White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) by Ray

The White-crowned Sparrow – The Restorer ~ by  a j mithra

Bird watchers who have flocked to north Norfolk, UK, to see a rare sparrow have boosted the funds of a local church. They have donated so much money to Cley church; there are plans to feature the bird in a new stained glass window.

A rare bird’s appearance in a coastal village, which has attracted hoards of twitchers from across the country, has swelled church coffers.

The white-crowned sparrow is normally found in America, but it turned up 3,000 miles off course in Cley in January and is still being spotted feeding and flying around the village. The medium-sized sparrow has only been seen four times before in Britain and Ireland and its appearance in Richard and Sue Bending’s garden prompted an influx of bird watchers.

They have gathered en masse outside the home of Richard and Sue Bending. It was last Thursday that retired clergyman Mr. Bending, 60, and wife, 59, a retired librarian, first spied the bird scratching among leaf litter in their walled garden. The couple – who consider themselves bird-lovers but not die-hard twitchers – thought that the visitor, with its striking black-and-white striped head, was unusual but could not find it in their book of native varieties. We borrowed a book from the library, it was then that we realized it could be a White-crowned Sparrow,” said Mr Bending

Although Cley Reserve, run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, attracts thousands of nature lovers, the village visit by the bird – with distinctive black and white stripes on its head – has lifted the village’s profile on the bird-spotting map.

The presence of this rare bird had inspired people to give for God…

Has our presence inspired people to do something for God?

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart (2 Corinthians 3:3)

It’s the first occasion a white-crowned sparrow has ever been seen in East Anglia.

Other links to videos of the bird:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnzgAcuv8Gc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqjRrx8Ft0I

While the influx of twitchers have been keen to get a glimpse of the American migrant, the local vicar believes people have been just as impressed by the sight of the village church.

More than £5,000 has poured in to St Margaret’s restoration fund during the bird’s visit.

“They’re obviously looking at something rare and beautiful and perhaps some of them looked across here and saw something rare and beautiful as well when they saw this church,” said Rev Neil Batcock.

The money is going to be used to restore a stained glass window which will feature the rare visitor’s stay in Cley.

This is an extract from the website of St.Margret’s Church, Cley, West Window
“During the famous visit of the White Crowned Sparrow to Cley in 2008, our many visitors contributed generously to a collection made by Cley Bird Club for St Margaret’s. The Bird Club were keen for the money raised to go to a specific project rather than just added to The Church Restoration Fund. It was suggested that, as the West Window leaks rather badly, and looks over where the White Crowned Sparrow was discovered, perhaps the money could go towards the repair of this magnificent window and in memory of the bird’s visit, a small image of the White Crowned Sparrow be incorporated in the window. This idea was thought to be a very fitting way to commemorate a little bird that brought national fame to St Margaret’s and the village of Cley. We have had to apply for a faculty to do this work, and at last have got the go ahead. Hopefully, with the better weather approaching and the builder, glazier and artist being able to fit the work in, we hope that it won’t be too long before this can start.”

Though this White-crowned Sparrow had come to an unknown land, it still gave a hand to bring restoration to the place where it stayed..

Joseph restored the unknown land of the Pharaoh during famine…
The little slave girl was the reason for restoration of health to the Syrian commander in an unknown land…

GOD will not take us out from our comfort zone without a purpose..

If Joseph had not gone out of his comfort zone, we wouldn’t have had the country of Israel, which gave JESUS to us..
In fact we wouldn’t have had a Savior to save us from our sins…
GOD has given us just one life as a gift, what are we doing with it?
How many lives did we restore for GOD?

If a small sparrow can restore a church, how much GOD will expect of us?

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; …………. (Esther 4:14)

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) by S Slayton

It’s not known how the White-crowned Sparrow ended up so many miles away from home, although Mr. Bending, who first spotted the bird, has his own theories. “No-one knows how it got here but we are speculating that it was caught in a storm while migrating south from the east coast of Canada to the United States,” he said. “It could have become lost or tired and hitched a ride on a boat coming to England. We just feel very privileged that it chose our garden.”

People speculate that a storm would’ve carried this bird this far…

When u face a storm in life and you feel as if you are thrown into a no man’s land, remember that GOD will use you in that new place and glorify His name through you…

Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. ( Isaiah 41:15)

Have a blessed day!

Your’s in YESHUA,
a j mithra

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Lee’s Addition:

The White-crowned Sparrow is in the Emberizidae Family of the Passeriformes Order. The Emberizidae Family includes the Buntings, New World Sparrows and Allies. The Passeridae Family includes the Old World Sparrows and Snowfinches.

All of these Sparrows are Birds of the Bible – Sparrows and we have written several blogs about them. Please check out the articles, photos, and videos of the Sparrows.