Bird Devotional 17

Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria

“Off to a solitary place.” Mark 1:35

Most species of sandpipers are gregarious birds. During migration, they often appear in large groups that may contain hundreds of birds of several different species. As the word sandpiper implies, their preferred habitats are sandy beaches and mudflats. Unlike other members of their family, Solitary Sandpipers are always seen singly or in small groups. They prefer quiet backwaters and shallow ponds or stream edges where they can generally be by themselves. This solitary lifestyle is how the birds acquired their name. Solitary Sandpipers are dark, medium-sized shorebirds with prominent white eye rings and olive-green legs.

Today’s Bible verse, “Off to a solitary place,” was spoken of Jesus during the early time of His ministry: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed” (Mark 1:35). Three things stand out in this passage: It was early; Jesus was by Himself; He prayed. Many other references to prayer in the Bible also contain those three features. In the Book of Lamentations is this admonition to pray in the wee hours of the morning: “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children” (Lamentations 2:19). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructed us concerning personal, private prayer: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). What is clear from these and other Bible passages is that we are to PRAY. We are to get up and pray early, before we begin our day. We are to pray by ourselves in a “solitary place” where we can be free from distractions as we pour out our hearts to Him. We are, as Paul said, to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Have you found that solitary time and place to pray?

Father, help me find the time to pray. Lead me to that solitary place where I can have fellowship with you every day. Amen

The Report

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"

(Isaiah 53:1, John 12:38, Romans 10:16)

Every state's ornithological society has something called a "Rare Birds Record Committee" that is charged with the responsibility of accepting or rejecting all reports of rare birds within that state. So yesterday I submitted a Rare Bird Report Form for the Brown Pelican I saw on Wednesday. Since the report contains several photographs of a bird that is unmistakably a Brown Pelican, there is probably little chance that my sighting will be rejected. However, I was wondering what the result would be if I did not have those pictures. What if I had left my camera at home that day, or if I had forgotten to replace the battery? (Like happened to me one day last month.) Then the only thing the committee would have to go on would be my field notes and a sketch of the bird. (If you could see my attempts at sketching birds you would understand how hopeless that would be!) Without photographs, the committee would largely be taking my report on blind faith. Is the reporter trustworthy? Did he really see a Brown Pelican, or is he mistaken? Then I got to thinking...even with photographs, maybe the committee could think the reporter is a complete fraud. Maybe those Brown Pelican pictures were taken down in Louisiana somewhere, and he just claims they were taken in South Dakota. Actually everything in life must be accepted with some level of faith. In considering the Bible verses quoted at the top, "Who hath believed our report?" we realize we all must make decisions every day about what "reports" we will believe. Whether you are considering a report from a family member, a co-worker, the writer of this blog, or even Prophet Isaiah, Apostle John, Apostle Paul or Jesus Christ, remember that some degree of faith and trust is involved. Chew on that for a while. And in a few months I will let you know how my Rare Bird Report turned out.

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora peregrina

Tennessee Warblers are considered one of the "drab" warblers. However, this male is quite handsome with his understated moss-green on top, the contrasting light underparts, the gray cap, and that dashing line through his eye. Note the very typical warbler bill--shaped like a tweezers for grasping small insects and spiders.

The Fifth

Big Bend Brown Pelican

Flying

The Brown Pelican I found yesterday at Big Bend Dam, if accepted as an official record by the South Dakota Ornithologists Union, will be only the fifth ever recorded in South Dakota. According to Birds of South Dakota, published in 2002, the only four previous sightings were in 1931, 1941, 1955 and 1991. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! I took a drive below the dam during my lunch hour, and never did eat any lunch! Big Bend Dam, located on the Crow Creek Sioux and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations, is one of the six major dams on the Missouri River.

Big Bend Brown Pelican

Resting

The bird spent most of the time just resting.

Big Bend Brown Pelican

Taking Off

I saw it fly twice. The second time was at 4:15 in the afternoon, when it flew downstream and appeared to land on the water below a small wooded island.

The Louisiana Quarter

The Brown Pelican is Louisiana's State Bird. Look closely in your change pocket. You may be carrying a Brown Pelican right now.

Brown Pelican!

Brown Pelican at Big Bend Dam

Fort Thompson, South Dakota

May 27, 2009

I found this Brown Pelican in the tailwaters below Big Bend Dam over my lunch hour on May 27, 2009. This is a very unusual bird for South Dakota. This species of pelican is normally found only along the seacoast. I will post more details later.

Birding TV Show?

With all the stupid, worthless and bizarre shows on television, you would think every single subject has been covered. However, have you ever seen a program about birding? Well, neither have I. That could change soon. Richard Crossley, a bird photographer and author, has come up with an idea that he is trying to sell to Animal Planet or some other network. Here is a link to a five minute demo video that explains the concept for a series called Wild in the City. http://www.youtube.com/user/planetgrande Just click on Richard Crossley, Wild in the City.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I am surprised at the number of people who don't believe Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is actually the name of a real bird. They seem to think someone just made it up as a joke. Well, both the name and the bird are quite real. They really do eat sap, but they don't actually suck it. They lap it with their tongues from holes they have drilled in the trunks of trees. Quite a cool group of birds, sapsuckers. And to top it all off, a group of sapsuckers is collectively known as a slurp of sapsuckers. I kid you not.

Bird Devotional 16

Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus

“All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose.” Proverbs 7:22

The Killdeer’s curious name comes from its call, a frantic-sounding warning: “KillDEER! KillDEER!” with the emphasis on the final syllable. The Killdeer is a member of the plover family, but unlike most other plovers, it is often found far away from water. They often can be heard making their alarming calls in open places like golf courses, airports, parking lots and sparse grasslands. Killdeers lay their eggs on bare ground by making a shallow scrape lined with pebbles. Killdeers often perform an elaborate “broken wing” display in order to draw the attention of potential predators away from the nest.

The seventh chapter of Proverbs is a warning for young men about the seduction of prostitutes. The practical application of the passage is, however, much broader. There are many things that seduce us away from our relationship with God. Illicit sex and pornography are certainly some of those things, but we can also be seduced by power, greed, fame and materialism. Today’s Bible verse compares this seduction process to an ox going to slaughter or a deer stepping into a noose. Is there no hope for deliverance? Are we as doomed as those helpless animals going to their deaths? As always, God’s Word contains hope. Just as the Killdeer cries out its warning, “KillDEER! KillDEER!” when danger lurks, God’s Word has provided warning for us: “My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live. They will keep you from the adulteress” (Proverbs 7:1,2,5). God’s Word will keep us from falling into seductive traps and being killed like a deer in a noose. Store His Word in your heart and you will live.

Dear God, I confess that I have often fallen into seductive traps. Forgive me for not turning to you for help. I want to store your Word in my heart that I may live. Amen.

Weather-Wisdom

"Who gave weather-wisdom to the Ibis?"

(Job 38:36, The Message)

White-faced Ibis by Paul Roisen

God asked Job a lot of questions about birds. We will explore those questions from time to time. One of them, as written in The Message paraphrase, is "Who gave weather-wisdom to the Ibis?" (Job 38:36). Job had no immediate answer. How about you? Do you know what would give the Ibis and other birds an innate sense of when a change of weather is approaching? Is it God the Creator at work? Or is it just evolutionary happenstance?

Wilson's Warbler

Wilson's Warbler, Wilsonia pusilla

The warblers are finally starting to come through the Pierre area. I saw my first of the year Wilson's Warbler yesterday, but I couldn't get him to sit still for a picture. That is typical of warblers. They are always flitting around among the leaves. The photo above is one I shot in Colorado two years ago. The Wilson's Warbler was first identified in 1811 by ornithologist Alexander Wilson who named the bird for himself. The next few weeks are really going to be fun as the warbler migration continues.

Two Eggs

Mourning Dove Eggs

Last week I promised I would climb up on a stepladder and take a picture of the Mourning Dove nest in the hanging planter by our front door. Well, here is the picture. There are two eggs! Mama Mourning Dove wasn't too happy with me, but she came right back and resumed incubating her eggs. Stay tuned for more.

Mama Mourning Dove, the Expectant Mother

Who You Calling Pewee?

Western Wood-Pewee

I don't know why you humans call me Pewee. At six and a quarter inches long I am much bigger than a lot of the other birds around here. And it certainly isn't because of my song. I say, "DREEyurr." It's my cousin, the Eastern Wood-Pewee, that says, "PEEaweee." So from now on, please call me by my scientific name, Contopus sordidulus. Or better yet, just leave me alone.

Say What?

Say's Phoebe, Sayornis saya

The Say's Phoebe is named for Thomas Say, a Philadelphia naturalist of the early nineteenth century. Mr. Say, whose primary interest was actually insects, was the zoologist on Major Stephen Long's famous expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 1819-1820. The Say's Phoebe is one of the many species of plants and animals he discovered and identified on that journey. The bird pictured above was the official greeter at the Wind Cave Canyon trailhead at Wind Cave National Park last weekend.

I Love You, Man!

Male Mountain Bluebird

Everyone loves Mountain Bluebirds. They are the state bird of Nevada and Idaho, but residents of all western states embrace these little sapphire jewels as a favorite bird of mountain meadows. I finally got a photo that does justice to the beauty of the male Mountain Bluebird. It looks as if a little piece of sky has fallen off and come to earth. I am already looking forward to my next trip west just so I can see more male Mountain Bluebirds. I love you, man!

Bird Devotional 15

Lewis's Woodpeckers by Paul O. Roisen

Lewis’s Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis

“We bear your name.” Jeremiah 14:9

Nineteenth century American explorers, Lewis and Clark, are credited with discovering sixteen species of birds that were new to science at that time. On July 20, 1805, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal of a bird he saw that day: “I saw a black woodpecker today, about the size of the lark woodpecker, as black as a crow. I endeavored to get a shoot at it but could not. It is a distinct species of woodpecker; it has a long tail and flies a good deal like the jay bird.” The following year when the party passed through the same region, he was able to secure specimens, and described the bird more fully: “The belly and breast is a curious mixture of white and blood red which has much the appearance of having been artificially painted or stained of that color. The top of the head, back, sides and upper surface of the wings and tail are black, with a glossy tint of green in a certain exposure to the light.”

The woodpecker first described by Meriwether Lewis was ultimately given the scientific name, Melanerpes lewis, and is known as Lewis’s Woodpecker. Just as that woodpecker bears the name of Meriwether Lewis, the Bible tells us that those who trust in God bear His name. “O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress…you are among us, O Lord, and we bear your name” (Jeremiah 14:8-9). There is something special about bearing someone’s name. It is a sign of belonging, of close identification. God’s Word calls us to become identified with Him through His Son Jesus: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Trust in Him and you will be able to say with Peter: “If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4:16).

Dear Lord, I want to be your child and to bear your name. As I give my heart to you I thank you that you have received me into your family. Amen.

Lewis and Clark

Lewis's Woodpecker and Clark's Nutcracker

I saw a Lewis's Woodpecker today on Elk Mountain in southwest South Dakota. It was my 341st life bird. The really cool aspect to this sighting was that I saw a Clark's Nutcracker within a few yards of the Lewis's Woodpecker at the very same time. I could move my eyes from woodpecker to nutcracker and back again while standing in one spot. These two birds were not known to the scientific world until identified and described by the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They were, of course, named for those famous explorers.

How Common Are They?

Common Terns

The word "common" is often part of a bird's name. Sometimes that means they are abundant and easy to find. Other times it does not. I had not seen any Common Terns this year until I found these at Bear Butte Lake yesterday. I had already seen Caspian Terns, Forster's Terns and Black Terns, but no Common Terns. That brings to mind the day we spent traipsing all over the Platte River Valley in Nebraska searching for a Common Crane that had been reported the previous day. We saw many thousands of Sandhill Cranes, but missed out on the Common Crane. By the way, Common Cranes really are common in Asia, just not here in North America. Where are Common Terns common? Well...yesterday at Bear Butte Lake there was a whole flock of them. Where they will be today is anybody's guess!

Water Ouzel

American Dippers on the Rocks

American Dippers are an interesting bird of fast-moving western mountain streams. Also known as Water Ouzels, they were the favorite bird of famed naturalist John Muir. The Black Hills are the easternmost outpost of this bird, and Roughlock Falls in the Spearfish Canyon is the most reliable spot to find them. I found these two birds there yesterday doing what American Dippers do: swimming underwater, flying through the waterfall, and feeding among the rocks.

American Dipper Below Roughlock Falls

Ladies Only

Female Mountain Bluebird

Yesterday afternoon I took a little drive in the foothills north of Spearfish. I saw several pairs of Mountain Bluebirds. I tried to get photos of some males, but they were not as cooperative as this lovely female. The females would generally sit still, but the males would always fly just as I got close enough for a good shot. Looking at my pictures from previous years I realized I have never taken a good photo of a male Mountain Bluebird, but I have several good ones of females. I'll keep trying, and let you know how if I am successful at capturing one of those handsome males in my lens.

Heading for the Hills

South Dakota is a beautiful state, with rolling prairies, tidy farms, and wooded valleys. Where it is bisected by the Missouri River, the state features four large dams and reservoirs, giving some areas an almost seacoast-like feeling. In the southwest there are miles and miles of endless badlands that lend an alien, unworldliness to the landscape. But the one feature that makes South Dakota different from its Great Plains neighbors is the Black Hills. This island of pine, spruce, flowing streams and rugged rock formations provided rest and solace to Native Americans. It still does that today. Almost every South Dakotan tries to make an annual trek to what we refer to simply as, "The Hills." I am leaving shortly for a business trip out that direction, and then on to Custer this weekend for the spring meeting of the South Dakota Ornithologists Union. Providing I can master the technology of blogging on the road, I will post what I find while I am out there. This is my first serious birding trip to the Black Hills, and there are 12 new life birds on my target list. Any bets on how many I find?

Nest of Flowers

Mourning Dove on Nest

Last week my wife hung this basket of flowers next to our front porch. A few days later she noticed a Mourning Dove sitting in it. A careful inspection from a step stool revealed a nest and at least one egg. I took this photo while standing on the ground. In a few days I will get a step ladder and try to get a picture of the nest and an accurate count of the eggs. Stay tuned for more on our "Nest of Flowers."

Government Housing

Purple Martin, Progne subis

On Saturday I went on a walk to raise money for multiple sclerosis research. The walk took us around the State Capitol Building in Pierre. It's funny I never noticed them before while driving around the Capitol, but there were several Purple Martin houses on the Capitol grounds. There were martins flying around or perched on most of them. This member of the swallow family is a communal nester. Before settlement of North America by Europeans, they nested in natural cavities. Now they nest almost exclusively in human-provided housing like this one.

Bird Devotional 14

Rock Wren, Salpinctes obsoletus

“Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock.” Numbers 24:21

We associate some birds so closely with a particular natural or geographical feature that it has become part of the bird’s name. There are birds whose names include the words tree, canyon, cactus, meadow or mountain because that is where you most often find them. No bird is more closely connected with a natural object that is part of its name than the Rock Wren. They build their nests among the rocks; they eat, sleep, breed and die there. Rock Wrens live in western North America, anywhere there are rocks. In central South Dakota they inhabit natural rocky slopes, but also live happily in the huge man-made rock piles along the banks of the Missouri River.

Today’s Bible verse, “Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock,” was spoken of a people who did not serve God. These people, according to the Bible, would be destroyed and taken captive. They trusted in the power of their own “rock,” that is, in their own abilities and strength, and not in God. Their misplaced faith in their “rock” is in stark contrast to the promises of God. The Old Testament is full of references to God as our Rock: “Who is the Rock except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32), “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!” (Psalm 18:46) and “The Lord is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4). In the New Testament, Jesus is called our Rock: “That Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4) and “With Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20). Let us then put our faith and trust in God, and His Son Jesus, as our Rock. Then we will have this promise: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25). Build your life on God’s eternal foundation, and you will stand against anything that comes your way.

Father, I repent of my tendency to trust in my own abilities. Starting today I build my life on you and your Son Jesus as my Rock eternal. Amen.

Rock Wren Nest by Paul O. Roisen

On a Rock

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry,

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:1-3)

The Little Foxes

"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." Song of Solomon 2:15

Red Foxes

When I showed Daria this photo of two young foxes I saw by the side of the road this week she said, "You should put that on your blog." "But they aren't birds," I responded. "Well, isn't the inspiration for your blog the passage that says, 'Ask the animals and they will teach you, and the birds of the air and they will tell you?'" she reminded me. I had to admit she was right. What can these cute little foxes teach us?

There is an interesting verse about foxes from Song of Solomon: "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." So, what does that verse mean? Well, I think the little foxes represent the small things, the seemingly insignificant things that cause difficulties and distress in our lives. The vineyards are the relationships and activities of our lives that produce fruit. So, think about it. Is it the big things, things like disease or unemployment, that cause the biggest problems in our lives? Or is it the seemingly little things: envy, bitterness, pride, selfishness, or prejudice? Most of us seem to confront the Goliaths, the big monsters of our lives, much better than we do the "little foxes."

So take another look at the foxes in the photo. They are so cute and innocent. But consider what the "little foxes" can do in our lives and relationships. The Bible verse says to "catch" them. So, ask God's help in doing that today whenever a "little fox" comes along.

What Color Is Clay?

Clay-colored Sparrow

The Clay-colored Sparrows arrived in central South Dakota this week. And that brought up the question: What color is clay? Is it the gray of the bird's belly and nape of the neck? Or is it the creamy-beige of the face patch? Or the white of the "eyebrow" and "moustache" stripes? Or the reddish-brown on the head and wings? It seems to me that clay comes in all those colors. What color first pops into your head when you think of clay? And what color is a Clay-colored Sparrow?

One Hundred

This is blog entry one hundred. When I started this adventure three months ago I was worried I would run out of ideas after a week or so. Well, the birds just keep talking to me--so I keep writing. This is a big THANK YOU to all of you who have become Followers, those who have submitted comments, and those of you who visit this page from time to time. And here is an especially big THANK YOU to my friend, Paul Roisen, whose beautiful photography has been featured here many times. So, with the Thank Yous all said, it's time to go on to the next 100.

Bill

Say Hello to Bob

Northern Bobwhite

South Dakota is at the northern edge of the range of the Northern Bobwhite. In fact, most bird book maps do not show the birds even entering the state, and I had never before seen one here. Well, yesterday morning I spotted this bird and two of his buddies on a country road a mile north of the town of Lake Andes, South Dakota. The bird gets its name from the song of the male, a clear and persistent "bob-WHITE." The population of Northern Bobwhites has been declining in recent decades, especially in the north. Some friends of mine have seen bobwhites at Fort Randall Dam, about 10 miles from where I saw the birds yesterday, so maybe there is a growing population in that particular part of South Dakota.

East Meets West

Western Kingbird

Yesterday morning I saw the bird pictured above, my first-of-the-year Western Kingbird. After I had snapped a few photos, I drove ahead a few feet. What did I immediately see on the other side of the road? My first-of-the-year Eastern Kingbird! And yes, the Western Kingbird was on the west side of the road, and the Eastern Kingbird was on the east side of the road. I like each of these kingbirds so well that I am glad we have them both in South Dakota in almost equal numbers.

Eastern Kingbird

Turkey

Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo

tur key (tur kee) n. 1. a country of southwest Asia and southeast Europe between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 2. a large North American bird with brownish plumage and a bare wattled head and neck. 3. a person considered inept or undesirable. 4. a failure, especially a failed theatrical production or movie. 5. three consecutive strikes in bowling.

Bird Devotional 13

Eastern Phoebe, Photo by Paul O. Roisen

Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe.” Romans 16:1

My wife, Daria, and I were spending our first night at Another World Bed and Breakfast near Dubuque, Iowa. We had left the window open a crack, and as dawn came we were treated to a chorus of springtime bird sounds. Lying in bed, trying to sort out the various songs, I heard an Eastern Phoebe calling out its name, “feebee.” It called a second time and I said to Daria, “Listen, it’s an Eastern Phoebe. Hear it?” Just then it called again, and she said, “Yes, it’s saying its name.” Daria heard a second, deeper voice calling, “feebee,” and asked if there were two birds singing. I didn’t know how to respond until we both heard the deeper voice say, “Feebee, feebee. Come here girl. That’s a good girl, feeb.” When I glanced out the window, I could see a man and his dog in the yard below. He patted the dog’s head and Phoebe wagged her tail. We sat in our room trying to come to terms with the incredible juxtaposition of an Eastern Phoebe calling out its name at the same time a man was calling for his dog named Phoebe. To us it seemed nothing short of a miracle, a little gift of God’s grace.

Phoebes are members of the flycatcher family, and are one of the first birds to return north in the spring. They sing their “feebee” songs from prominent perches from which they fly out to catch insects in mid-air. The name Phoebe comes from the last chapter of the book of Romans where Paul asks the Roman Christians to give his friend, Phoebe, “any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (Romans 16:2). What a blessing it would have been for the Apostle Paul to write such a favorable letter of recommendation! I wonder…am I living the kind of life that would result in my name being mentioned in the same manner by other people? Am I living a life worthy of the name of Christ? Most of us will never have birds named after us, but our lives can bring honor to the name of Jesus.

Lord, I thank you for the privilege of being called your child. Help me to live in a way worthy of your name. Amen.

Home on the Range

Oh, give me a home...

Where the buffalo roam...

Where the deer...


And the antelope play...

It's May!

It's May!!!!