“And he [Abraham] lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, 3 men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground.” (Genesis 18:2)
Eurasian Jay ©Charlie Fleming
*
*
Swans Waiting For Their Check-up by the Veterinarian At Lake Morton
“And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32 KJV)
Swans Waiting For Their Check-up by the Veterinarian At Lake Morton
*
*
Catching Swans on Lake Morton for the Annual Roundup ©Fox13
“And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,” (Leviticus 11:18 KJV)
In 2014 I wrote about going birdwatching at Lake Morton – Lake Morton Birdwatching after Round-up . Well, they are currently in the midst of doing so again. Today’s paper mentioned the annual round-up and thought you might enjoy seeing this years version. First, here is a video from last year:
Fox 13 had this article – 36th annual Lakeland Swan Roundup Underway.
“For some reason, Steve Platt, the Lakeland Parks and Recreation guy in charge of the 2016 Swan Roundup, agreed to let me on a boat to go after the target of the morning.
This is the 36th annual swan roundup. It takes place on picturesque Lake Morton.
On the day one, Tuesday, city employees catch the swans. The following day, local veterinarian Dr. Patricia Mattson and her staff give the swans physicals. They weigh, vaccinate and microchip the birds.
“The Lake Morton swans are a community icon and families have been interacting with the birds for decades,” explained Bob Donahay, director of parks & recreation. “It is very important to us to make sure our Lakeland flock is doing well so we schedule the swan roundup each year with the primary purpose to check on the health of our birds.”
Dr. Mattson, and the folks who preceded her, Dr. Geoffrey Gardner and his dad, Dr. Wade Gardner, provide their services for free.
This year, the goal was to catch close to 70 swans to get them ready for their physicals on Wednesday.
“The swans are consuming too much white bread and the heavy gluten diet, with very little nutritional value, is taking a toll on Lakeland’s swan population,” Dr. Mattson offered. “Many of the swans have a calcium deficiency because they feast on bleached white bread and this is just one of the items that will be reviewed during the swans’ annual health checkup.”
I got onto the boat, laid on my stomach, and held a big fishing net in my right hand. In an instant, I was zipping across the water. There ahead, floating peacefully was the target — a beautiful white mute swan.
As we got closer, the swan realized something was up and began to swim faster and faster away from the rumble of the rumble of the motor. As we closed in, thinking I would never pull this off, I try to net the swan, and to my amazement, I did. It was quite an adrenaline rush.
With instruction, I grabbed the massive bird, carefully keeping its wings and big floppy feet from breaking loose of my grip. When we got back to shore, I put it into a holding pen where it will stay until tomorrow.
That’s when the real fun will begin. An assembly line of workers will take each swan one by one to the vet who will weigh it, take a blood sample, and record the findings.
After that, Lakeland’s most loved residents are good for another year.
In Genesis 1:28, originally dominion over the birds was given to Adam. That meant to care for them. I am glad that the city of Lakeland cares about their Swans.
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Here are links to more coverage of this event:
Lake Morton Birdwatching after Round-up
No this was not white bread in the following photos:
*
“I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.” (Psalms 102:6 NKJV)
Owl in the Desert ©Alan Dommy
*
*
“And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:15 NKJV)
The Fairy Tale Ark Room and Real Sized Ark by Lee and Dan
*
*
Birdwatching On The Ark Encounter – Provisions II
*
“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalms 40:2 KJV)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) Lobed Feet ©WikiC
*
*
Water and Food Holders for the Cages – Lee at Ark Encounter
This is the fourth blog about Birdwatching on board the Ark Encounter. The Ark Encounter is a full-sized model of the Ark that is located in Williamstown, Kentucky.
James J. S. Johnson, Dr. Jim as I call him, writes articles here, but he also has a blog called Rockdoveblog. He has been writing limericks lately, and this one fits well with today’s article.
The Floating Zoo by Dr. James J. S. Johnson
There once was a boat called the Ark:
Peep, meow, baa, hee-haw, and bark!
Its size was quite large,
As afloat went this barge:
Noah’s at-sea zoölogical park!COMMENTARY: See Genesis chapters 6 through 9.
I am sure it WAS interesting on board the Ark, with all the many critters. In the Birdwatching On Board The Ark Encounter – The Provisions I article, I showed you how they stored the food and water for them and the critters. There are more photos to show and tell you about. As the waters were lifted up, and the ark began to float, there had to be a rise in the noise level of the critters on board.
“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.” (Genesis 7:17-20 KJV) [emphasis added]
The Fairy Tale Ark Room
Surely the critters were frightened at times, as were the humans. When the fountains of the deep broke up and the rain fell, it was not a smooth sailing cruise liner. Yet, the Lord God had given Noah the measurements and design for the Ark. Our Omninescient Creator knew exactly how the Ark would hold up during the upheavals and wave actions of all that was going on outside the Ark. (See “Lifted Up From The Earth” by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., How Could All the Animals Get On Board Noah’s Ark? and The Survival of Noah’s Ark, John D. Morris, Ph.D.)
“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” (Genesis 7:11-12 KJV)
Most of our readers are familiar with the details of the Flood, which was universal and not a local flood, as some claim. In fact, one of the rooms at the Ark Encounter they call the “Fairy Tale Ark” room. They have a collection of children’s books and others, depicting the ark with a giraffe sticking his head out the roof, and other critters on deck. You’ve seen them. Here are our photos:
How would you provide for the people, birds and other critters for a year and at least 10 days, (see Provisions I), on those little arks? You couldn’t!!! More on this point another time.
The following is a quote from Chapter 10 of the New Answers Book 1 – Was There Really a Noah’s Ark and Flood? (Online)
“How Did Noah Care for All the Animals?
Just as God brought the animals to Noah by some form of supernatural means, He surely also prepared them for this amazing event. Creation scientists suggest that God gave the animals the ability to hibernate, as we see in many species today. Most animals react to natural disasters in ways that were designed to help them survive. It’s very possible many animals did hibernate, perhaps even supernaturally intensified by God.
Whether it was supernatural or simply a normal response to the darkness and confinement of a rocking ship, the fact that God told Noah to build rooms (“qen”—literally in Hebrew “nests”) in Genesis 6:14 implies that the animals were subdued or nesting. God also told Noah to take food for them (Genesis 6:21), which tells us that they were not in a yearlong coma either.”
“Were we able to walk through the Ark as it was being built, we would undoubtedly be amazed at the ingenious systems on board for water and food storage and distribution. As Woodmorappe explains in Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study, a small group of farmers today can raise thousands of cattle and other animals in a very small space. One can easily imagine all kinds of devices on the Ark that would have enabled a small number of people to feed and care for the animals, from watering to waste removal.”
Vervain Hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) WikiC
If God did choose to have the “animals hibernate,” then, this would have required less provisions and time feeding the critters. That could be one way to stretch the food they had on board. Just from today’s behavior, we know that Hummingbirds go into a “torpor” state. Here is a quote from “How Do Hummingbirds survive Cold Nights? Hummingbirds and Torpor” (ScienceBlogs)
“Torpor is a type of deep sleep where an animal lowers its metabolic rate by as much as 95%. By doing so, a torpid hummingbird consumes up to 50 times less energy when torpid than when awake. This lowered metabolic rate also causes a cooled body temperature. A hummingbird’s night time body temperature is maintained at a hypothermic threshold that is barely sufficient to maintain life. This threshold is known as their set point and it is far below the normal daytime body temperature of 104°F or 40°C recorded for other similarly-sized birds.”
I can see again, we are going to need a Part III to this. But before we end this one, we need to not lose the fact of the applications with these provisions. Our Lord has provided us with daily provisions and meets our many needs. Yet, this Ark was for the preservation of those inside. Many were invited to get in the Ark, but they refused. Judgment was coming, they had been warned, yet they refused to heed the warnings. Then, it was too late. The Door was shut.
Today, the offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior is before us. Will we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior or we “fluff” it off like those who refused to enter the Ark. Judgment is coming. Many like to talk about the love part of the Lord, but there is also the judgment side. Hebrews 9:26-28 says,
“For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:26-28 KJV)
Before the Flood, man was able to look ahead to the cross, and now we look back at the cross. The Door was available the pre-flood people, they refused, except eight. Now the Door is open to us. Praise the Lord, Dan and I, along with many of you have opened the door of your hearts and let the Lord in.
The Door at the Ark Encounter – Dan and our friends
“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John 10:7-9 KJV)
*
*
” To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” Proverbs 1:4
Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) Baby by WaltDaily©©
*
*
Southern Screamer with a Capybara by Lee at Palm Beach Zoo
“Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him;” (Mark 5:5-6 NASB)
Our next Order, the Anseriformes has three families. The Anhimidae – Screamers Family has only three members; the Horned, Northern and Southern Screamers. The Anseranatidae – Magpie Goose Family is even smaller. The Magpie Goose is the only member. The third family is huge with 173 species. That is the Anatidae Family which has Ducks, Geese, Swans and other water birds. Today, we will just do the first two families. Dan and I have seen the Southern Screamer at several zoos. Also, this audio, by zeno-canto of s Southern Screamer screaming.
“The screamers are a small clade of birds (Anhimidae). For a long time, they were thought to be most closely related to the Galliformes because of similar bills, but they are instead more closely related to ducks (family Anatidae), most closely to the magpie goose (which some DNA evidence suggests are closer to screamers than to ducks). The clade is exceptional within the living birds in lacking uncinate processes of ribs. The screamers are represented by three species, the horned screamer (Anhima cornuta), the southern screamer or crested screamer (Chauna torquata) and the northern screamer or black-necked screamer (Chauna chavaria). The birds’ skin has a layer about a quarter of an inch thick that is filled with small bubbles of air, which produce a crackling sound when pressed.” (Wikipedia with editing)
Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata) Closeup of head ©WikiC
The three species occur only in South America, ranging from Colombia to northern Argentina. They are large, bulky birds, with a small downy head, long legs and large feet which are only partially webbed. They have large spurs on their wings which are used in fights over mates and territorial disputes; these can break off in the breast of other screamers, and are regularly renewed. Unlike ducks they have a partial molt, and are able to fly throughout the year. They live in open areas and marshes with some grass and feed on water plants. One species, the southern screamer, is considered a pest as it raids crops and competes with farm birds. (Wikipedia)
Horned Screamer (Anhima cornuta) ©©Flickr WMCarlos
The Horned Screamer is a massive 84–95 cm (33–37.5 in) long, 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) bird, with a small chicken-like bill. The upperparts, head and breast are black, with white speckles on the crown, throat and wing coverts. There is a long spiny structure projecting forward from the crown. This structure is unique among birds and is not derived from a feather but is a cornified structure that is loosely attached to the skull and grows continuously while often breaking at its tip. This gives this species its name. The belly and under wing coverts are white. It has two sharp spurs on its wings, and feet which are only partially webbed.
The horned screamer’s call, as its name suggests, is a very loud U-WHO or honking YOIK-YOK.
The horned screamer is found in lowlands from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana. It is now extinct in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite having declined locally, it remains widespread and is fairly common overall. Its range in Brazil appears to have expanded in recent years.
It lives in well-vegetated marshes and feeds on water plants. Its nest is a large pile of floating vegetation anchored in shallow water. Three olive-brown eggs are laid, and the young, like those of most Anseriformes, can run as soon as they are hatched.
Northern Screamer (Chauna chavaria) ©WikiC
The Northern Screamer (Chauna chavaria), also known as the black-necked screamer, is a large species of bird in the small family Anhimidae, the screamers. It is a resident breeder in northern Colombia, in Chocó, Antioquia, Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Magdalena, Santander, and Cesar Departments and northwestern Venezuela, in Zulia, Mérida, and Trujillo States. On average, they are 88.9 cm (35 in) long and weigh about 3.9 kg (8.6 lb).
Southern Screamer (Chauna torquata) San Diego Zoo by Lee
The southern screamer averages 81–95 cm (32–37 in) long and weighs 3–5 kg (6.6–11.0 lb).[3] They are the heaviest, although not necessarily the longest, of the three screamers.[4] The wingspan is around 170 cm (67 in).[5] Among standard measurements, the wing chord measures 54 cm (21 in), the tail 23.2 cm (9.1 in), the culmen 4.5 cm (1.8 in) and the long tarsus 11 cm (4.3 in).[6] It lives in tropical and sub-tropical swamps, estuaries and watersides.
The southern screamer is a good swimmer, having partially webbed feet, but prefers to move on the ground. The bony spurs on its wings are used for protection against rival screamers and other enemies. Although it is non-migratory, it is an excellent flier. It lives in large flocks, feeding on the ground in grasslands and cultivated fields until nesting season, when birds pair off.
Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata) by Ian
The Magpie Goose (Anseranas semipalmata) is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea. It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl. The magpie goose is a resident breeder in northern Australia and in southern New Guinea. The species was once also widespread in southern Australia, but disappeared from there largely due to the drainage of the wetlands where the birds once bred.
Magpie geese are unmistakable birds with their black and white plumage and yellowish legs. The feet are only partially webbed, and the magpie goose feeds on vegetable matter in the water, as well as on land. Males are larger than females. Unlike true geese, their molt is gradual, so no flightless period results. Their voice is a loud honking. [I also think that top-knot would make it distinguishable] (All information Wikipedia with editing)
*
“And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?” (John 7:31 KJV)
“Jesus Wrought A Miracle of Love” ~ Solo by Paul Ebright
*
Anseranatidae – Magpie Goose Family
*
“But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.” (Genesis 8:9 KJV)
Dove resting on board the Ark Encounter by Lee
*
*
Newsletter – 10/14/16
Masked Booby was bird of the week in May 2011, but here it is again to acknowledge the recent use of one of my photos in an Australian, or more specifically, Norfolk Island, stamp.
Here is the original photo taken on Philip Island just off Norfolk Island in 2012. The differences between the sexes in Masked Boobies are subtle, with the main difference being in the colour of the bill: yellower in males than in females which have a bluish tint to the bill.
Here is another male Booby from the 2011 bird of the week, taken on an island in the Coral Sea east of Townsville. Note the difference in the colour of the eye. Masked Boobies generally have yellow irises, but those breeding on Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island and Kermadec Island (off New Zealand) have dark brown irises and are sufficiently different in other less obvious respects to be treated as a separate race, sometimes known as the Tasman Booby (Sula dactylatra tasmani).
The next photo shows an adult female Masked Booby on Norfolk Island itself. Here you can see another difference characteristic of the tasmani subspecies: the legs and feet are khaki (those of the race personata found in the Coral Sea, off Western Australia and elsewhere across the Pacific have dark, almost black legs and feet.
Here is a juvenile at the same site on Norfolk Island as the female bird. The juveniles are somewhat similar in appearance to adult Brown Boobies and the best distinguishing field mark is the complete white collar of the juvenile Masked Booby. In Brown Boobies the brown of the head and neck is contiguous with the brown of the back and, in front, extends as far down as level with the wings and is sharply demarcated from the white breast.
Here is another photo of a juvenile Masked Booby, this time in flight and at Lord Howe Island, the other Australian breeding colony of the Tasman subspecies. The white collar is clear visible in flight too, as is the extensive amount of white on the breast.
Masked Boobies breed on isolated islands throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. As well as occurring across the Pacific, they breed in the eastern and western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and in the western and central Atlantic. The adults normally stay close to the breeding colonies, though young birds and some adults do range farther afield. So, they do occur occasional along the coast of mainland Australia.
The largest colony is found on an uninhabited coral cay called Clipperton Island or Ile de al Passion – it’s a French territory – off the coast of Mexico, with a population of perhaps 100,000 birds.
It was visited in 1958 by an American ornithologist called Kenneth Stager who was shocked to find that feral pigs had reduced the population of Masked Boobies to a mere 150 birds. Being an old-fashioned ornithologist, he had a gun with him to collect specimens so he singlehandedly shot all of the pigs, 58 in number, restoring the cay to to its pre-human state.
Other animals to benefit were the local red crabs and other nesting seabirds. It has the second largest colony of Brown Boobies and one of the relatively few colonies of the eastern Pacific Nazca Booby, very similar in appearance to the Masked, but better known on the Galapagos island and Isla de al Plata off the coast of Ecuador.
Ian Montgomery – Birdway – Photos
Lee’s Addition:
It has been well over a month since Ian produced one of his articles for us to enjoy. I wrote to Ian to see if he was okay, and here is part of his response. I trust he doesn’t mind, but this will help us think about and pray for his recovery.
“I did have problems with the second cataract operation as an interruption to the blood supply to the retina caused some loss of sight to the central part of the field of view – cloudiness, blurriness and lack of colour vision. Naturally that was a bit of a shock and for a while it made me reluctant to do anything which made me more conscious of it, particularly photography and working with images on the computer.
Anyway, the eye is gradually improving, though whether it will recover completely over the next six months or so is uncertain. Your email prompted me to stop vacillating about the bird of the week and get me into action, so thank you for that.”
More Ian’s Bird of the Week articles
Ian’s Bird of the Week – Long-tailed and White-winged Trillers – previous one
Gideon
*
“These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season.” (Psalm 104:27)
Wood Thrush. Nest ©Audubon Society
*
*
Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 