren’t that many birds around.

He also took photos of the Black Swan, and our immature Limpkin and White Ibis.

Black Swan by Dan at Morton

Black Swan by Dan at Morton

and the red-bill, and the pelican, and swan, (Leviticus 11:18 Brenton)

The “Aflac” Duck and the Wood Ducks were about it. Maybe next time the birdwatching will improve. Once it turns cold up north, our “winter visitors” will start coming to visit and spend the winter with us. Then, the chance for some different birds to show you. Stay Tuned!

I know and am acquainted with all the birds of the mountains, and the wild animals of the field are Mine and are with Me, in My mind.
(Psalms 50:11 AMP)

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Visit Dan’s Site – USNDansPix.com

Birdwatching Trips – Lake Morton

Birdwatching Trips

Gideon

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Sunday Inspiration – Fulvettas, Ground Babblers

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Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe poioicephala) ©WikiC

Brown-cheeked Fulvetta (Alcippe poioicephala) ©WikiC

He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. (Psalms 33:5 NKJV)

The Pellorneida is another neatly created family that has 70 members and are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire family was previously included in the Timaliidae.

Morphological diversity is rather high; most species resemble “warblers”, jays or thrushes.

White-hooded Babbler (Gampsorhynchus rufulus) ©WikiC

White-hooded Babbler (Gampsorhynchus rufulus) ©WikiC

They are small to medium-sized birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush or warbler. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.

This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.(Wikipedia with editing)

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A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 KJV)

“Everything’s Fine” ~ ©Hyssongs

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More Sunday Inspiration

Fulvettas, Ground Babblers – Pellorneida

The Amazing Butterfly

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Birdwatching at Lake Morton Finally

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Aflac Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee

Aflac Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee

Last week Dan and I actually got to do a little birdwatching. My back has been improving, but not healed. After 12 therapy sessions, I felt brave enough to see what was going on at Lake Morton. It is in Lakeland, Florida and you can park across the street from the lake. Easy walk for me.

Needless to say, I was excited about getting out birdwatching, but the birds had other ideas. There were very few birds other than the normal residents hanging around for a hand out. Guess the winter birds haven’t arrived yet. That top pictures show the lack of birds on the lake.

Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee Close-up

Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee Close-up

“If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days.” (Deuteronomy 22:6-7 NASB)

Aflac is not the name of this domestic Peking/Mallard Duck. She is pretty though she is a hybrid. She was busy working on her nest and you can see some of the things she was adding below.

Aflac Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee Close-up of nest material

Aflac Momma Duck at Lake Morton by Lee Close-up of nest material

Other interesting birds were some immature White Ibises, an immature Limpkin and some Wood Ducks. Like I said, it was rather quiet.

Immature White Ibis at Lake Morton by Lee

Immature White Ibis at Lake Morton by Lee

Limpkin Juvenile at Lake Morton by Lee

Limpkin Juvenile at Lake Morton by Lee

Wood Duck at Lake Morton by Lee

Wood Duck at Lake Morton by Lee

Any day we can go birdwatching is always enjoyable. There is usually something that is there to see. Life is not made up of big events all the time, just the everyday normal sights. When we do get to see special birds or whatever, then that makes them extra nice.

Here is a video of that Wood Duck and his mate bouncing around in the water. Trust you don’t get seasick. They seem to have been created to handle floating and bobbing well.

The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. (Genesis 7:18 NASB)

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Sunday Inspiration – Cisticolas and Singing

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Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) by Ian

Golden-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis) by Ian

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

The Cisticolidae – Cisticolas and Allies family has 158 species currently. They are  warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae. Among the Cisticolida, besides the Cisticola, there are; Jery, Prinia, Warblers, a Longtail, Apalis, Camaroptera, Wren-Warblers, Tailorbirds, Forest Warblers, and Eremomelas.

This family probably originated in Africa, which has the majority of species, but there are representatives of the family across tropical Asia into Australasia, and one species, the zitting cisticola, even breeds in Europe.

Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis) by Nikhil Devasar

These are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub. They are often difficult to see and many species are similar in appearance, so the song is often the best identification guide.

By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 NKJV)

These are insectivorous birds which nest low in vegetation.

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Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. (Psalms 100:2 NKJV)

“How Can I Keep From Singing?” ~  by the Trio + 1 (Pastor Jerry, Reagan Osborne, Caleb & Jessie Padgett) Faith Baptist

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More Sunday Inspirations

Cisticolidae – Cisticolas and allies

In Our Place

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How Well Do We Reflect?

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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

These photos by Ray Barlow have just been running around in my mind. It’s about the same as when you hear a song and then for days you hear it and hum the song.

How close are we walking with the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we near and close enough to touch base once in awhile like the photo below?

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25 NKJV)

Are we spending more time in reading, praying, attending church, and having fellowship with other believers? Getting closer to the Lord to where we are starting to reflect Him in our lives.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. (Proverbs 27:19 NKJV)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

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Lord Bless your day as you consider these verses. I trust we all will strive to be more like Jesus and others can see Him in us.

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Gospel Message
Birds of the Bible – Fly Like An Eagle
Thanks to Raymond Barlow for the permission to use these photos.

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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Princess Parrot – Reworked

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Ian’s Bird of the Week – Princess Parrot ~ by Ian Montgomery
Newsletter ~ 10/1/15

Lee’s Update:  Not sure what happened because I was seeing it okay on PC and smartphone. Anyway, it is now back to the way I normally add the photos back in.

A late bird of the week I regret, but I’ve been planning and designing a major overhaul to the website to the exclusion of almost everything else. The website is showing its age as I designed it in a pre-smart phone and pre-tablet era – seems like a long time ago now – for fixed, landscape screens. About 30% of the birdway website traffic comes from such devices now, so it’s an issue I can no longer ignore. Anyway, I’ll say a bit more about that later and provide an example of the new layout.

The other revision taking place is that until now I’ve only included my own photos, so Birdway has been synonymous with Ian Montgomery. The rationale was that it was a showcase for my work – some would say a monument to my ego, smile. Maybe I’m satisfied at having reached 1500 species globally and 700 Australian ones so it’s time to change. Birdway will now aim to provide the best range of publishable quality bird photos. Initially the emphasis will be on Australian ones, but later I may extend this to Australasian one. For manageability, I’m starting by invitation only but feel free to register your interest by email ian@birdway.com.au.

So, here is a landmark bird of the week: these lovely photos of the gorgeous and elusive Princess Parrot were taken by my friend Jenny Spry, a birder and photographer well-known in Australian birding circles. She leaves no stone unturned and no bush or remote island unchecked in a passionate search for the unusual and has one of the longest Australian life lists (aiming for 800!).Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) by Jenny Spry The Princess Parrot is elusive for at least two reason. The first is that it’s a bird of very remote parts of arid Australia accessible only with considerable difficulty, e.g. the Canning Stock Route. The other is that its population and range varies greatly with rainfall. In poor seasons it is almost impossible to find, but in good season the population irrupts and it can appear in more accessible locations, perhaps I should say slightly less inaccessible ones, in inland eastern Western Australia, the southwestern Northern Territory and northwestern South Australia. The core breeding range is thought to be around Tobin Lake and in the Great Victoria Desert, both in eastern Western Australia.

Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) by Jenny Spry It is one of three beautiful, long-tailed, medium sized (length 34-46cm/13-18in) parrots belonging to the endemic Australian genus. Polytelis. The others are the Superb Parrot of New South Wales and northern Victoria and the Regent Parrot  which occurs in two separate populations, one in southwestern New South Wales, northeastern Victoria and eastern South Australia and the other in southern Western Australia. All three species are uncommon: the Princess is classed as Near-Threatenedand the Superb as Vulnerable, while the Regent is uncommon in the east and declining in the west. Male Princess Parrots, first two photos, have longer tails and brighter colours than females (third photo).

Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) © Jenny Spry

Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) © Jenny Spry

Returning to the subject of website design in a mobile world, I’ve used the Princess Parrot as the first species in the new design and it was posted to the birdway website this morning. The changes will be more obvious on smart phones and tablets, but on computers you’ll notice that the thumbnails have moved from a vertical column on the left to a horizontal row on the bottom and the information about the photo has moved from left to right. You’ll also see a button at top right which reveals – and hides – the main navigation menu as vertical column which slides the rest of the page to the right. Previous, this menu didn’t appear on the pages of individual species, only – as a row of horizontal buttons at the top – on the family pages and the ten main topic pages to which these button link.
Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) by IanThe fourth and fifth images are screen shots from my iPhone. The fourth shows a page in landscape orientation. The image shrinks to fit the screen width and you can see the rest of the page by scrolling up and down. Note that the photo information is still on the left. The fifth, shows the page in vertical orientation with the navigation menu showing as a grey column on the left. The photo information has dropped below the image and both the menu column and the main window are scrollable independently.
Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) by Ian
These pages are, of course, still prototypes and there will be more changes before I apply it more generally. I’ve tested it only using the Apple browser Safari on a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone. I’d be very grateful if you could try it out on different platforms (Windows and Android particularly) and in different browsers (Safari, Windows Explorer, Chrome, Opera, Firefox and Mozilla are the most important) and report back to me with any problems: http://birdway.com.au/psittacidae/princess_parrot/index.htm.
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I’ve needed to use JavaScript to show and hide the side menu, so you won’t be able to see if yet if JavaScript isn’t available. If it isn’t you’ll get a message in orange instead of the script generated ian@birdway.com.au email address to tell you that and to write to ‘ian’ (at symbol) ‘birdway.com.au’ instead. I will be adding code so that the side menu is permanently visible if JavaScript isn’t enabled, but it is something of an internet standard these day and I want to be able to hide it to make more space available on small screens.
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On the subject of books, the Diary of a Bird Photographer has sold about 50 copies in the first month, and review are beginning to appear (below on the Apple store) I’m hugely grateful to those who have done reviews and would love it if some of you would. I think there were problems posting review to the Apple store, but these seem to have been fixed. If that is your experience let me know ian@birdway.com.au and if your very patient, try again. Thank you.
Princess Parrot (Polytelis alexandrae) by Ian
These images should link to the relevant pages on the Birdway site.

Ian's Book

Ian’s Book

Where To Find Birds - Ian

Greetings
Ian
**************************************************

Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/
Where to Find Birds in Northern Queensland: iTunes; Google Play Kobo Books
Recorder Society http://www.nqrs.org.au
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Lee’s Addition:

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (Mark 6:31 KJV)

Very interesting Parrot and apparently quite a change to Ian’s Site at Birdway. I’ll be checking on permission for further usage of his guest photographer. For now, I trust using this latest newsletter of his is under his permission to use.

What a beauty this parrot reveals. Subtle in colors, but very attractive.

See:

Ian’s Bird of the Week
Ian’s Birdway Website
His Parrot Family
Psittacidae – African and New World Parrots
Psittaculidae – Old World Parrots

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Birds of the Bible – Fly Like An Eagle

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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. (Jeremiah 48:40 KJV)

I received an email newsletter from Raymond Barlow today with this photo. Oh, my! What a shot. Ray has been one of the first photographers that gave permission to use his photos on this blog. After sending a quick note up to him (Canada), that permission remains and here are some of his latest Bald Eagle photos.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

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

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. (Jeremiah 49:22 KJV)

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
(Revelation 4:7 KJV)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14 KJV)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Ray Barlow

If you click on these photos you will see them much larger. Thank you, Ray. Thank you Lord for creating such fantastic birds, especially Eagles.

Blessings,

Lee

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Birds of the Bible Eagles

Raymond Barlow’s Site

Wordless Birds

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Birds of the Bible – Lazuli Birds

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Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) by Michael Woodruff

Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) by Michael Woodruff

While reading through Lamentations, I came across this verse:

Her consecrated ones were purer than snow, They were whiter than milk; They were more ruddy in body than corals, Their polishing was like lapis lazuli. (Lamentations 4:7 NASB)

I immediately thought of the bird above – the Lazuli Bunting. Working with the Birds of the World, the name “Lazuli” has been seen before, so this is an attempt to find out what it really means and which birds have that color. Let’s dig around and see what we can find out.

Lazuline Sabrewing (Campylopterus falcatus) ©WikiC

Lazuline Sabrewing (Campylopterus falcatus) ©WikiC

The NASB has two more verses that use “lazuli”: Ezekial 1:26 and 28:13. All three use lapis with the lazuli. Checking with my eSword program in the compare mode most of the translations use “Sapphire.” and some use the lapis lazuli. They all refer to a very well polished and cut stone of the sapphire or lazuli color.

Polished Block of Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan ©WikiC

Polished Block of Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan ©WikiC

Lazuli
Lazuline Sabrewing (Campylopterus falcatus)
Lazuli Kingfisher (Todiramphus lazuli)
Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena)

Sapphire Gem ©WikiC

Sapphire Gem ©WikiC

Sapphire
Blue-chinned Sapphire (Chlorestes notata)
Sapphire-throated Hummingbird (Lepidopyga coeruleogularis)
Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird (Lepidopyga lilliae)
Blue-throated Sapphire (Hylocharis eliciae)
Rufous-throated Sapphire (Hylocharis sapphirina)
White-chinned Sapphire (Hylocharis cyanus)
Gilded Sapphire (Hylocharis chrysura)
Blue-headed Sapphire (Hylocharis grayi)
Humboldt’s Sapphire (Hylocharis humboldtii)
Golden-tailed Sapphire (Chrysuronia oenone)
Sapphire-spangled Emerald (Amazilia lactea)
Great Sapphirewing (Pterophanes cyanopterus)
Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani)
Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet (Touit purpuratus)
Sapphire Flycatcher (Ficedula sapphira)
Sapphire Quail-Dove (Geotrygon saphirina)

Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani) by Michael Woodruff

Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani) by Michael Woodruff

What an amazing colection of birds with a beautiful color that the Lord has given us. Not only did we get that fantastic color in stones from the Creator, but He used that color for His avian beauties also.


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Hope you enjoy seeing these beautiful birds. The Bibles verses didn’t really have anything to do with birds. The verse is actually about the destruction of Jerusalem and how those that had been so well dressed in various colors were now appearing blacker than soot (Lam 4:8) because of their sin which had caused the destruction. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, was describing what had been and what they were seeing now.

We also will face judgment one day, for either rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ, at the Great White Throne judgment or for those that have accepted Him as Lord and Savior at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:16-21 NASB)

Birds of the Bible

Torrey’s Topical Textbook – Precious Stones

The Gospel

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